Zoho Cliq: A Practical Guide to Team Messaging and Automation
Conversations, calls and app updates in one place your team already checks.
Zoho Cliq is Zoho's team messaging app. Teams chat in channels and direct messages, make voice and video calls, share files and get notifications from other apps in one place. Its bots and workflows connect to Zoho CRM, Projects, Desk and other tools, so updates arrive where people already talk and routine requests can be handled without leaving the chat.
This guide covers what Zoho Cliq does, how it fits with the rest of Zoho, what it costs and the setup decisions that matter most. It sits in the Team Collaboration & Projects section of our Zoho One ecosystem guide. For a look at Cliq beyond chat, see Zoho Cliq: more than just messaging.
Zoho Cliq is team chat with channels, direct messages, voice and video calls, file sharing, bots and workflow automation, plus notifications from Zoho CRM, Projects, Desk and other apps. A free plan covers core chat and channels, and paid plans add larger channels, external users, more storage and admin controls. Cliq is included in Zoho Workplace and Zoho One.
What Zoho Cliq Does
Channels and direct messages
Create channels by team, project or topic, and message colleagues directly or in small groups. Threads keep discussions tidy, and search finds old messages and files quickly.
Voice and video calls
Start a call from any chat, share your screen and move to a full meeting when needed, without switching apps.
App notifications in context
Get updates from Zoho CRM, Projects, Desk and other apps in the relevant channel, such as new high-value deals in a sales channel or urgent tickets in a support channel.
Bots and slash commands
Bots answer common questions, fetch information and take actions, while slash commands let users create tasks, look up records or trigger workflows by typing a command.
Workflows and automation
Automate routine steps such as daily stand-up prompts, approval requests or onboarding checklists, using Cliq's built-in tools and, for advanced cases, Zoho's Deluge scripting.
External collaboration
On paid plans, invite clients, partners or freelancers into shared channels while keeping internal conversations separate.
How Zoho Cliq Connects to the Rest of Zoho
- Zoho CRM: deal and lead alerts, record lookups and quick updates from chat.
- Zoho Projects: task updates in project channels and task creation from messages.
- Zoho Desk: urgent ticket alerts and escalations to the right team.
- Zoho Mail: discuss emails with colleagues and get mail notifications.
- Zoho Meeting and WorkDrive: start meetings and share team files from conversations.
Zoho Cliq Pricing
Zoho Cliq offers a free plan with channels, direct messages, bots and calls for small teams, and paid Standard, Professional and Enterprise plans priced per user with low per-user rates. Paid plans add larger channels, external channels, more file storage, user roles and admin controls. Cliq is also included in Zoho Workplace, from $3 per user per month on annual billing, and in Zoho One. Check the current Zoho Cliq pricing page for your team size.
Zoho Cliq vs Slack and Microsoft Teams
| Zoho Cliq | Slack or Microsoft Teams | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Low per-user pricing; included in Workplace and Zoho One | Higher per-user pricing, or bundled with Microsoft 365 |
| Zoho app connections | Native CRM, Projects, Desk and Mail integration | Through third-party apps and connectors |
| Third-party app catalog | Good and growing | Very large |
| Automation | Bots, slash commands, workflows, Deluge | Workflow builders and bots |
Businesses already on Zoho get the most from Cliq, because updates from their own systems arrive natively and Cliq costs little or nothing extra.
Who Gets the Most Value from Zoho Cliq
- Teams using Zoho One, Zoho Workplace or several Zoho apps.
- Distributed and hybrid teams that need chat, calls and file sharing in one place.
- Sales and support teams that want CRM and Desk alerts where they talk.
- Agencies that collaborate with clients and freelancers in shared channels.
Setting Up Zoho Cliq: The Decisions That Matter Most
Plan channels before inviting everyone: one per team, one per major project and a few company-wide channels.
Agree naming conventions so channels are easy to find.
Connect notifications from CRM, Projects and Desk to the right channels, and keep them focused.
Set up one or two bots or workflows that remove real daily work, such as stand-up prompts.
Decide who can create channels and invite external users.
Set expectations: what belongs in Cliq, what belongs in email and what belongs in Projects.
A Simple Channel Structure
| Channel type | Examples | Who joins |
|---|---|---|
| Company-wide | announcements, general | Everyone |
| Team | sales, support, finance | Team members |
| Project or client | project-acme-website | Project team, plus client in an external channel if needed |
| Alerts | crm-alerts, urgent-tickets | People who act on the alerts |
Start with a structure like this and add channels only when a topic clearly needs its own space.
Bots and Workflows Worth Building First
- A daily stand-up bot that asks each team member for yesterday, today and blockers.
- A CRM alert for deals above a set value moving to negotiation.
- An urgent-ticket alert from Zoho Desk to the support channel.
- A leave or approval request workflow that routes to the right manager.
Making Cliq Work for Your Team
- Use threads to keep busy channels readable.
- Pin important messages and files in each channel.
- Mute low-priority channels instead of leaving them, so information is still searchable.
- Use statuses and do-not-disturb hours to protect focus time.
Security and Administration
Admins manage users, roles and channel permissions centrally, and users added or removed in the Zoho directory gain or lose access across Cliq and other Zoho apps at once. Paid plans add user roles and controls over external channels, and message retention settings help organizations keep conversations for as long as their policies require.
Rolling Out Cliq
Set up company and team channels before inviting the wider team.
Connect two or three useful notifications on day one, so Cliq is immediately valuable.
Ask managers to post updates in Cliq instead of email for the first few weeks.
Retire the old chat tool on an agreed date.
Common Zoho Cliq Mistakes
- Too many channels with overlapping topics, so nobody knows where to post.
- Connecting every notification, which buries important updates in noise.
- No rules for external channels, risking internal information being shared.
- Running Cliq alongside another chat tool indefinitely, splitting conversations.
Measuring Whether Cliq Is Working
- Fewer internal emails between colleagues within the first month.
- Faster responses to CRM and support alerts posted in channels.
- Active use of channels across teams, not just one department.
- Retirement of the old chat tool on schedule.
Zoho Cliq Guides
Zoho Cliq: More Than Just Messaging
How Cliq goes beyond chat with bots, workflows and integrations.
Read the guideTeam Collaboration & Projects in Zoho One
How Cliq fits with Projects, Mail, WorkDrive and Meeting.
Read the guideZoho Projects Guide
Project management that posts updates to Cliq channels.
Read the guideSee Zoho Cliq in Action
These short videos show Zoho Cliq features covered in this guide. Screens may look slightly different in the current version.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Zoho Cliq used for?
Zoho Cliq is used for team messaging: channels, direct messages, voice and video calls, file sharing, bots and workflows, plus notifications from Zoho CRM, Projects, Desk and other apps.
Is Zoho Cliq free?
Zoho Cliq has a free plan with channels, direct messages, bots and calls. Paid plans add larger channels, external channels, more storage and admin controls.
Is Zoho Cliq a good Slack alternative?
Yes, especially for businesses using Zoho apps. Cliq offers similar chat, calls and bots at a lower cost, with native connections to Zoho CRM, Projects and Desk. Slack has a larger third-party app catalog.
Can external users join Zoho Cliq?
Yes. Paid plans support external channels where clients, partners or freelancers can collaborate while internal conversations stay private.
Is Zoho Cliq included in Zoho One?
Yes. Zoho Cliq is included in Zoho One and in Zoho Workplace.
Does Zoho Cliq integrate with Zoho CRM?
Yes. Cliq can post CRM alerts to channels, look up CRM records and take quick actions from chat, so sales teams see important updates where they already talk.
Does Zoho Cliq have voice and video calls?
Yes. Cliq includes one-to-one and group voice and video calls with screen sharing, and calls can move to Zoho Meeting for larger sessions.
Can Zoho Cliq automate routine tasks?
Yes. Bots, slash commands and workflows can handle stand-up prompts, approval requests, record lookups and alerts, with Deluge scripting available for custom automation.
Want your team's conversations and apps in one place?
Well-planned channels, focused notifications and a few useful bots make Cliq the place work actually happens. ABR is a Zoho Premium Partner that sets up Cliq as part of wider Zoho One implementations.
What you get with ABR
- A Zoho Premium Partner team
- Channels and permissions set up for your teams
- Notifications from CRM, Projects and Desk connected
- Bots and workflows that save real time