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Comprehensive CRM platform for customer-facing teams.

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Simple CRM for small businesses moving from spreadsheets.

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Build online forms for every business need.

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SalesIQ

Live chat app to engage and convert website visitors.

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Bookings

Appointment scheduling app for consultations with customers.

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Digital signature app for businesses.

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RouteIQ

Comprehensive sales map visualization and optimal route planning solution.

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Thrive

Complete loyalty and affiliate management platform.

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Cloud Contact Center Software for businesses.

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Unified platform to deliver top-notch customer experience.

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All-in-one social media management software.

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Create, send, and track targeted email campaigns that drive sales.

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Forms

Build online forms for every business need.

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Survey

Design surveys to reach and interact with your audience.

Survey
 
Sites

Online website builder with extensive customisation options.

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PageSense

Website conversion optimization and personalisation platform.

PageSense
 
Backstage

End-to-end event management software.

Backstage
 
Webinar

Webinar platform for webcasting online webinars.

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All-in-one marketing automation software.

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LandingPage

Smart landing page builder to increase conversion rates

LandingPage
 
Publish

Manage all your local business listings on a single platform.

Publish
 
SalesIQ

Live chat app to engage and convert website visitors.

SalesIQ
 
Sign

Digital signature app for businesses.

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Thrive

Complete loyalty and affiliate management platform.

Thrive
 
Voice

Cloud Contact Center Software for businesses.

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LeadChain

Sync, manage, and convert leads across channels seamlessly.

LeadChain
 
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CommunitySpaces

Online community platform for individuals and businesses to grow their network and brand.

CommunitySpaces
 
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Marketing Plus

Unified marketing platform for marketing teams.

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Commerce and POS

 
Commerce

eCommerce platform to manage and market your online store.

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Desk

Helpdesk software to deliver great customer support.

Desk
 
Assist

Remote support and unattended remote access software.

Assist
 
Lens

Interactive remote assistance software with augmented reality.

Lens
 
FSM

End-to-end field service management platform for service businesses.

FSM
 
SalesIQ

Live chat app to engage and convert website visitors.

SalesIQ
 
Voice

Cloud Contact Center Software for businesses.

Voice
 
Solo

The all-in-one toolkit for solopreneurs.

Solo
 
Bookings

Appointment scheduling app for consultations with customers.

Bookings
 
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Service Plus

Unified platform for customer service and support teams.

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Finance

 
Books

Powerful accounting platform for growing businesses.

Books
 
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Invoice

100% Free invoicing solution.

Invoice
 
Expense

Effortless expense reporting platform.

Expense
 
Inventory

Powerful stock management and inventory control software.

Inventory
 
Billing

End-to-end billing solution for your business.

Billing
 
Checkout

Collect payments online with custom branded pages.

Checkout
 
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Payroll

Payroll software with automated tax payments and filing.

Payroll
 
Solo

The all-in-one toolkit for solopreneurs.

Solo
 
Practice

Practice management software for accounting firms.

Practice
 
Sign

Digital signature app for businesses.

Sign
 
Commerce

eCommerce platform to manage and market your online store.

Commerce
 
Suites
Finance Plus

All-in-one suite to manage your operations and finances.

Finance Plus

Email and Collaboration

 
Mail

Secure email service for teams of all sizes.

Mail
 
Meeting

Online meeting software for all your video conferencing & webinar needs.

Meeting
 
Writer

Word processor for focused writing and discussions.

Writer
 
Sheet

Spreadsheet software for collaborative teams.

Sheet
 
Show

Create, edit, and share slides with a sleek presentation app.

Show
 
Notebook

Beautiful home for all your notes.

Notebook
 
Cliq

Stay in touch with teams no matter where you are.

Cliq
 
Connect

Employee experience platform to communicate, engage, and build positive employee relations.

Connect
 
Bookings

Appointment scheduling app for consultations with customers.

Bookings
 
TeamInbox

Shared inboxes for teams.

TeamInbox
 
WorkDrive

Online file management for teams.

WorkDrive
 
Sign

Digital signature app for businesses.

Sign
 
Office Suite

Powerful collaborative work platform for teams.

Office Suite
 
Office Integrator

Built in document editors for web apps.

Office Integrator
 
ZeptoMail

Secure and reliable transactional email sending service.

ZeptoMail
 
Calendar

Online business calendar to manage events and schedule appointments.

Calendar
 
Learn

Knowledge and learning management platform.

Learn
 
Voice

Cloud Contact Center Software for businesses.

Voice
 
ToDo

Collaborative task management for individuals and teams.

ToDo
 
Tables

Work management tool to connect people, processes, and information.

Tables
 
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PDF Editor

Collaborative online PDF editing tool.

PDF Editor
 
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Workplace

Application suite built to improve team productivity and collaboration.

Workplace

Human Resources

 
People

Organize, automate, and simplify your HR processes.

People
 
Recruit

Intuitive recruiting platform built to provide hiring solutions.

Recruit
 
Expense

Effortless expense reporting platform.

Expense
 
Workerly

Manage temporary staffing with an employee scheduling solution.

Workerly
 
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Payroll

Payroll software with automated tax payments and filing.

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Shifts

Employee scheduling and time tracking app.

Shifts
 
Sign

Digital signature app for businesses.

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Suites
People Plus

Comprehensive HR platform for seamless employee experiences.

People Plus

Security and IT Management

 
Creator

Build custom apps to simplify business processes.

Creator
 
Directory

Workforce identity and access management solution for cloud businesses.

Directory
 
FREE
OneAuth

Secure multi-factor authenticator (MFA) for all your online accounts.

OneAuth
 
Vault

Online password manager for teams.

Vault
 
Catalyst

Pro-code platform to build and deploy your apps.

Catalyst
 
Toolkit

Complete resource for any admin-related lookup queries.

Toolkit
 
Lens

Interactive remote assistance software with augmented reality.

Lens
 
Assist

Remote support and unattended remote access software.

Assist
 
QEngine

Test automation software to build, manage, execute, and report testcases.

QEngine
 
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RPA

Automate manual, tedious, and repetitive tasks easily.

RPA

BI and Analytics

 
Analytics

Modern self-service BI and analytics platform.

Analytics
 
Embedded BI

Embedded analytics and white label BI solutions, tailored for your needs.

Embedded BI
 
DataPrep

AI-powered data preparation service for your data-driven organization.

DataPrep
 
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IoT

Harnessing IoT analytics for real-time operational intelligence.

IoT

Project Management

 
Projects

Manage, track, and collaborate on projects with teams.

Projects
 
Sprints

Planning and tracking tool for scrum teams.

Sprints
 
BugTracker

Automatic bug tracking software for managing bugs.

BugTracker
 
Solo

The all-in-one toolkit for solopreneurs.

Solo

Developer Platforms

 
Creator

Build custom apps to simplify business processes.

Creator
 
Flow

Automate business workflows by creating smart integrations.

Flow
 
Catalyst

Pro-code platform to build and deploy your apps.

Catalyst
 
Office Integrator

Built in document editors for web apps.

Office Integrator
 
ZeptoMail

Secure and reliable transactional email sending service.

ZeptoMail
 
QEngine

Test automation software to build, manage, execute, and report testcases.

QEngine
 
Tables

Work management tool to connect people, processes, and information.

Tables
 
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RPA

Automate manual, tedious, and repetitive tasks easily.

RPA
 
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Apptics

Application analytics for all apps.

Apptics
 
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Embedded analytics and white label BI solutions, tailored for your needs.

Embedded BI
 
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Build, deploy, and scale IoT solutions for connected businesses.

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AI-powered data preparation service for your data-driven organization.

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IoT

Low-code IoT platform and solutions for connected businesses.

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All-in-one suite

Zoho One

The Operating System for Business

Run your entire business on Zoho with our unified cloud software, designed to help you break down silos between departments and increase organizational efficiency.

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Zoho One
Zoho Marketplace

With over 2000 ready-to-use extensions across 40+ categories, connect your favorite business tools with the Zoho products you already use.

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What is citizen development?

Citizen development is a trend where companies encourage employees with little or no app-building expertise to build applications using low-code and no-code (LCNC) tools.

Citizen developers grew out of a two-fold problem: a shortage of skilled programmers and an increasing hunger for mobile apps. Citizen development bypasses this hurdle of transporting information across an organization by making it available to every individual.

What is citizen development?

Citizen development from a business standpoint

Citizen development allows companies to move forward with their digital transformation without having to worry about adding to, or waiting on, their IT department's backlog.

Because end users are part of the process, the business side of an organization can evaluate their needs and come up with a plan for how they want their application to look and act. And once the strategy is set, IT can serve in a supervisory role, to align the citizen development with the organization's IT policy. This IT-Business collaboration keeps finances in check and helps companies design, build, and deploy high-utility applications together.

Business standpoint

Citizen developers to the rescue

With tighter budgets and an uncertain future, companies have shifted to remote work, powered by software that makes the transition easier. This digital transformation is more relevant than ever, with the need for essential applications to manage virtual teams, access information, and stay productive.

Purchasing off-the-shelf software and depending entirely on the IT team for your application needs is unsustainable. That's why empowering your workforce to develop applications is crucial for digitization. These are some of the high-utility apps that can be built by employees on a low-code platform:

Time tracker

This check-in and check-out system imitates the function of identity cards at buildings, and keeps a check on the performance of your team.

IT asset tracker

Keep track of all the assets owned by your organization, along with pivotal technical support functions, like VPNs, software updates, and remote logins.

Dynamic approval system

From project approvals to leave trackers, a dynamic approval system makes it easier for leadership to respond to requests.

Meeting scheduler

Normal hours may not work when you're home, and this is exactly when a meeting scheduler comes handy. Block up slots and let your team know in advance what your agenda is for the day.

What can citizen developers bring to your business?

Tailor apps to business needs

No use case is a mystery to line of business (LOB) users. Applications are always more streamlined when needs are addressed by LOB personnel.

Prevent shadow IT

Citizen development has to align with the IT policy of an organization. The use of LCNC platforms, which are IT compliant, ensure that applications fall within IT's jurisdiction.

Increase employee productivity

Citizen development is a testament to the question, "how can we do more with less?" With proper training and guidance, citizen developers can reduce the burden on businesses, saving time and money in the process.

Accelerate innovation

With more in-house citizen developers, you can make your workplace more efficient with quality apps. LCNC platforms, with their many capabilities, broaden the scope for innovation.

Low-code:
An essential for citizen developers

Low-code and citizen development go hand-in-hand. Low-code offerings are on the rise, and so is their demand. The short learning curve, faster time to market, and uncompromising security has made them both appealing to, and suitable for, citizen developers. These platforms handle everything from storage to security, and thus represent an abstracted development environment with the ease of a drag-and-drop interface. The ability to empower non-developers, and make them citizen developers, is perhaps the most significant attribute of low-code platforms.

"By 2024, low-code application development will be responsible for more than 65% of application development activity."

"Low-code platforms make software development 10 times faster than traditional methods."

What is citizen development?

Citizen development with Zoho Creator

Zoho Creator is a multiplatform application builder with low-code capabilities, that comes with an intuitive drag-and-drop interface. It's powered by Deluge—Zoho’s online scripting language—and its guided scripting and cross-platform integrations provide an easy way to start your citizen development journey.

Hear from citizen developers

  • Anand and Anand

    In this webinar, we have Rajiv Maheshwari, the CEO of Anand and Anand, one of the oldest and biggest intellectual property (IP) law firms in India. Rajiv, a citizen developer himself, takes us through Anand and Anand's journey to the cloud with Zoho Creator, and how they initiated an organization-wide citizen development drill starting from the CEO's office.

  • wave

    Watch our virtual roundtable session featuring Leminar Global and Zoho Creator. We cover how citizen development, catalyzed through low-code platforms, allows business users to develop their own solutions, thereby enabling IT teams to focus on critical project requirements.

Citizen development resources

  • Citizen development

    Citizen development handbook

    This guide covers everything from what citizen development is, to the benefits of having a citizen development framework in an organization. It talks about how a relatively new technology, low-code, aids citizen developers in bridging the technical gap.

    LEARN MORE
  • Citizen development

    Citizen development blog series

    This blog series contains everything you need to learn about citizen development with low-code platforms–what, why, how, and success stories from Zoho Creator vault.

    LEARN MORE

Start your citizen development journey now!

Sign up for free

Frequently Asked Questions

What is citizen development?

Citizen development is a trend where companies encourage employees with little or no app-building expertise to create applications using low-code and no-code tools.

Who are citizen developers?

Citizen developers are business users in an organization with little to no coding skills. They build high utility applications sanctioned by the IT department using low-code and no-code tools.

What is the role of citizen developers in application development?

Citizen developers are end users who are part of the organization's strategy team. With the right tools in hand and the proper guidance of the IT department, this expertise can be made handy in designing a flawless application that serves all use cases.

How can businesses and IT teams leverage citizen developers?

The shortage of software developers in organizations often result in delays, application backlogs, and losses due to shadow IT. With IT-sanctioned technology and processes, citizen developers can help organizations build applications and thereby reduce the burden on IT.