Contact Flow Engine is a tool in the platform that enables you to define the flow of any type of communication (call, chat, email, SMS, or WhatsApp) between your organization and customers. A contact flow primarily consists of modules (such as languages or actions) and connectors (for linking link modules, setting the flow, or assigning system codes). It is used to create messages (in a specific language), which are then assigned to services for use. 

To create a contact flow, you must have the Sysadmin or IT User role.

The Contact Flow window displays the ID, Name, and Description of all the available contact flows and an Add button. Use this window to add, copy, or delete a contact flow.

When you double-click a contact flow row, the Edit Contact Flow window appears, with the following tabs, buttons, and options:

Tabs:

  • Contact Flow - Displays the contact flow in a graphical view, including panels for different types of contact flow modules and module properties. Use this tab to create or modify a contact flow.
  • Contact Flow Properties - Displays system-level properties that are unique to contact flow, so you only need to define them once. 
    • ACD Proficiency (1-10) Wait Time: the amount of time (in seconds) that the Service Group searches for an agent with a specific proficiency.
    • ACD Max Wait Time In Queue: the cumulative amount of time (in seconds) that the system must spend to continue looking for agents with specified proficiencies. This value is generally less than the service Max Hold Time.
    • Post Call Digital Message Id: ID of the message used in contact flows to proactively contact customers after a call ends.
  • Associated Messages - Displays all the messages that are associated with the contact flow.
  • View Contact Flow XML - Displays the VXML code of the contact flow.
  • View XML - Displays the VXML structure in which the contact flow is graphically represented on the canvas on the Contact Flow tab. 

Options:

  • Supports Expressions -  Enabled at the time of creating a contact flow.

Buttons:

  • Zoom In and Zoom Out icons - Control the magnification of the contact flow on the Contact Flow tab.
  • Connector - Displays the Connector Setup window, through which you can create a link between two modules. Connectors define the outcome of a contact flow for specified actions and the system code to be assigned for a disconnect.
  • Delete Modules/Connectors - Removes the connectors or modules selected on the canvas.
  • Print - Downloads the contact flow in PDF for print preview and printing.
  • Contact Flow Variables - Displays the Contact Flow Variables window, through which you can create temporary variables for use in the contact flow. 
  • Deploy - Deploys the contact flow into production. Any messages associated with the contact flow will begin using the contact flow after it is deployed.
  • Save - Saves the changes to the contact flow. The changes do not affect production until the contact flow and its messages are deployed.

To create a contact flow, you must add modules that define messaging and logic properties, and link them using connectors that define the situation or system code.

To add a module:

  1. On the Contact Flow window, click Add. The Edit Contact Flow window appears.

  2. Enter the details in the Name and Description fields.

  3. Enable the Supports Expressions checkbox if the contact flow should contain the condition and lookup modules.

  4. In the Contact Flow tab, expand the Modules panel and double-click the required module in the sub-panel. The Properties window of the module appears.

  5. Specify the Message Properties and Contact Flow Properties that determine how the module behaves. 

  6. Ideally, you will enable the Is First Module checkbox for the first module you create. This is the first module the system will look at for determining the contact flow. When you assign this value to a module, you cannot unselect the checkbox. You will need to delete the first module you created to assign the 'Is First Module' property to another module.
  7. Click OK to close the Properties window. 
  8. Repeat this process to add more modules. Each module must have a unique name.

To add a connector:

  1. Select Connector.
  2. In the Connector Setup dialog, specify the Source and Target modules, the Event in which the contact flow must move from source to target, and the Result (outcome) if the connection ends before the completion of the target module. 
  3. Click OK to add the connector to the canvas. Connectors appear as arrows between the source and target modules.

A completed contact flow appears as a logical collection of modules connected by arrows. Click Save to save your contact flow and return to the Contact Flow window where your new contact flow is now listed in the table.

You can break down complex contact flows into more manageable subflows or subroutine flows and reuse them in other contact flows. The Transition module enables you to switch between sub-flows, including syncing up the variables in the contact flows involved.

  1. Open a contact flow and click Deploy to deploy the saved contact flow into production.  Any associated messages will begin using the new contact flow. If there is an existing contact flow with the name you specified, an error will ask you to select a different name.
  2. Navigate to the Message Editor tool and create a message using your new contact flow. You can customize the phrases used to have different audio applied. 
  3. Assign this Message to an unattended service, load a test file, and evaluate the outcome. Adjust the message as desired.

You can create user-defined variables for specific configuration properties of modules like http and condition in a contact flow.

To create a contact flow variable:

  1. Open a contact flow and click Contact Flow Variables. 
  2. In the Contact Flow Variable window, click Add.
  3. In the Add Contact Flow Variable dialog, enter the required data and click OK.

You can use the contact flow variable in the Message Properties tab of the http module (for response variables mapping) or the condition module (to build an expression). 

To copy or delete a contact flow, hover on a contact flow row in the Contact Flow window. The respective icons appear at the end of the row,

  • If you click the Copy icon, the Copy Contact Flow window appears, Enter the name of your new contact flow and click Copy.
  • If you click the Delete icon, the Confirm dialog appears. Click OK to delete the contact flow.