How to Send Zoho CRM Follow-up Reminders to Slack with Pipedream

pipedream.com > Workflows > New Workflow

Create a new Pipedream workflow

Go to pipedream.com and click 'New Workflow' in the top-right corner of your dashboard. Give the workflow a name like 'Zoho CRM Follow-up Reminders to Slack'. You'll land on the workflow canvas with an empty trigger slot at the top. This is where you'll configure the schedule that drives the whole flow.

1. 1Log in at pipedream.com
2. 2Click the blue 'New Workflow' button in the top-right
3. 3Type a name: 'Zoho CRM Follow-up Reminders to Slack'
4. 4Click 'Create'

Workflow Canvas > Add a trigger > Schedule

Set a schedule trigger

Click 'Add a trigger' and search for 'Schedule'. Select the 'Schedule' source — this is Pipedream's built-in cron trigger, no app connection required. Set it to run every day at 8:00am in your team's timezone. You can also set it to run hourly if reps need mid-day reminders. Pipedream uses standard cron syntax, so '0 8 * * 1-5' runs Monday through Friday at 8am.

1. 1Click 'Add a trigger'
2. 2Search for 'Schedule' and select it
3. 3Choose 'Run at a custom interval' or 'Cron expression'
4. 4Enter cron expression: 0 8 * * 1-5 for weekdays at 8am
5. 5Select your team's timezone from the dropdown
6. 6Click 'Save and continue'

Workflow Canvas > + Add a step > Run Node.js code

Add a Node.js code step to query Zoho CRM

Click '+ Add a step' below the trigger and choose 'Run Node.js code'. This step will call the Zoho CRM REST API to fetch all tasks and activities with a due date of today. You need your Zoho OAuth access token, which you'll handle via a connected account in the next step. For now, add a placeholder — the code will reference the token as auths.zoho_crm.oauth_access_token.

1. 1Click '+ Add a step' below the Schedule trigger
2. 2Select 'Run Node.js code'
3. 3Rename the step to 'fetch_zoho_tasks' by clicking the step title

This code handles the full workflow: fetching due tasks from Zoho CRM, resolving rep emails to Slack user IDs, and posting Block Kit DMs. Paste step 1 (fetch + Slack lookup) into your 'fetch_zoho_tasks' Node.js step and step 2 (send messages) into your 'send_slack_reminders' step. Replace ZOHO_ORG_ID with your org ID from Zoho CRM > Setup > Developer Space > API.

// ── Step 1: fetch_zoho_tasks ──────────────────────────────
// Paste this into the fetch_zoho_tasks Node.js step
import axios from 'axios';

// ── Step 1: fetch_zoho_tasks ──────────────────────────────
// Paste this into the fetch_zoho_tasks Node.js step
import axios from 'axios';

export default defineComponent({
  props: {
    zoho_crm: {
      type: 'app',
      app: 'zoho_crm',
    },
    slack: {
      type: 'app',
      app: 'slack',
    },
  },
  async run({ steps, $ }) {
    const today = new Date();
    const yyyy = today.getFullYear();
    const mm = String(today.getMonth() + 1).padStart(2, '0');
    const dd = String(today.getDate()).padStart(2, '0');
    const todayStr = `${yyyy}-${mm}-${dd}`;

    // Query Zoho CRM Tasks API for tasks due today that are not completed
    const zohoRes = await axios({
      method: 'GET',
      url: `https://www.zohoapis.com/crm/v3/Tasks`,
      headers: {
        Authorization: `Zoho-oauthtoken ${this.zoho_crm.$auth.oauth_access_token}`,
      },
      params: {
        fields: 'Subject,Due_Date,Status,Priority,Owner,Contact_Name,Account_Name,id,Description',
        criteria: `(Due_Date:equals:${todayStr})and(Status:not_equal:Completed)`,
        per_page: 200,
      },
    });

    // Zoho returns 204 with no body when zero records match
    if (zohoRes.status === 204 || !zohoRes.data || !zohoRes.data.data) {
      await $.flow.exit('No tasks due today — nothing to send.');
    }

    const tasks = zohoRes.data.data;

    // Resolve each task owner's email to a Slack user ID
    const enrichedTasks = await Promise.all(
      tasks.map(async (task) => {
        const ownerEmail = task.Owner?.email;
        let slackUserId = null;

        if (ownerEmail) {
          try {
            const slackRes = await axios({
              method: 'GET',
              url: 'https://slack.com/api/users.lookupByEmail',
              headers: {
                Authorization: `Bearer ${this.slack.$auth.oauth_access_token}`,
              },
              params: { email: ownerEmail },
            });
            if (slackRes.data.ok) {
              slackUserId = slackRes.data.user.id;
            } else {
              console.warn(`Slack lookup failed for ${ownerEmail}: ${slackRes.data.error}`);
            }
          } catch (err) {
            console.warn(`Error resolving Slack user for ${ownerEmail}:`, err.message);
          }
        }

        return { ...task, slackUserId };
      })
    );

    return enrichedTasks;
  },
});

// ── Step 2: send_slack_reminders ─────────────────────────
// Paste this into a separate Node.js step named send_slack_reminders
import axios from 'axios';

const ZOHO_ORG_ID = 'REPLACE_WITH_YOUR_ORG_ID'; // e.g. '4876234000'

export default defineComponent({
  props: {
    slack: {
      type: 'app',
      app: 'slack',
    },
  },
  async run({ steps, $ }) {
    const tasks = steps.fetch_zoho_tasks.$return_value;

    if (!tasks || tasks.length === 0) {
      await $.flow.exit('No enriched tasks to send.');
    }

    const results = [];

    for (const task of tasks) {
      if (!task.slackUserId) {
        console.warn(`Skipping task "${task.Subject}" — no Slack user ID resolved for owner.`);
        continue;
      }

      // Format date from YYYY-MM-DD to MM/DD/YYYY
      const [y, m, d] = task.Due_Date.split('-');
      const formattedDate = `${m}/${d}/${y}`;

      const priorityEmoji = task.Priority === 'High' ? '🔴' : task.Priority === 'Normal' ? '🟡' : '⚪';
      const zohoLink = `https://crm.zoho.com/crm/org${ZOHO_ORG_ID}/tab/Tasks/${task.id}`;

      const message = {
        channel: task.slackUserId,
        blocks: [
          {
            type: 'header',
            text: {
              type: 'plain_text',
              text: `📋 Follow-up due today: ${task.Subject}`,
            },
          },
          {
            type: 'section',
            fields: [
              { type: 'mrkdwn', text: `*Contact:*\n${task.Contact_Name || 'N/A'}` },
              { type: 'mrkdwn', text: `*Account:*\n${task.Account_Name || 'N/A'}` },
              { type: 'mrkdwn', text: `*Due:*\n${formattedDate}` },
              { type: 'mrkdwn', text: `*Priority:*\n${priorityEmoji} ${task.Priority || 'Normal'}` },
            ],
          },
          task.Description
            ? {
                type: 'section',
                text: { type: 'mrkdwn', text: `*Notes:* ${task.Description}` },
              }
            : null,
          {
            type: 'actions',
            elements: [
              {
                type: 'button',
                text: { type: 'plain_text', text: 'View in Zoho CRM' },
                url: zohoLink,
                style: 'primary',
              },
            ],
          },
        ].filter(Boolean),
      };

      const res = await axios({
        method: 'POST',
        url: 'https://slack.com/api/chat.postMessage',
        headers: {
          Authorization: `Bearer ${this.slack.$auth.oauth_access_token}`,
          'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        },
        data: message,
      });

      if (!res.data.ok) {
        console.error(`Failed to send Slack DM for task ${task.id}: ${res.data.error}`);
      } else {
        results.push({ taskId: task.id, slackTs: res.data.ts, status: 'sent' });
      }
    }

    return results;
  },
});

Step Panel > Connect an account > Zoho CRM > OAuth

Connect your Zoho CRM account

In the code step, click 'Connect an account' at the top of the step panel and search for 'Zoho CRM'. Click it and follow the OAuth flow — you'll be redirected to Zoho's login page, asked to authorize Pipedream, and then returned to your workflow. Pipedream stores the token securely. Once connected, the token is available inside code steps as auths.zoho_crm.oauth_access_token.

1. 1Click 'Connect an account' inside the Node.js step
2. 2Search for 'Zoho CRM' and select it
3. 3Click 'Connect new account'
4. 4Log in to Zoho and click 'Accept' on the permissions screen
5. 5Return to Pipedream — you should see your Zoho account name listed

Workflow Canvas > fetch_zoho_tasks step > Code editor

Write the Zoho CRM API query for due tasks

Paste the Node.js code into the step editor. The code calls Zoho CRM's Activities (Tasks) API filtered by due_date equal to today's date. It returns an array of tasks with fields: subject, due date, assigned user, contact name, and the Zoho record ID for building a deep link. The code handles pagination up to 200 records per run using the page parameter. See the pro tip code block below for the full implementation.

1. 1Paste the full Node.js code from the pro tip block into the code editor
2. 2Verify the baseUrl variable matches your Zoho datacenter (default: zohoapis.com)
3. 3Click 'Test' to run the step and verify tasks are returned

Workflow Canvas > + Add a step > Run Node.js code

Add a step to look up Slack user IDs

Add another Node.js code step after the Zoho fetch. This step takes the task owner's email address from Zoho and resolves it to a Slack user ID using users.lookupByEmail. You need this because Slack DMs require a user ID, not an email. Without this step, you can only post to a shared channel — not send direct messages to individual reps.

1. 1Click '+ Add a step' below the fetch_zoho_tasks step
2. 2Select 'Run Node.js code'
3. 3Rename the step to 'lookup_slack_users'
4. 4Connect your Slack account via 'Connect an account > Slack'

Workflow Canvas > + Add a step > Run Node.js code

Add a Slack step to send the reminder message

Add a third code step named 'send_slack_reminders'. This step iterates over the tasks array from step 1, pairs each task with the resolved Slack user ID from step 2, and calls chat.postMessage for each rep. The message includes the task subject, contact name, due date, and a clickable link to the Zoho record formatted as https://crm.zoho.com/crm/org[your-org-id]/tab/Tasks/[task-id]. Use Slack Block Kit for a clean, scannable layout.

1. 1Click '+ Add a step' below lookup_slack_users
2. 2Select 'Run Node.js code'
3. 3Rename the step to 'send_slack_reminders'
4. 4Paste the Slack posting code from the pro tip block
5. 5Replace [your-org-id] with your actual Zoho org ID found under Zoho CRM > Setup > Developer Space > API

Workflow Canvas > send_slack_reminders step > Code editor

Map Zoho fields to Slack message fields

Open the field mapping section in your send_slack_reminders step. Confirm each Zoho API field name maps to the correct spot in the Slack Block Kit JSON. The Subject field becomes the bold title, Contact_Name maps to the supporting text, Due_Date formats to MM/DD/YYYY for readability, and the record id builds the deep-link URL. Use JavaScript's new Date().toLocaleDateString('en-US') to format the date consistently across time zones.

1. 1Verify steps.fetch_zoho_tasks.$return_value is referenced correctly
2. 2Check that Subject, Contact_Name, Due_Date, and id are all mapped
3. 3Run a test and inspect the Slack message received in your DM

Workflow Canvas > send_slack_reminders step > Code editor (top of function)

Add error handling for empty task lists

Add a conditional check at the top of your send_slack_reminders step. If the tasks array from the Zoho fetch step is empty or undefined, call $.flow.exit('No tasks due today') to stop the workflow cleanly without posting anything to Slack. This prevents empty messages from going out on weekends, holidays, or slow days. Pipedream will show this as a successful run with a custom exit message rather than an error.

1. 1Open the send_slack_reminders code step
2. 2Add the null/empty check at line 1 of the async function
3. 3Use $.flow.exit('No tasks due today') to halt gracefully
4. 4Test with a date that has no tasks to verify the workflow exits cleanly

Workflow Canvas > Test workflow button (top bar)

Test the full workflow end-to-end

Click 'Test workflow' at the top of the canvas. Pipedream will fire the schedule trigger manually and run all steps in sequence. Watch the event inspector on the right — each step shows its input, output, and duration. Confirm the Slack DM arrives within 30 seconds. Check that the Zoho deep link opens the correct task record. If you don't have tasks due today, temporarily create one in Zoho CRM with today's date to validate the full path.

1. 1Create a test task in Zoho CRM due today assigned to your own email
2. 2Click 'Test workflow' in Pipedream's top bar
3. 3Watch each step turn green in the event inspector
4. 4Check your Slack DMs for the reminder message
5. 5Click the 'View in Zoho' link to confirm it opens the correct record

Workflow Canvas > Deploy button (top-right) > Events tab

Deploy and activate the workflow

Click 'Deploy' in the top-right corner of the canvas. Pipedream saves and activates the workflow — it will now fire automatically at 8am on your schedule. The workflow status changes from 'Draft' to 'Active'. You can monitor run history under the 'Events' tab. Set up email alerts for workflow errors under Settings > Notifications so you know immediately if the Zoho API call fails.

1. 1Click the blue 'Deploy' button in the top-right
2. 2Confirm the workflow status badge changes to 'Active'
3. 3Go to Settings > Notifications and enable error email alerts
4. 4Check the Events tab the next morning to confirm the first live run