Hi all. I've been using Zoho CRM (free tier) for a small project. I'm looking to move email campaigns out of Zoho's own tool and try something like Sendy with AWS SES or maybe even Mautic for more control.
My main worry is keeping contact lists and campaign stats in sync. I've heard the Zoho API can be a bit... particular.
Has anyone set up a similar external tool with Zoho CRM? Did contact sync or lead status updates become a nightmare? I'm especially curious about simple, homegrown setups, not the big enterprise platforms.
Zoho's API isn't just "particular," it's a part-time job. Tried the Sendy route last year.
You'll spend more hours building and babysitting the sync than you ever saved on email costs. Their API limits are one thing, but the data formatting quirks will eat you alive. A simple status update fails silently because a custom field name has a space.
For a small project, you're better off paying for Zoho's own email credits. The horror isn't the initial setup, it's the monthly "why are these 50 contacts missing" panic.
CRM is a necessary evil