What are Workflows?
Interakt users can now set up WhatsApp workflows themselves on Interakt. Workflows are a versatile tool that enables you to effortlessly create conversational flows, guiding your customers through various processes. By utilizing workflows, you can ask sequential questions, capture responses in variables, and export the data for efficient processing.
Creating an Advanced Workflow from Scratch
Workflows on Interakt help you personalize your responses when interacting with users.
For instance, after collecting the user’s details during the initial conversation, you can save their details across parameters such as “name,” “email address,” “phone number,” and “job title.” This allows you to engage with users in a personalized way. The data collected and saved by the user can be implemented in upcoming campaigns.
Also, with Advanced Workflows, you can now create more complex workflows, for instance – actions like Order Placed, Order Tracking, Product Feedback, and Return/Exchange Policy, etc., can be part of the same workflow. You can assign color codes to the parent nodes for better clarity—such as blue for feedback and pink for order tracking.
The user response can be saved either as a “User Trait” or “Workflow Variable.” Read on to learn the instance(s) when each should be used.
A step-by-step guide to creating an Advanced Workflow:
1. Click on “Automation” from the Settings tab on Interakt. Post which users can click on the “Workflow” tab.
This is the Workflow homepage where users can read a brief on the module and watch a demo video explaining the same.
The homepage has 2 sections:
a) Above is the templates section where we have multiple templates specifically curated for your needs. It has options like lead generation, Vehicle Service Booking, etc.
b) In The below section one will be able to see all the workflows that you have created for your organization. Also, here you can check Automation Analytics, i.e, how many customer conversations were automated with your workflow
2. Here, you can either choose to work on an existing workflow or select one from the Template Gallery or if you want to start from scratch, click on + Create New
3. Once you click on the Create New button, you will get a pop-up like this, where you’ll need to enter the Workflow name before you can start creating one. Click on Confirm to move forward.
4. Now you have your workspace ready to build your workflow. Drag and drop a Node.
5. Now you need to drag & drop the actions to start creating a workflow. You can select from the below actions:
1. Set up a Message
A. If you just want to send a simple message with no attachments, you can just drag & drop the box on the workspace.
B. Now here you can also add variables, buttons, list, or media (like image, video or doc).
2. Set up a Message with Buttons or Lists
A. You can select if you want to add a button to the response or a list.
B. To add buttons, select the button from the drop-down and then keep on adding buttons. You can add a maximum of 3 buttons. Each button on the list has 20 characters.
C. To add a List, you need to select the List button from the drop down. One can have a maximum of 10 items on the list. Once you click on the list, a pop-up will open and one can go ahead and select from the list.
D. Now select the list you want and
E. Now, you can either select – Add a Custom Input or Choose from Custom Auto Reply.
Once you have selected & added the List, you are good to go!
3. Set up a Message with Media ( Image, Video, or Doc)
You can also set up a workflow message with media. Just select the type of media you want to send –
1. Image – should not be more than 5 MB
2. Video – should not be more than 16 MB
3. Document – should not be more than 2 MB.
Simply, upload the media file and you are good to go!
4. Steps to Setup Workflows With Webhook
Interakt now allows users to trigger webhooks as part of the workflows they have set up. You can now easily integrate API calls into the workflows to interact with external systems and get or update data. The steps and methods to set up a webhook are explained below.
Note: Webhooks are available only for Advanced and Enterprise users.
Step 1: Define URL
In this step, you can request an API using any of the request type options: Get, Post, Put, or Delete. Input the URL in the field below “request type” to call the specific API.
You can also add a variable as part of the URL you’re requesting by selecting “Add variable” and choosing a “user trait” or “workflow variable”.
Step 2: Customize Header
After configuring the URL, the header has to be customized. Please note that we currently only support JSON by default. You can add extra header parameters if required.
Step 3: Customize Body
Once you’ve customized the header, the body of your response should be configured.
If, for example, you’re handling a user query about the shipping status of an order and you’ve collected the order ID in the previous step, it has to be passed to the API via Body params.
Please note that the custom values in the “Request body” field must also be in json format only, with a character limit of 200.
Step 4: Save Response
After you’ve sent an API request and received a response, it needs to be saved as a user trait or a variable.
For this step, you must test the webhook for a sample response. Once you click on “Test Webhook” CTA, you’ll be shown a list of variables configured in your Request, Header and Body. You must enter test values into the respective variable fields to test the webhook and then it calls the API for a response.
Once you’ve received the sample response from the API, you must collect the relevant data such as “order ID” or “shipping status” and save it as a user trait or workflow variable. For this, input the corresponding key in the objectkey.keyname format from the API response.
Ex: if you want to store the shipping status, you have to use Order.shippingStatus in the “Entire response Body” above
{
“Order”: {
“orderId”: “xxxxx”,
“shippingStatus”: “in Transit”,
},
“userId”: yyyy
}
Step 5: Error Handling
If the API response shows an error in its output, you can craft a default error response, which will be displayed for all the APIs that are failing. Workflow bot breaks and the subsequent steps will not be executed.
What is a Node?
Each step ( message Box) in the workflow is represented as a node. The following basic actions are available for each node:
• Duplicate: Creates a duplicate of the node.
• Delete: Prompts a confirmation alert before deletion.
• Color Code: Users can assign color codes to nodes, making it easier to navigate large workflows with multiple nodes.
• Edit: Opens an edit view for the node.
• Set start node – You can easily set a start node by clicking on the ‘Se Start Node’ tab. Once you do, a flag will appear on the top left side of the Node.
You can easily Duplicate & delete a node from the 3-dot menu.
• Unset Start Node:
‣ By default, the first node is the start node.
‣ Users can unset the start node and assign another.
‣ Before saving, the system validates whether a start node is set. If none is found, an error prompts: “Please select the start of the workflow before saving.”
Delete\ Rename a Workflow
You can also delete the whole workflow by clicking on the 3-dot menu button next to the workflow name.
2. Rename a workflow from inside the workspace.
Action Panel
• Displays Action tools, with a hover preview showing a sample message
• The “Start Here” node includes a “+” icon that opens the Action tools dropdown.
How to connect nodes using Branches?
• Users can create a branch from one node to another.
• Users can also create a branch from buttons or lists
• The Action tools dropdown opens automatically if a branch points to an empty destination node.
Branch Actions:
○ Users can delete a branch
○ Color code the branches – For example, in a complex workflow that includes stages like Order Placed, Order Tracking, Product Feedback, and Return/Exchange Policy, you can assign color codes to the parent nodes for better clarity—such as blue for feedback and pink for order tracking. Any subsequent nodes branching from the parent will automatically inherit the same color, ensuring consistency and easy recognition across the workflow.
Saving the User Response
Now, you have to save the user response for the future or each subsequent conversation. Click on “Save user response”. You’ll see two methods to save the user response: “User Trait” and “Workflow Variable”.
How to use User Trait?
“User Trait” should be used when you want to permanently store that value. For example, if it’s the username, phone number or email address that you want to save across the user’s record, which can be used in a campaign or another workflow, then you should select the respective “User Trait” and click “Save”.
How to use Workflow Variable?
If you want to store a temporary variable while responding to a user query (eg: the user asks for the shipping status of their order ID) and don’t need to save it as a permanent variable across the user’s record, then you should select “Workflow Variable”, name the variable, and save it for the second response.
How to export a workflow?
If you wish to export the workflow report, click on the ‘Export Workflow Responses’ and you can select the period of the report you want. The report will be sent to your registered email id from where you can download the report.
Notes
• Undo/Redo functionality: To undo or redo an action item
• Zoom in/out: To zoom in & out of the screen
• Help icon: Opens the video modal
• Switch View
○ How to access the Basic workflow builder
You can also use our older version of workflow, that is basic workflow view by using the Switch View button. To learn more about the Multi-step view, please click here.
○ You can only switch view for the workflow if –
‣ You have saved the workflow
‣ And if you have not created any branches.
• To save the workflow, just click on the Save Workflow button in the top right-hand corner.
