The Workflows builder is a canvas for you to see the entire workflow in one view. Create and edit messages, actions, and conditions with ease, then connect them together with path arrows.
To create, edit and set Workflows live you must have permission to send messages to more than one person at a time and both Automation permissions.
Configure the trigger settings
The first block in the Workflows builder is the trigger you selected. Click on this block to configure the trigger settings.
You can't change the type of trigger here, you'll need to create a new Workflow and choose a different trigger.
This is where you'll be able to configure the channel, audience rules, frequency and scheduling, and the goal for this workflow.
Navigating a Workflow
From the view page, you can see the trigger and a list of paths. From here, you can zoom in and out, pan, and recenter to bring the first path into view using the navigation at the bottom of the canvas.
Access these controls from the bottom left of the canvas, or with keystrokes:
Hold Spacebar then click and drag to move around the canvas.
Use Command (Ctrl) + to zoom in, or Command (Ctrl) - to zoom out
You cannot click and drag to move the pathways in the Workflow. All new steps will be created in a neat and organized way.
You’ll be able to see the paths of each Workflow laid out horizontally on the canvas, connected to each other with a path arrow.
Navigate to a path quickly by viewing the List of paths at the bottom of the canvas.
This list will also show a red warning sign and highlight any paths with errors to fix.
Use “Go to” buttons to move seamlessly between paths in the canvas. Simply hover over a connector (arrow line), the path, or a reply button, and a blue arrow button will appear.
Instantly tidy up your Workflow with the "Tidy up the canvas" button 
at the bottom of the canvas.
Paths may jump between columns after clicking this button or refreshing the page. This is because positions are only calculated when the Workflow loads, and not on every Workflow change.
Building a Workflow from scratch
Adding a path from the first block
Every trigger will always start a new path on the canvas. To begin your workflow, you can customize the reply buttons or start by adding actions.
The first path will change slightly depending on the trigger you selected.
Click one of the path arrows and choose how to continue from a panel of possible messages, actions, and conditions:
This creates a new path with a connecting arrow:
The first path of a workflow has constraints on the different messages and actions which can be used.
Adding a message, action or condition within an existing path
Add further messages, actions, or conditions within a path by clicking 'Add step':
Add content to path
Choose from 8 different messages types:
Send Bot Message
Collect data (custom attribute to save to users profile or conversation data)
Pass to a reusable workflow
Let Fin answer
Show expected reply time
Collect customer reply (let the customer type)
Send Ticket
Send an app.
After selecting your message type, edit the message directly on the canvas. Insert attributes or add emojis, GIFs, articles, images, attachments and tours to the text box.
If the message is empty or has an error, it will be highlighted in red for you to clearly see and take action.
Proceed to another path
You can also proceed to another path using:
Reply buttons,
Add actions
You’ll have the option to add a number of conversation actions to your path. These are not customer-facing and will run in the background.
Apply rules
Tag conversation
Tag person
Assign conversation
Snooze
Wait
Mark as priority
Apply SLA
Disable customer reply
Close conversation
Set conversation data (predefined)
Add integration action (predefined)
If you’ve added an action and left it empty or it has an error, it will be highlighted in red for you to clearly see and take action.
Add conditional branches to a Workflow
With Branches, you can configure a Workflow to continue to the relevant path depending on specific conditions. To set up branching, click the plus icon below a path or create a new path from an arrow and select Branches.
Then click on Missing condition to add your conditions:
Now you can route to the correct path based on the condition(s). For example, if customer is VIP then route to “Tier 1 Support”, else provide answers from the Help Center:
It’s possible to add multiple conditions to a path by clicking the plus icon below an existing branch. If a user matches multiple conditions, they will proceed down the first path that they match for.
You can also use conversation tag predicate in conditional branches in order to navigate to different paths if a certain tag has been assigned to the conversation.
There is the option to Remove person tag or Remove conversation tag in your Workflow. This action allows you to remove a tag that is already assigned to the person or conversation.
Deleting a path
To delete a path, click on the three dots in the top left corner of the path and select Delete path. This automatically removes it from the canvas along with any connections to the path.
Deleting a path connection
To delete a connection, simply click on the arrow between the paths and use the delete/backspace key, or click on the arrow starting a path and then select Delete connection.
Unconnected paths will be pushed to the end of the Workflow if you refresh the page or save the Workflow.
Connecting a path to an existing path
You can also connect a path to any other path on the canvas. For example, if you want to connect Path A to Path C. Grab the arrow to the right of the reply buttons, conditions or actions, and drag this to the path you’d like to connect.
Preview a Workflow
You can preview your Workflow in Intercom or privately on any webpage, where you’ve installed the Intercom Messenger.
Just click Preview in the top right corner.
This opens a modal with a live Messenger displaying an interactive preview.
To see what the Workflow would look like on your site, click Preview from a website and select a page where the Messenger is installed.
A new window will open where you can see your Workflow in action.
Note:
If you’ve just built your Workflow, you’ll need to click Save and close before you can preview the Workflow.
You must fix any path errors before you can save and preview and Workflow.
Workflow preview conversations are excluded from reporting.
Workflow preview runs with a dedicated logged-in user called Preview User; these conversations are visible in the Inbox so you can easily test conversations before going live.
Editing an existing Workflow
To make changes to a Workflow, simply click Edit on the view page and make any changes in the visual canvas following the steps above.
No changes are saved or set live in the Workflow until you click Save and close.
Best Practice Advice
We often recommend using some emojis to make it personal. We've found that emojis can signify more than a picture in business and personal relationships, and we've tested it too! Check out our study that emojis may lead to an increase in customer satisfaction.
If a customer reaches the end of the path, but there's no actionable outcome, we recommend a follow-up line when people click the "No thanks" button, and a response like "That's cool, enjoy exploring our site," or "Let us know if you need any help later." Messages like that help you appear more approachable and assistive.
Try to keep your responses concise. Information provided by bots is typically received better if it's efficient and timely, as if it were a natural conversation.
Require new conversations to enter an email address in the Messenger Settings.
Use videos in different bot paths - simple, lightweight, and smart visual messages help to add more personality.
Connect a variety of other tools through our App Store.
Want to view conversations that went down a certain path? Add an action to tag any users on that path so you can see who has responded to the bot when you pull up the tag.
Need more help? Get support from our Community Forum
Find answers and get help from Intercom Support and Community Experts