Using the workflow designer

Voice, chat and email workflows are built in the same workflow designer. This page covers the designer features they share: naming, containers, the toolbar, saving, cloning, multi-select, deep links and node search.

For the node types available in each medium, see Voice workflows, Chat workflows and Email workflows.

Workflow name

The workflow name is a required parameter, as it serves as a selection identifier for a specific channel. To ensure effective naming, we recommend following these best practices:

Include the media type in the workflow name (e.g., Facebook - Page name).
Indicate the business process or function that the workflow supports (e.g., Webchat - Support page).
Create duplicate workflows for testing purposes before making changes to customer-facing workflows.
For different variations of the same use case (e.g., different messages), create separate flows.
Avoid using "Workflow" in the name, as it adds no meaningful information.
Refrain from using generic names like "Test flow," "main flow," "main channel," "primary flow," or "New workflow," as these names lack specificity and clarity within your organization.

Workflow containers

A container is an easy way to pack multiple nodes into a single node to reduce the amount of visible nodes at all times.

To create a container, while in the workflow editor, press the shift key and drag your mouse to select the nodes you wish to pack into a container, then, if the selection is done properly and you see a blue highlight around eligible nodes, click Create container from selection. This will create a new node with the following properties:

Description: Give information to other workflow designers about what's being packed into this container.
Open Container: Allows opening the container, browsing and modifying the content of the node packed into a container. Please note that you may have to adjust your outputs if you modify or delete nodes inside a container. There is a helper container node inside the container, allowing you to set the outputs based on the outputs of your last node in the container.
Container outputs: These are based on the content of the container.

The user interface will prevent you from creating containers if your selection contains nodes with multiple entry paths, as currently, the purpose of the container is to pack a single path and reduce the amount of visible nodes for workflow designers.

You may not unpack a container at the moment, however, you may delete it, doing so will also delete the nodes inside the container.

The designer toolbar is located at the bottom left corner of the screen and provides several useful tools:

Plus + sign: Zooms in to the current focus area, which is centered on the screen. You can achieve the same result using your mouse's scroll wheel.
Minus - sign: Zooms out from the current focus area, centered on the screen. You can also use your mouse's scroll wheel for this.
Fit View button: Automatically adjusts the zoom level to fit all nodes on the screen. This is helpful for visualizing the entire workflow. The fit view adapts to the available screen space, taking into account monitor size, resolution, accessibility options, or browser zoom settings.
Toggle Interactivity button: Disables node editing, allowing you to scroll through the flow without accidentally modifying nodes or their positions. You can navigate within the design by clicking and holding anywhere on the screen, moving your mouse to explore the workflow while preventing unintentional edits.
Validation Error Icon: Indicates the presence of one or more validation errors in your workflow. The designer continuously checks your workflow for errors. Click the triangle icon to navigate to the first encountered error, which automatically adjusts the zoom and focuses on the problematic node.

We welcome your feedback and creative ideas for additional designer tools!

Saving a workflow

You can save your work in the new workflow designer at any time, except when validation errors are present, in which case the save button is disabled.

Validation errors are indicated by a warning triangle icon located in the header of improperly configured nodes. The same triangle icon is also displayed in the designer tools located at the bottom left corner of the screen. Clicking on this icon will take you directly to the node with the issue.

The user interface uses visual cues to highlight mandatory parameters with a red asterisk (*) or a red circle around mandatory outputs. Additionally, hovering over the warning triangle will display a tooltip that provides information about what is not correctly configured.

We are planning to implement further improvements to the saving mechanism to notify you of any unsaved changes before you navigate away from your work.

Cloning a workflow

To clone a workflow, follow these straightforward steps:

Click the "Clone" button associated with the workflow you want to duplicate.
When prompted, provide a new name for the cloned workflow.
All nodes and settings from the original workflow will be replicated in the cloned version.
You will be automatically redirected to the newly cloned workflow.

Please make sure to save any changes in the current workflow before initiating the cloning process to ensure a smooth transition.

Cloning a node

To clone a node, follow these straightforward steps:

Locate the node you want to clone within your workflow.
Click the "Clone" button associated with that specific node.
A new node will be created with all the properties of the original node.
Please note that the input and outputs of the cloned node will not be set, and you may need to configure them manually.
You can repeat the process and clone a node as many times as needed.

Be cautious when cloning the same node multiple times, as the clones may overlap in the workflow.

Multi-select nodes

To select multiple nodes, you have a few options:

Shift Key: Hold down the shift key on your keyboard and then, using your mouse, drag a square over the nodes you wish to select.
Delete Option: After selecting multiple nodes, you can drag them as a group or press the backspace key to delete them together.
CTRL Key: Alternatively, you can hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard and click individual nodes to select multiple nodes individually.

These methods make it easy to manage and manipulate multiple nodes within your workflow.

Deep link nodes

You can easily share a link to a specific node in your workflow with your coworkers and colleagues. Here's how:

Click the three dots menu (usually represented as "...") on the node you want to share.
Select the "Copy Link" option from the menu.
Paste the copied link into your communication with your colleagues.

When your colleagues click the link, it will redirect them to the specific node you shared. Please ensure that they have access to the tenant and the appropriate role-based access control to view workflows.

This feature makes it convenient to collaborate and discuss specific parts of your workflow with your team.

Search for a node

Designing large workflows can be challenging when you need to match the outputs and inputs of nodes. To simplify this process, the workflow designer offers a helpful tool:

When you select an output, a search field will appear.
Use the search field to find an existing node within your workflow.
Selecting a node from the search results will automatically establish a link between the output and the input of the searched node.

This feature streamlines the process of connecting nodes in complex workflows, making it easier to manage the flow of your design.