Welcome to the July edition of the Zoho Africa Newsletter!
Zoho Africa
Africa's gateway to Zoho! Empowering your business journey with 55+ apps trusted by 100M+ users around the globe.
Hello LinkedIn Fam!
Welcome to the July edition of the Zoho Africa Newsletter! This month, we’re excited to bring you the latest events, updates, insights, and product innovations from Zoho. Our newsletter is your go-to source for staying informed, inspired, and empowered in the dynamic digital landscape.
In this issue, we spotlight key developments in productivity, collaboration, and digital transformation. Discover significant industry trends and expert tips to help you maximize Zoho's solutions.
Let's dive right in.
Celebrating World MSME Day with a special give-away!
On World MSME Day, we celebrated the incredible contributions of Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) to our global economy. These dynamic businesses are the backbone of innovation, resilience, and growth. To honour their spirit, we launched an exciting giveaway on our social media channels.
But the celebration isn't over yet!
We're still searching for the most inspiring MSME story to share. Do you, or someone you know, have a tale of triumph, innovation, or pure awesomeness within an MSME? We want to hear it!
Share your MSME story and win Zoho credits!
Don't miss out on this opportunity! Submit your MSME story by clicking here and let your story shine. The winners will be announced on July 15, 2024.
Spread the word, and don't forget to tag an MSME that inspires you. Let's celebrate the incredible achievements of MSMEs together!
Zoholics South Africa 2024: Join us in Johannesburg and Cape Town!
We're excited to bring you an update on our flagship user conference, Zoholics South Africa, happening in August! If you haven't secured your early bird tickets yet, there's still time.
This year, Zoholics is coming to two major cities in South Africa: Johannesburg and Cape Town.
Why should you attend Zoholics?
Whether you're a business owner, an IT professional, or a Zoho enthusiast, Zoholics offers something for everyone. Here's why you don’t want to miss it:
Mark your calendars and choose the city that best suits you:
Secure your early bird tickets
Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity! Early bird tickets are still available, so grab yours now to secure your spot in the most convenient city. Click the links below to get your tickets:
South Africa Highlights
FinTech Summit Africa 2024
We had the honour of attending the FinTech Summit Africa 2024, and it was a resounding success! We had an amazing time engaging with industry leaders, innovators, and enthusiasts who are shaping the future of FinTech in Africa. One of the highlights was the insightful presentation by Adharsh Desikan , Product Manager at Zoho ZeptoMail, on “ZeptoMail: Boost Customer Experience with Great Transactional Email Delivery.” He provided valuable insights into how FinTech companies can revolutionize their email strategies to ensure seamless communication and significantly enhance customer satisfaction. His session was a perfect example of the groundbreaking innovations that are redefining the FinTech landscape.
We also had the pleasure of connecting with numerous attendees at our booth. Your enthusiasm, questions, and feedback were invaluable, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to share our innovative solutions and discuss the exciting future of FinTech in Africa. The interactions and engagements at our booth were a highlight, and your support made the event truly special.
As we look to the future, we’re excited to continue our journey together, driving financial inclusivity, economic growth, and technological advancement across Africa. Thank you to everyone who made the FinTech Summit Africa an unforgettable experience. We look forward to seeing you again next time!
East Africa Highlights
Zoho for Startups Programme in East Africa: Empowering entrepreneurs in Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya
We're excited to announce the expansion of our Startup Programme into East Africa, focusing on the vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystems of Uganda and Tanzania, in addition to our active programme in Kenya. This initiative equips startups with the tools, resources, and support necessary to scale their businesses effectively. Our commitment to nurturing innovation and fostering growth among startups has never been stronger, and we believe this programme will significantly impact emerging businesses across the region.
In Uganda and Tanzania, the programme will provide a comprehensive suite of business software solutions tailored to the specific needs of early-stage companies. From CRM and project management to finance and HR solutions, startups will gain access to Zoho's extensive product range through Zoho wallet credits. To learn more and collaborate with us, visit www.zoho.com/startups/.
Our engagement with the Startup Grind event in Nairobi underscores our dedication to empowering women in business. As part of Startup Grind Women's Month in June, we played a pivotal role in the celebration. During the event, our East Africa Regional Manager, Veerakumar Natarajan , and Senior Key Account Manager, Fiona A. , delivered an inspiring session on leveraging technology to overcome business challenges and drive innovation.
We aim to create a lasting impact and drive positive change in East Africa's entrepreneurial landscape through initiatives like the Zoho Startup Programme and our participation in events like Startup Grind. We look forward to witnessing the innovative solutions and businesses that will emerge from Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya, and we remain committed to providing the support necessary for these startups to thrive.
Zoho CRM Community Meetup
Excitement filled the air in our Nairobi office training room as we hosted our latest Zoho CRM Community Meetup. This event brought together a diverse group of business leaders, CRM enthusiasts, and Zoho users eager to learn, share insights, and build connections.
This intimate gathering provided an ideal setting for deep discussions, hands-on training sessions, and valuable networking opportunities, all of which aimed to enhance the Zoho CRM user experience and foster a stronger community spirit.
Beyond technical sessions, the meetup emphasized collaboration and community. Attendees shared their unique experiences, challenges, and success stories, sparking lively discussions and forging new relationships. The event highlighted the power of community in driving innovation and growth.
As we look forward to future meetups, we remain committed to empowering our users with the tools, knowledge, and support they need to succeed. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to the success of this event. Together, we’re shaping the future of CRM utilization in Kenya. Asante sana!
West Africa Highlights
World MSME Day Celebration with Zoho SMEs
As we celebrated World MSME Day in June, we proudly honoured the pivotal role of Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in the business world. To mark this special occasion, we randomly selected several SMEs using our product, along with a few chosen partners, to express our heartfelt appreciation for their unwavering trust in our brand and their exceptional ambassadorship.
This celebration was a tribute to the remarkable contributions of MSMEs in driving economic growth and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Their innovation, resilience, and dedication have been the backbone of our global economy. We were privileged to support them on their journey and celebrate their impact on our world.
Zoho at CAAF24
We're excited to announce our participation in this year's Climate Action Africa Forum (CAAF24), convened by Climate Action Africa (CAA). The forum fosters climate-resilient communities, promotes innovation, and encourages green growth in Africa. Its goals include increasing education and awareness about climate change, showcasing cutting-edge innovations, and steering Africa towards a sustainable future.
At Zoho, we’re deeply committed to positively impacting the environment and contributing to global efforts to combat climate change. Our initiatives encompass a range of actions, including corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects, the development of sustainable products and services, the operation of green data centres, and investment in renewable energy. By integrating sustainability into our core values and business practices, we strive to actively contribute to expanding Africa's green economy and supporting the global fight against climate change.
Africa Technology Expo 2024
At the Africa Technology Expo 2024, Oluwasegun Adetola , our regional marketer for the MEA region, showcased Zoho's dedication to empowering organizations, streamlining operations, and enhancing productivity. He emphasized our focus on transnational localization, affordable, locally priced solutions, and our support for young developers, NGOs, and schools through our Young Creator program. Tayo advised developers to prioritize research and development (R&D) to create sustainable solutions, using Zoho’s 55+ business software applications as a testament to our success.
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Oluwasegun Adetola also participated in a panel with representatives from MTN, Kora, and Descasio, discussing various initiatives to create opportunities in Nigeria.
Lead Solutions Consultant for West Africa, Onyekachi Oparah , delivered an enthusiastic presentation that underscored Zoho's transformative capabilities and emphasized why it excels as the preferred choice, particularly amidst current economic challenges like the scarcity of USD affecting users of other service providers.
Key highlights included Zoho's comprehensive suite of business applications available at locally affordable rates, its flexibility in customization and scalability, seamless integration across platforms, robust security measures, and outstanding local customer support and community engagement initiatives. These factors make Zoho a reliable partner for businesses navigating today's intricate economic terrain.
PR Meet
We hosted a PR Meet to announce the early access availability of CRM for Everyone alongside new pro-code tools. This update marks a significant advancement in customer relationship management. It integrates all customer operations teams, ensuring a seamless and efficient customer journey.
Zoho CRM for Everyone empowers sales, account management, marketing, and community specialists to collaborate effortlessly on a unified platform. This inclusive approach fosters streamlined coordination and communication among customer-facing teams, enhancing overall customer satisfaction.
Alongside the CRM update, we're introducing powerful tools tailored for developers. Catalyst simplifies app development processes, while Zoho Apptics provides comprehensive app analytics, equipping businesses with robust capabilities to innovate and optimize their applications.
Kehinde Ogundare , our country manager for Nigeria, underscores the importance of unified solutions in enhancing business value and competitiveness. Zoho CRM for Everyone unites customer-facing teams, enabling them to deliver exceptional customer experiences.
To explore these innovations and elevate your business, get early access to Zoho CRM for Everyone and discover the latest app development tools with Catalyst and Zoho Apptics. Join us on this journey toward maximizing your potential and achieving sustained growth.
Product updates
Cheers to 3 years of providing contracting excellence: Zoho Contracts
Three years ago, we began our journey with the vision to simplify contract management. We launched Zoho Contracts— our CLM (contract lifecycle management) platform that improves efficiency across all aspects of contract management, with a strong emphasis on compliance.
We take this milestone as an opportunity to thank our customers and partners, who have been part of our journey. We're thrilled to continue shaping the contract management landscape and providing exceptional solutions to our valued users!
Who can use Zoho Contracts?
Zoho Contracts is industry and function-agnostic, making it suitable for businesses across various sectors to manage their everyday contracts.
Why Zoho Contracts?
Try Zoho Contracts today and transform your contract management process.
Here's what our customers say
Want to see Zoho Contracts in action? Request for a personal demo or register for our upcoming live Webinar.
Zoho SalesIQ's OpenAI (ChatGPT) integration—enhance your customer conversations
We're thrilled to announce Zoho SalesIQ's integration with OpenAI (ChatGPT), making our customer engagement software even more efficient. Empower your sales and support team to build quality conversations and increase agent productivity.
Here's what this integration offers:
Bridge the gap between sales and support with ServiceNow for Zoho CRM
Struggling to keep your CRM and ITSM data in sync? Are manual data entry and siloed information hindering your customer service? The ServiceNow extension for Zoho CRM is here to bridge the gap between your sales and support teams, fostering smoother operations and happier customers.
Here's how ServiceNow for Zoho CRM empowers your business:
The result? Increased efficiency, seamless collaboration, and delighted customers.
Ready to take your customer service to the next level? Get the ServiceNow extension for Zoho CRM today!
Zoho Assist
In July's update, we introduced remote script execution for Linux devices. This allows technicians to execute scripts effortlessly. We also revamped the customer plugin as a lightweight installer for improved performance. Learn more
Zoho Meeting
Browse through past meeting recordings and access auto-generated transcripts and keynotes with just a click. Share your meeting transcripts with members who may have missed the meeting, helping them to catch up quickly. Learn More
Zoho Lens
In addition to fortifying your augmented reality sessions, our latest updates to the virtual pointer tool are set to transform your brainstorming sessions and remote technical operations. Learn more.
Zoho Webinar
A successful webinar requires more than just captivating content and engaging speakers. Learn how to plan and organize a successful webinar with our step-by-step guide on webinar planning.
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Thank you for being a part of the Zoho community. Together, we will achieve remarkable things!
The Zoho MEA Team