Working With Products

Working With Products

Products can be either goods or services, which are sold or procured by your organization. In Zoho CRM, you can manage your company- wide products that are sold to the customers as well as procured from vendors. Both sales and purchasing departments can use the Products module effectively according to their department process. If your organization procures products from vendors and then sells to customers with a markup, both the sales and purchasing departments can coordinate more effectively.

Sales departments can use the products module along with other modules, such as leads, accounts, potentials, quotes, sales orders, and invoices. Purchasing departments can use the module along with Vendors and Purchase Orders. In general, the Product details page contains the product name, manufacturer or reseller name, part numbers, sales start and end dates, support start and end dates, price, stock position to name a few.

Availability
Permission Required
Access to the Products Tab that includes View, Create, Edit and Delete permissions.

Check Feature Availability and Limits 

Standard Fields in Products

Following are the list of Zoho defined standard fields available in the Products module:
Field Name
Description
Data type
Maximum Limit
Product Name*
Specify the name of the product. This field is mandatory.
Text box
Alphanumeric(50)
Product Owner
Select the name of the user to whom the product is assigned.
Pick list
 
Product Code
Specify the product identification.
Text box
Alphanumeric(40)
Product Active
Specify the status of the product.
Check box
-
Vendor Name
Specify the name of the vendor.
Lookup
 
Product Category
Select the category of the product.
Pick list
 
Sales Start Date
Specify the date on which the product sales starts
Date
 
Sales End Date
Specify the date on which the product sales ends
Date
 
Created By
Displays the person created the product first time.
Date/Time format
 
Modified By
Displays the person modified the product
Date/Time format
 
Commission Rate
Specify the commission rate for selling the product.
Numeric
Decimal
Manufacturer
Select the name of the product manufacturer.
Pick list
-
Unit Price
Specify the unit price of the product.
Currency
 
Taxable
Specify whether the product is a taxable product
Check-box
 
Product Category
Select the category of the product.
Pick list
-
Support Start Date
Select the date on which the product support starts.
Date
-
Support Expiry Date
Select the date on which the product support ends.
Date
-
Usage Unit
Displays the unit price of the product.
Pick list
Alphanumeric
Qty Ordered
Specify the number of units.
Text box
Integers
Qty in Stock
Displays the stock quantity
Text box
Integers
Reorder Level
Specify the Reorder value
Text box
Integers
Handler
Select the Zoho CRM user who is handling the product
Lookup
 
Qty in Demand
Displays the demand quantity
Text box
Integers
Description
Specify any other details about product.
Text area (long text)
32000 characters

Creating Products

In Zoho CRM, you can create products by:

  • Entering data in the product details form:  You can manually fill in the Product details gathered from various external sources.
Note
  1. Administrators in the CRM account can customize the standard fields by modifying the field properties based on their business process, but cannot rename them. 
  2. The  Product Owne r and  Product Name  fields   cannot be modified or removed.
  3. Users in the  Standard  profile or who do not have permission for  Modules Customization  cannot make any changes to the fields. 

Create Individually

You can create individual products by:

  • Filling in the details in the product creation form.
  • Cloning the products with a few changes in the existing product details.

To understand the Zoho defined standard fields in the Products module, click  here .

To create products individually

  1. In the  Products  module, click   [  New Product  icon].
  2. In the  Create Product  page, enter the product information.
    • Under  Product Information , select the  Product Active  check box if you want the newly created product to be active.
      By default, the check box is selected.
  3. Click  Save .

Clone Products

To clone products
  1. In the  Products  tab, click a particular product that you want to be cloned.
  2. In the  Product Details  page, click   [  More  icon] and click  Clone .
  3. In the  Clone Product  page, modify the required details.
  4. Click  Save .

Associate Product with Other Records

You can create a 360-degree view of the product to display all the associated details, such as products, trouble tickets, open activities, history of the completed activities, attachments, and notes.  In the  Product Details  page, you can update the following:
  • Price Books:  To add different list prices to the product.
  • Open Activities:  To add tasks and events to product.
  • Closed Activities:  To display the closed tasks and events to product.
  • Cases:  To add cases to the product.
  • Solutions:  To add solutions to the product.
  • Attachments:  To attach documents to the product.
  • Leads:  To add leads to the product
  • Contacts:  To add contacts to the product
  • Potentials:  To add potentials to the product
  • Accounts:  To add accounts to the product

Generate PO for Records below Reorder Level

In a typical business scenario, there is a lag between the time at which the stock is ordered and the time at which the stock is received. To handle this case, we have a Reorder Level for the products. Reorder level of the product is the point at which a new order is to be placed for the supply of products.
The reorder level is set so that products are purchased before the company runs out of stock to sell. It is always set as a number higher than zero, based on the time taken to receive the goods. In Zoho CRM, you can set the reorder level for each product and generate the purchase order for the products below the reorder level.

To generate PO for records below reorder level

  1. Click the  Products  module.
  2. In the  Products Home  page, click the  More  icon and click  Generate PO for Record below Reorder Level .
  3. In the  Generate PO for Record below Reorder Level  page, select the  Vendor  from the drop-down list.
    Note that only the vendors whose products are below the reorder level will be displayed here.
    The products below the reorder level will be listed on selecting the vendor.
  4. Select the check box(es) of the products for which you need to generate the purchase orders.
  5. Click  Generate Purchase Order .
    You will be directed to the  Create Purchase Order  page.

Update a Product's Multiple List Prices

A product may have multiple list prices that need to be updated often. You can edit them at any time.

To update list prices

  1. Login to your account and choose  Products .
  2. Select the product for which you wish to update the list prices.
  3. In the  Price Books Related List , click the  Edit All  link.
       
  4. In the  Edit List Prices  section, enter the new prices manually.
       
  5. Click  Save List Prices.

Understand Stock Information Auto-Updates

The details of product quantity in the Stock Information section are updated automatically with reference to the sales order and purchase order and invoice. Following is the logic behind the automatic updates.

Quantity in Stock

Quantity in stock changes with respect to Invoice & Purchase Order

  • Quantity in stock increases when a purchase order is delivered.
  • Quantity in stock decreases when an already delivered purchase order is cancelled.
  • Quantity in stock decreases with an invoice creation (this includes when a quote or sales order is converted to an invoice).
  • Quantity in stock increases with an invoice cancellation.

Quantity in Demand:

  • Quantity in demand increases when a sales order is created.
  • Quantity in demand decreases when a sales order is delivered or cancelled.
    Quantity in demand also decreases when a sales order is converted to an invoice. The status of the sales order thus converted automatically changed to "delivered".

Quantity Ordered:

  • Quantity ordered increases when a purchase order is created.
  • Quantity ordered decreases when a purchases order is delivered or cancelled.

Example:
Following is an example that shows you how the quantity values vary at different stages for a given scenario.

You run a furniture business. You have 15 arm chairs in stock. Your have no sales order or purchase order. In that case, your quantity in stock would be 10, while your quantity in demand and quantity ordered would be 0.

You receive a sales order (created) for 7 chairs. Now, the quantity in demand increases. The stock information would be:


You create a purchase order for 5 chairs. This will result in an increase in the quantity ordered.


You deliver your the sales order for 7 chairs and create an invoice for the same. Here, your quantity in stock and quantity in demand decrease accordingly.


Your purchase order for 5 chairs has been delivered and your stock fills up again.


The stock flow is thus automated as you update sales order, purchase order and invoice details.

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