Overview: Workflows (Console)
This article provides an overview of workflows, a no-code automation tool administrators can use to automate various tasks and processes of a call center.
In this article
Overview
In Console, a workflow is a no-code automation tool that lets you design customer experiences without the need for extensive IT knowledge or resources.
An example of a workflow designed to determine the customer’s intent and either route them to a self-service option (bill pay via API) or to speak to a queue user.
Workflows are composed of modules, each of which accomplishes a specific task. Each module links to another module to create a flow of steps. Modules can perform a wide variety of tasks, like:
Gathering customer data
Determining a customer’s intent (and routing them to the appropriate destination)
Calculating sentiment on an interaction for coaching
Connecting to a third-party API
Note: These are just a few examples of available workflow modules. For a full list, see: Workflow modules
Workflows are most often used prior to an interaction being routed to a queue user. A workflow can gather customer information and determine what the customer is trying to accomplish. Then, the workflow can route the customer to the appropriate queue. The workflow can also automatically populate the data it gathered in the resulting interaction, giving the queue user all of the tools they need to assist the customer.
Keep in mind that this is just one example of how to design a workflow. Workflows are open-ended; you can use the workflow modules provided to you to accomplish virtually any goal.
Workflows can be relatively short and linear (like sending a chat alert for a long interaction wait time) or relatively long and complex (like routing an incoming interaction to a specific destination). The design of a workflow is entirely up to whoever is making the workflow.
Workflow versions
Workflows have one or more versions. Once you publish a workflow, it’s locked from any future changes. This means that, when you need to modify a published workflow, you first need to create a new version of that workflow. Then, you can make the needed changes to that newly created workflow version.
A workflow can contain an unlimited number of versions.
Currently, you can create an unlimited number of versions of a workflow.
Each time you make a new version of a workflow, you can decide to either make a copy of it to continue building upon the current design of that workflow or to make a new, blank workflow to start building it from scratch. Create a blank version when you want to totally redesign the workflow and the workflow version marks when the new workflow design was built in the journey of that workflow.
There are three types of workflow versions:
Unpublished version: An unpublished workflow can be considered an “in-progress” workflow because it’s not yet locked and you can continue to make changes to the workflow. If you click an unpublished version of a workflow, the system directs you to the workflow’s editor where you can continue to edit the logic of the selected workflow.
Published version: If you click on a published workflow, the system directs you to the workflow’s view workspace. A published workflow can’t be modified since it’s locked. You can, however, click the Duplicate button to create an editable copy of the workflow. You can also make any published workflow the Current - Published workflow by clicking the Publish + Current button.
Current - Published version: The Current - Published workflow is the live, current workflow that is officially activated for customers and queue users. For all instances where you define to use the ‘current’ version of this workflow, the version that is made current is automatically updated across the system.
Next steps: Building a workflow
Users (typically in administrative roles) with adequate permissions can use the Workflows workspaces in Console to build workflows.
Here’s the process for building a workflow. Click any of the links to learn more about the process: