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BoothMaven to Zoho CRM Setup Guide

Automated Lead Ingestion & Task Scheduling: This workflow automatically routes booth leads captured in BoothMaven directly into Zoho CRM as soon as they are scanned on the floor, and immediately generates an assigned follow-up task with a due date for your sales team.

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1. Workflow Overview

┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│     BOOTHMAVEN (TRIGGER)        │
│          New Contact            │
│  (Badge Scan / Business Card)   │
└────────────────┬────────────────┘
                 │
                 ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│       ZOHO CRM (ACTION 1)       │
│   Create Lead or Create Contact │
└────────────────┬────────────────┘
                 │ (Passes Record ID)
                 ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│       ZOHO CRM (ACTION 2)       │
│          Create Task            │
│  (Follow-Up Task Linked to ID)  │
└─────────────────────────────────┘

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Key Benefits:

• Faster Follow-Up: Leads reach Zoho CRM during the exhibition, not days later after manual spreadsheet sorting.
• Zero Manual Data Entry: Reps never need to retype contact details from badge scans, business cards, or paper inquiry forms.
• Accountability & Clear Ownership: Every ingested lead automatically receives a linked follow-up task with a due date assigned to the relevant sales rep.
• Consistent Data Hygiene: Leads and contacts are standardized across every event, simplifying pipeline attribution and ROI reporting.

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2. Workflow Structure

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Choosing Between Contact or Lead in Action 1:

• Create Lead: Best for new prospects who still require sales development qualification before being converted to an Account and Deal.
• Create Contact: Best when attendees are already qualified, such as existing customers, enterprise VIPs, or known procurement decision-makers.

[!NOTE] Choose one record type (Lead or Contact) for Action 1 per Zap. Do not attempt to create both in a single Zap unless your team has specifically designed a multi-path branch.

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Plan & Architecture Options:

• Full Three-Step Workflow (Recommended): Requires a paid Zapier plan because it contains multi-step actions.
• Two-Step Alternative (Budget Option): Omitting Action 2 leaves a 2-step Zap (Trigger $\rightarrow$ Action 1). This creates the Lead or Contact without an automated task.

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3. Field Mapping

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3.1 Contact or Lead Mapping (Action 1)

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3.2 Task Mapping (Action 2)

[!IMPORTANT] Dynamic Record Linking: Always map the ID field returned by Action 1 to the Task’s Related Record field. This ensures the follow-up task is nested natively under that specific Lead/Contact’s timeline in Zoho CRM.

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4. Step-by-Step Setup Instructions

1. Log in to Zapier: Open zapier.com and click + Create Zap.
2. Set up the Trigger:
   • Choose BoothMaven as the Trigger App.
   • Select New Contact as the Trigger Event.
   • Connect your BoothMaven account via OAuth and click Continue.
3. Test the Trigger:
   • Click Test trigger to pull a sample contact. If no record appears, capture a test contact in your BoothMaven mobile or web app and retest.
4. Configure Action 1 (Zoho CRM):
   • Select Zoho CRM as the Action App.
   • Choose Create Lead (or Create Contact).
   • Sign in to your Zoho CRM account and authorize permissions.
5. Map Action 1 Fields:
   • Map Last Name first (mandatory).
   • Map First Name, Email, Company, Phone, Title, and Lead Source using the guide in Section 3.1.
6. Test Action 1:
   • Click Test step. Log in to Zoho CRM and confirm that the new Lead/Contact appears in your module.
7. Configure Action 2 (Zoho CRM Task):
   • Click + Add Step and select Zoho CRM $\rightarrow$ Create Task.
   • Under Related Record, select the ID from Action 1.
   • Set Subject: Follow up with [Step 1: First Name] [Step 1: Last Name] - [Step 1: Event Name].
   • Set Due Date: Enter your preferred offset (e.g. +2 days).
   • Set Status: Not Started and Priority: Normal.
   • Set Description: Map Step 1: Notes.
8. Test Action 2:
   • Click Test step. Verify in Zoho CRM that the task is created directly under the test Lead/Contact with the correct owner and due date.
9. (Optional) Add Event Filtering:
   • If you want this Zap to process leads from only one specific trade show, insert a Filter by Zapier step between the trigger and Action 1 (e.g., Event Name (Text) contains CES 2026).
10. Publish the Zap:
    • Name your Zap (e.g., “BoothMaven Booth Scans to Zoho CRM Leads + Tasks”) and click Publish.

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5. Prerequisites Checklist

• Active Accounts: BoothMaven account connected to Zapier with event permissions; Zoho CRM account connected with Administrator or standard sales permissions.
• Mandatory Fields: Ensure Last Name and Company are captured on the booth floor to prevent Zoho rejection errors.
• Lead Source Picklist Alignment: Ensure your Zoho CRM Lead Source picklist contains the exact value sent by BoothMaven (e.g. Trade Show, Booth Scan, or BoothMaven). Unmatched picklist values will cause validation errors.
• Custom Event Field: If you wish to store the trade show name, ensure your Zoho administrator has created a custom text field (Event Name) in the Leads or Contacts module.
• Rep-to-User Matching: Ensure booth representative names or emails match existing Zoho CRM active user accounts so task ownership routes correctly.
• Zapier Multi-Step Plan: Ensure your Zapier plan supports 3-step Zaps.

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6. Sample Data Mapping (Real-World Walkthrough)

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Scenario:

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Step-by-Step Data Flow:

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Resulting Automated Task in Zoho CRM:

• Subject: Follow up with Mei Lin from Harrow Robotics - Spring Tech Expo
• Related To: Lead record ID for Mei Lin
• Due Date: 2 days from capture
• Status: Not Started
• Priority: Normal
• Task Owner: Alex Rivera
• Description: “Interested in fleet automation demo. Requested pricing for 20 units.”

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7. Testing & Troubleshooting

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7.1 Inspecting Failures in Zapier

1. Locate the specific run with status Halted or Errored.
2. Click into the failed step to view the exact JSON error returned by Zoho CRM.

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7.2 Common Errors & Resolutions:

[!WARNING] BoothMaven and Zapier do not automatically retry failed actions. If a run fails due to bad data, resolve the issue in Zap History or re-sync manually.

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8. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Q: What is the difference between Create Lead and Create Contact?

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Q: Why should the Task be created in the same Zap?

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Q: Can I route leads to different reps based on territory or event?

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Q: How do I filter leads for only one event?

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9. Final Workflow Summary

   ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
   │ 1. Trigger: BoothMaven (New Contact)         │
   │    • Captures badge scan or business card    │
   └──────────────────────┬───────────────────────┘
                          │
                          ▼
   ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
   │ 2. Action 1: Zoho CRM (Create Lead/Contact)  │
   │    • Maps Name, Email, Company, Phone, Title │
   │    • Returns generated Zoho Record ID        │
   └──────────────────────┬───────────────────────┘
                          │ (Passes Record ID)
                          ▼
   ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
   │ 3. Action 2: Zoho CRM (Create Task)          │
   │    • Links task to Record ID                 │
   │    • Sets Due Date, Owner, and Rep Notes     │
   └──────────────────────────────────────────────┘

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Related Documentation

• Salesforce Native & Zapier Integration Guide
• Zapier Platform Overview & Triggers
• HubSpot CRM Integration Guide