InboundIQ integrates with Zoho CRM so your qualified leads can be exported directly into your CRM, either on demand or automatically as new leads come in.

What this integration does

Connects your InboundIQ account to a Zoho CRM organization via OAuth
Exports qualified leads to Zoho CRM as Leads (name, email, job title, company data)
Supports two export modes: manual export and auto-export for future leads
Tags every exported record with Lead Source: InboundIQ

It does not sync campaign activity, email engagement, or any other data. Only qualified lead records are exported.

Before you start

You'll need:

An active InboundIQ account
A Zoho CRM account where you have permission to authorize new app connections

Zoho CRM's API is included on every Zoho edition, including Free. You don't need a paid plan or an add-on to use this integration.

Step 1: Start the connection

Log in to InboundIQ at app.inboundiq.ai
Go to Settings → Integrations
Find the Zoho CRM card and click Connect

Step 2: Authorize with Zoho

You'll be redirected to Zoho's authorization screen
Sign in to the Zoho account you want to connect, if you aren't already
Review the requested permissions and click Accept
You'll be redirected back to InboundIQ, and the integration will show as Connected, along with the Zoho account email

InboundIQ detects your region automatically if your Zoho account is hosted outside the US, including Europe, India, Australia, Japan, the UK, Canada, Singapore and Saudi Arabia. There is nothing to configure.

No leads are synced automatically at this point. The connection just links the two accounts.

Step 3: Export leads to Zoho CRM

You have two options.

Manual export

From your Leads list in InboundIQ, select the qualified leads you want to send, then click Export → Zoho CRM. Selected leads will appear in your Zoho CRM account within a few minutes.

Auto-export (recommended for ongoing use)

Go to Settings → Integrations → Zoho CRM and toggle on Auto export. From that point forward, every new qualified lead InboundIQ finds will sync to Zoho automatically. No manual action is needed.

Where your leads appear

Exported records are created in the Leads module, not Contacts. Zoho treats these as two separate modules. Leads are unqualified prospects you haven't started working yet, and Contacts are people already tied to an account or deal.

If you convert an exported lead into a Contact in Zoho, that is a one-way action. Future exports of the same person will create a new record in Leads rather than updating the Contact.

What gets synced

Each exported lead creates or updates a Zoho Lead with:

Full name
Email
Job title
Company name and website
Phone number, where available
Lead Source, set to InboundIQ
LinkedIn profile URL, added to the Description field when the lead is first created

A few things worth knowing:

Records are matched on email address. If a lead is exported more than once, Zoho updates the existing record instead of creating a duplicate.
Because InboundIQ creates real Lead records, any Zoho workflows, assignment rules or notifications you have set up on the Leads module will run as normal.
InboundIQ does not sync campaign activity, email opens or replies, or engagement history. It won't modify Zoho fields outside the ones listed above.

Disconnecting the integration

Go to Settings → Integrations → Zoho CRM and click Disconnect. This revokes InboundIQ's access to your Zoho account. Previously exported leads remain in Zoho.

Troubleshooting

I don't see my exported leads in Zoho

Check the Leads module. Exported records go there, not to Contacts.
Confirm the integration shows as Connected in InboundIQ settings
Check you exported from the correct InboundIQ account to the correct Zoho organization
Allow a few minutes for the sync to complete

I can't complete the Zoho authorization step

Confirm you have permission to authorize new app connections in that Zoho account
The authorization link expires after a couple of minutes. If you left the screen open, go back to Settings → Integrations and click Connect again.
If it still fails, disconnect and reconnect the integration

"InboundIQ" doesn't appear in my Lead Source dropdown

The value is saved on each record and is visible on the lead, but Zoho only offers your own predefined options in the dropdown. To make it selectable and filterable, add it to the picklist. Go to Setup → Customization → Modules and Fields → Leads → Lead Source, then add InboundIQ as an option.

This short video walks through the same steps:

My Zoho account is hosted in China

Zoho's China data centre (zoho.com.cn) isn't supported at this time. Contact us if you need it.

Connecting InboundIQ to Zoho CRM