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Zoho Lens: the engineer's camera as the expert's eyes

Customer service starts with communication. And most communication is about images people are trying to describe.

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The difference between describing and seeing

"The light is flashing red." "The pipe is on the left-hand side." "Something is loose at the back." "I can see an error message but I don't know which one."

Each of those descriptions is one step removed from reality. The expert has to reconstruct what the customer or engineer sees, based on words that are incomplete, terms they may not know, and a level of detail that varies enormously from person to person. That takes time, leads to misunderstandings and regularly results in an unnecessary service visit because the expert has to be on site after all.

Zoho Lens removes that step. The expert sees directly what the customer or engineer has in front of them (through their smartphone camera) and can step in live with annotations, arrows, text and markings in the camera image. The customer does not have to describe anything. The expert does not have to reconstruct anything. They are both looking at the same thing.

What Zoho Lens is and how it works

Zoho Lens is augmented reality remote assistance software. It lets a remote expert watch live through the camera of a smartphone, tablet or smart glasses, and place AR overlays in the other person's camera image.

It has been kept deliberately simple for the person on site. A customer or engineer receives a link by text message or email, opens it on their phone, and the session starts. No installation, no account, no technical preparation. The expert works from a browser on their desktop or laptop.

What the expert can do during the session:

  • Watch a live video stream

    HD video with audio: the expert sees what the camera sees, in real time.

  • Place AR annotations

    Arrows, circles, text and markings anchored in the camera image. When the phone moves, the annotations move with the object. That is what AR adds compared with simply watching along: the annotations stick to reality, not to the screen.

  • Freeze the image

    Hold a frame still to point at a precise detail without the image moving.

  • Text chat

    Written exchange alongside the video stream, including file transfer.

  • Take screenshots

    Snapshots of the camera image, with annotations if you like, for documentation or feedback.

  • AR measurement

    Measure objects and spaces in real time, directly in the camera image. Useful for inspections, installation checks and damage assessments.

  • Scan QR codes and barcodes

    The customer's or engineer's camera scans a code and the expert immediately sees which item, part or device it is.

  • Record the session

    The full session, including annotations and audio, is recorded for training, audits, documentation or knowledge sharing.

  • Share location

    The engineer shares their location, so the expert understands the surroundings better and has context for the support.

  • Several participants

    Several experts can join a session at the same time, so specialists can look at a problem together.

  • Smart glasses

    As well as smartphones, Zoho Lens supports smart glasses, so the engineer has their hands free while the expert watches and gives instructions.

  • Mobile SDK

    An iOS and Android SDK lets you build Zoho Lens into your own apps, for organisations that want to integrate it into their own field service application.

Who benefits most from Zoho Lens

This is not a tool for every support department. Zoho Lens is strongest in situations where the problem is physical, and the expert would normally need to see that physical problem in person.

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  • Technical field staff and field service

    Installers and maintenance engineers who solve problems on site. When an engineer spots something unusual but does not know how to handle it, a senior expert can watch live through Zoho Lens and give instructions, without travelling. That saves not only the cost of a second service call but also the waiting time until an expert is available.

  • Manufacturing and industry

    A machine breakdown on the factory floor where a foreign supplier or in-house specialist makes a remote diagnosis. The operator holds the phone up to the machine; the specialist sees the problem, places annotations on the part to check and guides the operator step by step.

  • Installers of technical systems

    HVAC, electrical, network equipment, charging infrastructure, security systems. For complex installations where a second pair of eyes is needed but not always available, Zoho Lens provides that second expert remotely.

  • Insurers and claims assessment teams

    A damage assessment in which the loss adjuster inspects, assesses and documents the damage through the customer's camera, including the AR measurement function for surfaces and distances. That speeds up the claims process and cuts travel costs considerably.

  • Healthcare and home care

    Care providers or informal carers who need help with medical equipment or care tasks, with a specialist watching live and giving instructions. Naturally within the privacy rules and regulations that apply.

  • Training and onboarding

    Record sessions as training material, or watch live as a trainee carries out a task. In both cases you can place annotations on the steps that need extra attention.

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The addition to Zoho Desk and Zoho Assist

This is what makes Zoho Lens particularly valuable for Zoho users.

Zoho Desk is the ticketing system: all customer requests come together, are routed, followed up and logged. Zoho Lens is integrated directly with Zoho Desk. A support agent handling a ticket can start a Zoho Lens session straight from that ticket. After the session, the session details (including the recording) are logged against the ticket automatically. The customer service agent closes the ticket with a fully documented session history.

Zoho Assist is the remote support tool for screens: screen takeover, unattended access, file transfer. Zoho Assist and Zoho Lens complement each other. Zoho Assist works when the problem is digital: software, settings, a screen you can control. Zoho Lens works when the problem is physical: a device, an installation, a room. Together they cover the full spectrum of remote support, without needing a separate supplier for every situation.

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The three tools form a working whole

Situation The right tool
Change software or settings Zoho Assist: screen takeover
Inspect hardware or equipment Zoho Lens: AR camera
Log and follow up support Zoho Desk: ticket and record
All three from one customer service environment Zoho Desk with integrated sessions

What it saves: the sums that support the choice

  • Call-out costs and travel time

    A service visit by a specialist technician easily takes half a day to a full day, including travel and waiting. If Zoho Lens replaces one visit a week (in a team of three technicians), over a year that adds up to dozens of hours on the road and the travel costs that go with them.

  • First-line resolution rate

    When a customer service agent can watch live through Zoho Lens, they can solve more problems straight away without passing them on to a technician. That raises the first contact resolution rate and lowers the average handling time.

  • Documentation without extra work

    Session recordings and snapshots replace handwritten service reports. For inspections, audits and damage assessments, that is documentation with high evidential value.

  • Onboarding new technicians

    Instead of sending a new employee along on every visit in their first months, a senior colleague can watch through Zoho Lens and give instructions in real time. The learning is direct and in context, and the senior does not have to travel.

  • Retaining knowledge

    Session recordings can be used straight away as training material. Every well-solved situation adds to the knowledge base.

We now solve many faults remotely: the customer points their phone at the machine and our engineer shows what needs to be done. That saves us a lot of trips.

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Honest about the limitations

Zoho Lens is strong in the situations above. There are also situations where it works less well.

  • Poor network connection

    AR video needs bandwidth. In areas with an unstable mobile connection (basements, remote locations, industrial halls with limited coverage) the image quality can drop. That is an infrastructure issue, not a software problem, but it does decide whether the tool is usable in a specific environment.

  • Complex manual tasks

    Zoho Lens is strong at looking, pointing and instructing. For physical tasks that need precise guidance of the hand (microsurgery, precision electronics), watching live is an addition but never a replacement for being there in person.

  • Cost of smart glasses

    The benefits of smart glasses (hands free, a constant camera position) are real, but suitable AR glasses are expensive to buy. For occasional use a smartphone is enough; structural use by a technical field team can justify the investment.

How to introduce Zoho Lens

The technical threshold is low. The customer or engineer does not have to install anything; the expert works from a browser. That makes it easy to introduce compared with tools that need software on both sides.

  1. Define the use cases

    Which service requests are handled less well today because the technician cannot be there? Those are the candidates for Zoho Lens.

  2. Connect to Zoho Desk

    The integration is native; activate it in both systems.

  3. Train your service team

    The tool is intuitive, but let the team run a few test sessions before they go live with it.

  4. Document the workflow

    When do you start a Lens session, when Assist, and when do you still send someone? Make those decision rules explicit.

  5. Measure

    How many sessions per period, how many visits replaced, what is the average session length, which use cases work best?

FTE betekenis

Frequently asked questions about Zoho Lens

  • Zoho Assist works for screens: it takes control of a computer or mobile device for software support. Zoho Lens works for the physical world: it uses the camera of the customer or engineer so an expert can watch live with hardware, equipment or a location. They complement each other: Assist for digital problems, Lens for physical problems.

  • No. For a guided session the customer receives a link, opens it on their smartphone, and the session starts straight away in the browser or through a lightweight web view. No app installation is needed. Smart glasses do need a specific app, but that is a separate scenario for field teams.

  • A support agent can start a Zoho Lens session straight from a ticket in Zoho Desk. After the session, the session details (time, duration, snapshots, recording) are logged against the ticket automatically. The integration is native and needs no external configuration.

  • Yes. Zoho Lens supports several participants in one session. That is valuable when a complex situation needs the expertise of several specialists: an installer and a manufacturer, or a senior and a trainee.

  • Yes. The AR measurement function, the snapshot option and session recording make Zoho Lens suitable for inspections where documentation and evidence matter: quality checks, damage assessments, delivery inspections, environmental checks. The recordings have high evidential value because they are real-time, dated and unedited.

  • No. Zoho Lens needs an active internet connection on both sides. With a poor mobile connection the image quality drops but the session can continue. In areas without a connection Zoho Lens cannot be used. That is a real point of attention for field work in remote or shielded environments.

  • Yes. Sessions are recorded and stored, including audio and AR annotations. Recordings are available for training, audits, dispute handling and knowledge sharing. The retention period and storage location depend on the subscription and your organisation's GDPR setup.

  • Zoho Lens sits in the mid-range of the AR remote assistance market and is considerably cheaper than specialist industrial AR platforms. The advantage for Zoho users is that the tool integrates natively with Zoho Desk, Assist and FSM: you do not have to pay separately for that integration value. Check the current prices on zoho.com/lens for the latest rates.

Want to know whether Zoho Lens fits your service processes?

And what the integration with Zoho Desk and Zoho Assist looks like? Mobile XL implements Zoho Desk, Assist and Lens as an integrated service environment.

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