Many small businesses find artificial intelligence inaccessible because it is too complex, too expensive, and too disconnected from the tools they already use. Zoho Corporation We aim to change that. The company announced new “Agent AI” features across its collaboration, customer experience, and human resources apps. These are tools designed to help businesses save time, work smarter, and make AI a practical part of everyday work.
Updates that include Zoho’s workspace suite (Mail, Cliq, Sheet, and Tables) are available at no additional cost to current users. Zoho says its goal is to eliminate the «adoption friction» that delays the use of AI by small and medium-sized businesses by embedding intelligence directly into the tools that teams are already using.
in Zoho MailNew features include: ask jia and lead generation agent Take automation to the next level. Ask Zia allows users to issue a natural language prompt, such as “Find the emails from Zylker Travels, summarize them into a document, and send it to Paula,” and the system executes the entire chain of actions across Zoho apps. Meanwhile, lead generation agents can scan unread sales inquiry messages and automatically generate leads in Zoho CRM, saving your small team hours of time each week.
Other agents handle more routine but important functions. cleaning agent Identifying high volume emails and suggesting a plan for organizing them Threat Mitigation Agent Checking and resolving security issues writing agent Draft responses, schedule follow-ups, and create reminders. For small organizations that cannot afford to hire full-time IT or administrative staff, this automation can significantly reduce their workload.
in Johor clickAgent AI, a team chat app, is being integrated into almost every workflow. Features such as: Summary of unread messages, Meeting notes and action itemsand automatic thread title Conversations become easier to understand. The system even analyze tone, Instant message translationand Multimedia content summary—A feature that can help with remote teams and global collaboration.
Plans to add Zoho as well Multi-vendor AI supportallows teams to connect their favorite AI engines, such as OpenAI, Google Gemini, or Anthropic, with Zoho’s own Zia. Including: Model Context Protocol (MCP) Users can integrate external large-scale language models, such as Claude or Visual Studio Code, directly into Cliq conversations. This move could be attractive to tech-savvy small and medium-sized businesses who want flexibility without additional infrastructure costs.
meantime, Johor table and sheet We’ve received updates focused on smarter data management. AI base creation In a short prompt, you can create a complete database with sample data and associated fields. For businesses managing multilingual or customer feedback data, the following new fields are available: language detector, Sentiment analysisand Keyword extraction Automate tasks that previously required manual review.
in Zoho SustenFeatures such as: Fill pattern, image translationand AI formula It helps users organize and analyze data faster. These upgrades allow even non-technical employees to automate repetitive data tasks, freeing up time spent on spreadsheets and focusing on strategy or customer engagement.
The following table outlines each newly released AI-based feature across Zoho’s collaboration tools, along with its description and current availability by region.
| application | characteristic | Function Description | effectiveness | Available area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho Mail | ||||
| Ask Gia at work | Just ask Zia for prompts and she’ll handle your email, word processor, file manager, and chat all in one. | available | Early Access (US, India only) | |
| Zoho Mail + Zoho CRM: Lead Generation Agent | Look through unread messages when you log in, and use AI to recognize sales queries and convert them into leads in Zoho CRM. | available | Early Access (US, India only) | |
| Ask Jia by email | Chat with Zia by email. Take action on multiple Zoho apps, get additional details, or draft a response based on your conversation with Zia. | available | Early Access (US, India only) | |
| cleaning agent | It categorizes your emails by size and suggests an email organization plan. | available | Early Access (US, India only) | |
| Threat Mitigation Agent | Identify security incidents, eliminate threats, and create mitigation plans for future threats | available | Early Access (US, India only) | |
| writing agent | It automatically generates email drafts and replies, while checking for scheduling conflicts and automatically creating reminders based on the generated email content. | available | Early Access (US, India only) | |
| zoho table | ||||
| AI Base Creation with Zia | Zia creates a foundation using related tables, sample data, and linked fields based on user prompts. | available | USA, California, India | |
| Sentiment analysis field | Automatically analyzes customer sentiment based on the context, tone, and emotion of the text. | available | USA, California, India | |
| Language detector field | Automatically detects the language of text data if it contains multilingual data. | available | USA, California, India | |
| Keyword extraction field | Identify and extract essential words and phrases for quick summaries for SEO, content analysis, and more. | available | USA, California, India | |
| Zoho Click | ||||
| Summary of unread messages | Get the gist of all your unread messages at a glance so you can stay informed without having to scroll through each conversation. | available | US, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA | |
| Meeting notes, summaries and action items | Provides recorded transcripts, concise summaries of transcripts, and highlights of key action items for every meeting. | available | US, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA | |
| Automatic thread title creation | Automatically generates clear, relevant thread titles to keep content organized and easy to follow. | available | US, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA | |
| Sentiment Analysis – Writing Assistant | Automatic grammar and tone checks ensure that every message you send is clear, polished, and perfectly tailored to your audience. | available | US, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA | |
| Automatic message translation | Instantly translate your messages into your preferred language for seamless multilingual communication. | available | US, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA | |
| OCR-based search | Find files quickly using OCR-based search. Text within images is automatically recognized, making file searching easier. | available | US, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA | |
| Virtual backgrounds and filters | Customize your meetings for a stylish, unobtrusive look with fun and professional backgrounds and filters. | available | US, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA | |
| text extraction | Easily extract text from images, PDFs, or documents without having to type it manually. | available | US, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA | |
| Create whiteboard content | Automatic shape recognition transforms rough sketches into clean shapes, making it easier to understand and share your ideas in real time. | available | US, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA | |
| Multimedia Summary | Automatically summarizes the contents of attachments and voice messages shared in chat so you can immediately understand the key points. | 4th quarter 2025 | US, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA | |
| Real-time transcription | Real-time meeting transcription | 4th quarter 2025 | US, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA | |
| Multi-vendor support | Cliq integrates with leading AI providers, including Zia (Zoho’s native AI), OpenAI, Google Gemini, Anthropic, Cohere, and Deepseek, giving teams the flexibility to choose and use the AI that best suits their needs. | 4th quarter 2025 | US, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA | |
| Model Context Protocol (MCP) | Automate across team communications by unlocking AI in chat using Zoho Cliq Model Context Protocol (MCP), making Cliq conversations accessible to AI agents and LLM (Cursor, Claude, Windsurf, Visual Code Studio); Allows for insights and intelligent interactions. | 4th quarter 2025 | US, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA | |
| quick reply | Automated context-based response options save conversation time and allow you to respond immediately without any extra effort. | 4th quarter 2025 | US, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA | |
| Zoho Susten | ||||
| translation | Convert tabular data in pictures or hard copies to structured data in sheets | available | USA, India, EU, California | |
| Fill pattern | Automatically detects patterns in your data and fills in the remaining values. | available | USA, India, EU, California | |
| seat support | It helps users analyze, visualize, and manipulate data more efficiently. | 4th quarter 2025 | USA, India, EU, California | |
| AI template | Ready-made, customizable models that allow users to instantly create templates tailored to their specific needs | 4th quarter 2025 | USA, India, EU, California | |
| AI formula | Special commands in spreadsheets that use AI to perform complex tasks | 4th quarter 2025 | USA, India, EU, California |
For small business owners, the practical benefits are clear. AI can now support lead, email, meetings, and data management without additional budget or external developers. However, the challenge lies in understanding how to effectively integrate these capabilities into existing processes. Zoho’s interface aims to simplify adoption, but the learning curve for prompt-based automation can still feel steep for teams unfamiliar with AI tools.
Nonetheless, Zoho’s decision to include these features at no additional cost marks a meaningful change. As more AI vendors move to premium pricing, Zoho’s comprehensive approach can help level the playing field. This means giving small and medium-sized businesses access to the same intelligent systems that large businesses use without financial barriers.
The new Agent feature is currently available in early access in the US, India, and select international markets, with a wider rollout planned by the end of the year. For businesses looking to experiment with practical embedded AI, Zoho’s latest update can provide an easy and affordable way to get started.
