Referral Factory can automatically create a new contact in Zoho when someone signs up using their friend's referral link. That way, your team can pick up the referred lead without skipping a beat!
Step 1: Connect your Zoho account with Referral Factory
To connect your Zoho account with Referral Factory make sure you are logged in to both accounts and that you have the correct permissions on both Zoho and Referral Factory.
→ Go to the Setting Tab on the left-hand navigation bar.
→ Click on the Integration and Pixels tab
→ Connect Zoho and follow the prompts to authorize
Step 2: Create A Custom Field in Zoho
→ For the Zoho integration to work correctly, you will need to create a custom field in Zoho to store Referral Factory’s unique user ID for the Person Invited, which we call {Referral Code}. If you plan to send your referred user to Zoho as a Lead, create the custom field in the Leads module. If you plan to send your referred user to Zoho as a Contact, create the custom field in the Contacts module.
→ (Optional) Should you wish to store additional referral data related to your referred user, create the relevant fields inside Zoho. Be sure to create these fields in the relevant module. You could, for example, create fields to house information like:
{Referrer First Name}: The name of the person who referred them
{Referrer Email Address}: The email address of the person who referred them
{Referral Campaign}: The name of your Referral Factory campaign (useful if you're running multiple campaigns)
{Referral Link}: The referral link automatically generated for the new user (useful if you will enroll referred leads into your referral program)
Step 3: Complete Lead Conversion Mapping for the Field {Referral Code} in Zoho
→ Use Zoho’s lead conversion mapping function to match the fields you just created to store {Referral Code}. This will allow Referral Factory to track the referred lead as they move through your Zoho pipelines and workflows.
Step 4: Configure Your Zoho Integration
→ Click Edit Campaign to enter the campaign builder.
→ Navigate to the Integrations step in the top navigation bar.
→ Select the option for “Person Invited”.
→ From the drop-down list, configure what you want Referral Factory to do when you get a new referred user.
Either select “Create new Lead in Zoho” OR “Create new Contact in Zoho”.
If you choose “Nothing To Action” our system will not do anything inside Zoho.
Step 5: Map Your Fields
Creating a new Lead or a new Contact in Zoho:
When you select an option then Referral Factory will create a new lead or a new contact inside Zoho whenever you get a new referred user. To set this up you need to:
→ Map the data fields from Referral Factory to your contact custom fields in Zoho
→ Once you have mapped all your fields, click Next.
❗️ You must map the fields:
{First Name}
{Last Name}
{Email}
{Referral Code} (This is the custom field you created in Zoho)
Other fields are optional.
Below is an example of the types of fields you can map from Referral Factory to Zoho
You can choose to map Dynamic Data or Fixed Data
Dynamic Data changes based on what users enter, like their First Name, Email, or Phone Number.
Fixed Data stays the same for everyone, like Lead Source or Lifecycle Stage.
Think of dynamic data as personalized info and fixed data as standard info.
You can map as many fields as you like but in some cases, you may need to create additional custom fields inside Zoho so that we can store the data in that particular field. Should you wish to store referral data related to the person who made the referral, first create a custom field in Zoho. You could, for example, create custom fields to house information like:
{Referrer First Name}: The name of the person who referred them
{Referrer Email Address}: The email address of the person who referred them
{Referral Campaign}: The name of your Referral Factory campaign (useful if you're running multiple campaigns)
{Referral Link}: The referral link automatically generated for the new user (useful if you will enroll referred leads into your referral program)
💡 If you recently created custom fields in Zoho and they are not showing as an available option for selection in Referral Factory, try clicking the Hard Refresh icon at the bottom of the drop-down you are trying to map to.
Step 6: Choose How To Handle Duplicates
→ Choose whether Referral Factory should update existing contacts OR create a new Lead/Contact with the same email
→ Click Next.
We can either update your existing contacts with the information they enter when they sign up which will allow the contact/referral to qualify, create a new lead/contact with the same email OR we can do nothing and not update the contact which means the contact/referral will not qualify.
Please note that choosing to update existing contacts could override data inside Zoho.
Step 7: Set The Rules To Qualify A Successful Referral
→ If you would like to automatically qualify the Person Invited when they convert in Zoho, set the rules that will trigger the automatic qualification. If you choose to qualify users using a different method, simply leave this section blank.
→ To automatically qualify the Person Invited when they convert in Zoho, set the rules that will trigger the automatic qualification in Referral Factory.
You have 4 options:
👉 Option 1: When A Lead Converts Into A Contact
👉 Option 2: When A Lead Field Changes
👉 Option 3: When A Lead Converts Into A Deal
👉 Option 4: When A Contact Field Changes
→ Depending on the option you select, you may need to choose a field you want to track, set the initial value of the field or the first status of the Lead/Contact, and the value/status at which you would consider a referred user as successful.
Step 8: Setup A Workflow Rule (Webhook) in Zoho
Depending on the qualification option you select, you will need to configure a workflow rule in Zoho.
Option 1: When A Lead Converts Into A Contact
→ Return to the Zoho Setup Page.
→ Under “Automation,” select "Workflow Rules."
→ Click on "Create Rule" and make sure to select the "Contacts" module.
→ Give your workflow rule a name (e.g., "Lead to Contact").
→ Set the trigger for the workflow: When a “Record Action” is “Created.”
→ In the Conditions step, select “All Contacts.”
→ Under “Instant Actions”, select “Webhook.”
→ Give your webhook a name (e.g., "Lead to Contact").
→ In the URL To Notify field, enter this exact URL https://referral-factory.com/zoho/webhook
→ Scroll down to the Body section, select “Form-Data” under the “Type” dropdown.
→ Add 1 Module Parameter in the Body section:
Parameter Name: code Parameter Type: Contacts Parameter Value: Referral Code
→ Add 1 Custom Parameter:
Parameter Name: conversion Parameter Value: 1
→ Click “Save and Associate.”
→ Save your workflow rule.
Option 2: When A Lead Field Changes
→ Return to the Zoho Setup Page.
→ Under “Automation,” select "Workflow Rules."
→ Click on "Create Rule" and make sure to select the "Leads" module.
→ Give your workflow rule a name (e.g., "Lead Status Update").
→ Set the trigger for the workflow: When a “Record Action” is “Edited.”
→ In the next step, select "Specific Field Gets Modified," choose the field you would like to use to trigger the qualification, and select "When Any Value Changes."
→ In the Conditions step, select “All Leads.”
→ Under “Instant Actions”, select “Webhook.”
→ Give your webhook a name (e.g., "Lead Status Update").
→ In the URL To Notify field, enter this exact URL https://referral-factory.com/zoho/webhook
→ In the Body section, select “Form-Data” under the “Type” dropdown.
→ Add 2 Module Parameters:
Parameter Name: code Parameter Type: Leads Parameter Value: Referral Code
Parameter Name: field Parameter Type: Leads Parameter Value: Select the custom field that you want to trigger the update
→ Click “Save and Associate.”
→ Save your workflow rule.
Option 3: When A Lead Converts Into A Deal
→ Return to the Zoho Setup Page.
→ Under “Automation,” select "Workflow Rules."
→ Click on "Create Rule" and make sure to select the "Deals" module.
→ Give your workflow rule a name (e.g., "Lead to Deal").
→ Set the trigger for the workflow: When a “Record Action” is “Created.”
→ In the Conditions step, select “All Deals.”
→ Under “Instant Actions”, select “Webhook.”
→ Give your webhook a name (e.g., "Lead to Deal").
→ In the URL To Notify field, enter this exact URL https://referral-factory.com/zoho/webhook
→ In the Body section, select “Form-Data” under the “Type” dropdown.
→ Add 2 Module Parameters:
Parameter Name: code Parameter Type: Deals Parameter Value: Referral Code
Parameter Name: stage Parameter Type: Deals Parameter Value: Stage
→ Click “Save and Associate.”
→ Save your workflow rule.
Option 4: When A Contact Field Changes
→ Return to the Zoho Setup Page.
→ Under “Automation,” select "Workflow Rules."
→ Click on "Create Rule" and make sure to select the "Contacts" module.
→ Give your workflow rule a name (e.g., "Contact Field Update").
→ Set the trigger for the workflow: When a “Record Action” is “Edited.”
→ In the next step, select "Specific Field Gets Modified," choose the field you would like to use to trigger the qualification, and select "When Any Value Changes."
→ In the Conditions step, select “All Contacts.”
→ Under “Instant Actions”, select “Webhook.”
→ Give your webhook a name (e.g., "Contact Field Update").
→ In the URL To Notify field, enter this exact URL https://referral-factory.com/zoho/webhook
→ In the Body section, select “Form-Data” under the “Type” dropdown.
→ Add 2 Module Parameters:
Parameter Name: code Parameter Type: Contacts Parameter Value: Referral Code
Parameter Name: field Parameter Type: Contacts Parameter Value: Select the custom field that you want to trigger the update
→ Click “Save and Associate.”
→ Save your workflow rule.
Step 9: Test Whether Your Integration Is Working
Once you have setup your integration, here are some steps you can follow to make sure your integration is working correctly.
Step 1: Sign Up As The Person Referring
→ Open your campaign link in a private window or incognito mode and sign up as the Person Referring. Please note that Referral Factory uses cookies, so if you have already visited your campaign link, you may see the incorrect step.
→ Be sure to use an email address that does not already exist as a user in your referral campaign and, depending on your settings, does not already exist in Zoho. We recommend using plus addressing to make sure that each email address is unique and easily searchable. For example, [email protected].
Once you have your referral link you can either use one of the share icons to share your referral link or click "Copy Link" and open your referral link in a different browser
Step 2: Sign Up As The Person Invited
→ Once you have opened the referral link generated for the Person Referring, enter your details and sign up as the Person Invited.
→ Be sure to use an email address that does not already exist as a user in your referral campaign and, depending on your settings, does not already exist in Zoho. We recommend using plus addressing to make sure that each email address is unique and easily searchable. For example, [email protected].
Step 3: Check For New Users in Referral Factory
→ Check that the Person Invited is created in the Users tab inside Referral Factory.
Step 4: Check For New Leads/Contacts in Zoho
→ Check that the Lead/ Contact for the Person Invited is created in Zoho with all the data you have chosen to map across. Note that it can take up to 30 minutes for the data to pass from Referral Factory to Zoho.
Step 5: Test Your Qualification Trigger
→ Update the Lead/Contact of the Person Invited inside Zoho as per the qualification settings you configured.
→ Return to Referral Factory to check the status of the contact you just converted in the Users tab. Note that it can take up to 30 minutes for the data to pass from Zoho to Referral Factory.
📌 Having trouble? Read the Zoho Troubleshooting Guide.