Understanding the Fundamentals: Definition, Nodes, and Conversation Logic

A flow is a visual map of logic applied to contacts after they enter.

1. A flow is built from nodes connected by paths.
2. Nodes contain either:
   • Actions (do something immediately), or
   • Split actions (evaluate something and branch).
3. A flow can be as short as one node or as long as you need.

[CAPTURE: Flow editor showing a simple flow with 3–4 nodes connected, including at least one action and one split.]

Actions are commands your flow performs on behalf of the contact or your workspace.

Common actions include:

• Send Message (send text and/or media to the contact)
• Send Message to Someone Else (notify a supervisor or third party)
• Add Labels to Responses (organize responses)
• Update Contact Fields (save responses or modify contact attributes)
• Add/Remove from Group (segment contacts)
• Call a Webhook (send data to an external system)
• Send Email (send notifications or exports by email)
• Set Contact Preferred Language (route translations correctly)
• Enter Another Flow (launch a child flow)
• Start Someone Else in a Flow (start a different contact)

1. Add an action node in your flow.
2. Configure the action settings (message text, field updates, webhook URL, etc.).
3. Actions run immediately, top-to-bottom, when the contact reaches the node.

[CAPTURE: An action configuration panel open (e.g., Send Message or Update Contact), showing the fields a user edits.]

Split actions are decision points. They evaluate a value (like a message reply or a contact field) and route the contact into different categories.

Split actions can evaluate:

• Incoming message content (text or recording)
• Webhook response data
• Zapier flow events
• Airtime transfers
• Contact activity in a child flow
• Contact fields (@contact.*)
• Flow variables/results (@results.*)
• Form fields (if applicable)
• Expressions
• Random distribution (A/B testing)
• Group membership

[CAPTURE: Flow editor showing a split action node with multiple exits/categories.]

Wait for Response is a split action that:

• Waits for an incoming message
• Evaluates it against response rules
• Routes the contact based on what they sent
• Optionally saves the response into a flow result variable (@results.*)

A typical Wait for Response setup includes:

1. Rule type: Wait for Response
2. Operand: what you evaluate (usually the incoming text, like @input.text)
3. Response rules: the matching logic (e.g., “has any of these words”)
4. Timeout (optional): how long to wait before routing to “No response”
5. Categories: the paths (e.g., “Yes”, “No”, “Other”)
6. Result name: the variable name saved under @results.*

[CAPTURE: Wait for Response configuration panel showing the operand, response rules, categories (including Other), and a result name.]

Depending on your use case, you can branch on different sources of data.

Common split action types include:

• Call a Webhook: send flow context to a URL and branch based on success/failure and returned JSON
• Call Zapier: trigger a Zapier event and pass contact responses to other apps
• Transfer Airtime: send airtime and branch based on success/failure
• Enter a Flow: start a child flow and branch on Completed vs Expired
• Split by contact field: evaluate @contact.* (e.g., @contact.state)
• Split by expression: evaluate the result of an expression (functions + variables)
• Split by flow result: evaluate stored results, including delimiter-based parsing
• Split randomly: evenly distribute contacts into buckets for A/B testing

[CAPTURE: Split action type dropdown open, showing multiple split action options.]

Flows are states that contacts enter and exit.

Key concepts:

• A run is one complete journey through a flow (entry → exit).
• A contact is an active member of a flow while they are still inside the run.
• Active members may be indicated by a badge/icon on nodes in the editor.

1. Use the flow’s results/analytics to review runs and behavior.
2. Use the active member indicator to see where contacts currently are.

[CAPTURE: A node in the flow editor showing the “active member” indicator and a way to message them.]

Contacts can enter flows in multiple ways, including:

• Manually, from the flow editor using Start
• Through a campaign event
• By sending a keyword trigger
• By calling your channel phone number
• By triggering a missed call flow (if configured)
• By sending a message not handled elsewhere

When starting a flow manually, you may see options such as:

• “Have not started in this flow in the last 90 days”
• “Are not currently in a flow”
• “Have sent a message in the last 90 days” (to target active contacts)

[CAPTURE: Start Flow dialog showing targeting checkboxes like “not currently in a flow” and “have not started in last 90 days”.]

Contacts exit flows when:

• They reach the final node and complete the flow
• They reach an unconnected node (no next step)
• They pass through Enter Another Flow (depending on your design)
• They expire after a period of inactivity

Flow expiration settings are usually configured from the flow editor menu (often a ☰ icon), where you can set:

• Default expiration (often 3 days in new flows)
• A custom expiration period (dropdown)

[CAPTURE: Flow editor menu open showing “Expiration” settings and a dropdown to set duration.]

Flow membership rule:

• A contact can only interact with one flow at a time.
• While a contact is active in a flow, their replies are handled only by that flow until they exit or expire.