How to Connect Zoho CRM to Appalix

What you'll need

• An Appalix account on the Pro plan or above
• A Zoho CRM account — Standard plan or above (includes API access)
• A Zoho OAuth access token with Leads scope (you'll generate this below)

About Zoho's OAuth tokens

Zoho uses OAuth 2.0 for all API access. To generate a token without building a full OAuth app, you can use the Zoho Developer Console's Self Client — a tool that lets you generate a token for your own Zoho account without publishing an app.

Important: Self Client tokens expire after a short time. For production use, you should set up a proper OAuth app and use the refresh token flow. The steps below cover both approaches.

Step 1A — Quick method: Self Client token

Use this for testing or if you want a fast setup. Token expires in 1 hour.

1. Go to api-console.zoho.com and sign in with your Zoho account.
2. Click Self Client from the left sidebar.
3. If prompted, click Enable to activate the Self Client option.
4. Under Generate Code, enter the scope: ZohoCRM.modules.leads.CREATE
5. Set a time duration (e.g. 10 minutes) and click Create.
6. Copy the grant code shown.
7. Now exchange it for an access token. In your browser's address bar (or with curl), make a POST request to:

   POST https://accounts.zoho.com/oauth/v2/token
   ?grant_type=authorization_code
   &client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID
   &client_secret=YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET
   &code=YOUR_GRANT_CODE

   The response includes an access_token. Copy it.

Step 1B — Recommended: Server-based OAuth app

For long-lived access without token expiry issues, create a proper OAuth app. The access token can be refreshed automatically.

1. Go to api-console.zoho.com → click Add Client.
2. Choose Server-based Applications.
3. Fill in:
   • Client Name: Appalix Integration
   • Homepage URL: your website URL
   • Authorized Redirect URIs: https://appalix.ai (or any valid URL — you'll extract the code from the redirect)
4. Click Create. Copy the Client ID and Client Secret.
5. Open this URL in your browser (replace CLIENT_ID with yours):

   https://accounts.zoho.com/oauth/v2/auth
   ?scope=ZohoCRM.modules.leads.CREATE
   &client_id=CLIENT_ID
   &response_type=code
   &access_type=offline
   &redirect_uri=https://appalix.ai

6. Log in with your Zoho account and click Accept.
7. You'll be redirected to https://appalix.ai?code=XXXX. Copy the code value from the URL.
8. Exchange for tokens:

   POST https://accounts.zoho.com/oauth/v2/token
   ?grant_type=authorization_code
   &client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID
   &client_secret=YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET
   &redirect_uri=https://appalix.ai
   &code=YOUR_CODE

   The response gives you an access_token and a refresh_token. Use the access token in Appalix.

Step 2 — Connect Zoho CRM in Appalix

1. In Appalix, go to Integrations and click Edit on the integration you want to connect.
2. Scroll to CRM integration and select Zoho CRM from the provider dropdown.
3. Paste your OAuth access token in the OAuth access token field.
4. Click Save changes.

What gets created in Zoho CRM

Appalix creates a record in the Leads module with:

• Email — the visitor's email address
• Phone — the visitor's phone number (if captured)
• Lead Source — set to Chat
• Last Name — set to Chat Lead (required by Zoho; update manually once you know the visitor's name)

Step 3 — Test the integration

1. Open the live chat preview for your Appalix integration.
2. Send a message with an email: "Hi, I'm interested — my email is test@company.com".
3. In Zoho CRM, go to Modules → Leads. The new lead should appear within a few seconds.

Frequently asked questions