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Building Advanced Workflows: "Interactive Welcome Flow"

Now that you’ve created your first workflow, let’s take it to the next level! In this guide, we’ll evolve the "Welcome New Contacts" workflow into a more dynamic and interactive experience using IF/ELSE and Wait For Reply. These features allow you to customize workflows based on conditions and pause workflows until a contact responds.

Business Context: Why Use This Workflow?​

Imagine you run a business where new contacts often reach out via WhatsApp to inquire about your services. To save time and provide a great customer experience, you want to automate the process of responding to their inquiries. Here’s how this workflow can help:

  1. Immediate Response: When a new contact is created, they receive an automated welcome message with options to choose from.
  2. Personalized Experience: Based on their reply, they receive tailored information (e.g., pricing, location, or agent assistance).
  3. Efficiency: Your team can focus on high-priority tasks while the workflow handles common inquiries automatically.

This workflow is perfect for businesses that want to:

  • Provide instant responses to new leads.
  • Reduce manual effort in handling repetitive inquiries.
  • Improve customer satisfaction with personalized interactions.

Step-by-Step: Evolving the Workflow​

Let’s enhance the "Welcome New Contacts" workflow to allow contacts to choose from three options. Here’s how:

Step 1: Update the Welcome Message​

  1. Open your existing "Welcome New Contacts" workflow.
  2. Update the Send WhatsApp action with the following message: 
    Hi `{{contact.firstName}}`, welcome! How can we help you today? Please reply with:

    - Reply "1" for Pricing
    - Reply "2" for Location
    - Reply "3" to Speak to an Agent

Step 2: Add a Wait For Reply Action​

  1. Directly below the Send WhatsApp action, add a Wait For Reply action.
  2. Set the Timeout (e.g., 24 hours) to specify how long the workflow should wait for a reply.

Step 3: Add IF/ELSE to Handle the Reply​

  1. Directly below the Wait For Reply action, add an IF/ELSE action.
  2. Set up the conditional branches.

Note: Branches are evaluated from left to right, and the first branch that evaluates to true will determine the execution flow.

First Branch:

  • Name: Branch #1
  • Condition: Wait for Reply > Message > Text Is equal 1
  • Action: Send a message with pricing details: 
    Here’s our pricing plan: [Insert pricing details]. Let us know if you have any questions! 😊

Second Branch:

  • Name: Branch #2
  • Condition: Wait for Reply > Message > Text Is equal 2
  • Action: Send a message with location details: 
    Our office is located at [Insert address]. We’d love to see you here! 🏢

Third Branch:

  • Name: Branch #3
  • Condition: Wait for Reply > Message > Text Is equal 3
  • Action: Send a message to connect them with an agent: 
    One of our agents will contact you shortly. Thank you for your patience! 🙏

Else Branch (if none of the above conditions are met):

  • Action: Send a follow-up message:

    Sorry, we didn’t understand your reply. Please reply with:
    - 1 for Pricing
    - 2 for Location
    - 3 to Speak to an Agent

    Important Note: If the contact replies with anything other than 1, 2, or 3, the Else Branch will send the follow-up message, but the workflow will not re-trigger after the contact replies again. This is because the workflow has reached the end of its execution flow. If you want to handle additional replies, you’ll need to design a new workflow or extend this one with additional logic.

How It Works​

  1. When a new contact is created, they receive the welcome message with options.
  2. The workflow pauses at Wait For Reply until the contact responds.
  3. Once the contact replies, the IF/ELSE action evaluates their response:
  • If they reply 1, they receive pricing details.
  • If they reply 2, they receive location details.
  • If they reply 3, they’re informed that an agent will contact them.
  • If they reply with something else, they’re prompted to try again, but the workflow will not re-trigger after their next reply.

Step 4: Test Your Workflow​

Before using your workflow with real contacts, it’s a good idea to test it to make sure everything works as expected. Here’s how to test your workflow:

  1. Add a Test Contact:
  • Go to your Exabloom contacts page and add a new contact using your test phone number (e.g., +1234567890).
  • Alternatively, send a WhatsApp message from your test phone number to the WhatsApp number connected to Exabloom. This will automatically create a new contact.
  1. Trigger the Workflow:
  • Once the test contact is added, the Contact Created trigger should activate the workflow.
  • Check if the welcome message is sent to the test contact.
  1. Simulate a Reply:
  • Reply to the welcome message with one of the options (1, 2, or 3).
  • Check if the workflow responds with the correct message based on your reply.
  1. Test the Else Branch:
  • Reply with an invalid option (e.g., 4 or random text).
  • Check if the workflow sends the follow-up message from the Else Branch.
  1. Verify the Workflow:
  • Open WhatsApp and check the test contact’s chat to confirm all responses are working as expected.
  • If something doesn’t work as expected, double-check your workflow setup and conditions.
  1. Adjust if Needed:
  • If something doesn’t work as expected, go back to your workflow and make adjustments.
  • Republish the workflow and test again.

What’s Next?​

Now that you’ve evolved your workflow to include IF/ELSE and Wait For Reply, you can create even more dynamic and responsive workflows. In the next guide, we’ll explore how to use Tags and Lead Management to further enhance your workflows. Stay tuned!