Flows Builder & External API

The information below is related to the chatbot flows area. Flows allows you to esely create conversation flows powered by the chatbot. Use them to guide the user toward a specific goal with a series of pre-defined messages.

Flow blocks

• Start: Use the start block to set when the flows should start. It can be everytime the user start a new conversation, when it sends a specific message, or on page load. If you set conditions, the flow will only start when all conditions are met. If you set a depertment, the flow will only start for conversations assigned to that department. If you set a source, the flow will only start for conversations from that source.
• Send message: Send a message to the user.
• Send choices: Send a list of buttons to the user or allow it to choose one. When conversational mode is enabled, buttons are hidden, the chatbot sends only text, and users select options by replying with text. The AI interprets the message and selects the corresponding option, continuing the flow as if the button were pressed. This creates a more natural, chat-like experience and is automatically activated, only when needed, on messaging channels such as WhatsApp and Instagram. If the user’s reply doesn’t match any option, a fallback message with the available choices will be sent. You can add variations to the button texts by separating them with the | char, for example: Yes|Yeah|Sure. They will help the AI to understand the user reply.
• Send video: Send a video to the user.
• Get user details: Get the user details and store them in CHAT.devad.io. You will see such values in the user details panel. You can leave the description field empty for default details, but it’s required if using custom user fields. Note that user details will not be saved if you test this flow in the playground, as the user there is temporary. To see details saved, test the flow with a real user.

  

• Set data: Set the specified user values when the block is executed. You will see such values in the user details panel.
• Actions: Execute the specified actions when the block is executed.
• Conditions: Use it to create different branches in the flow. If the conditions are met, the flow will follow the branch set as true, otherwise the one set as false.
• Rest API: Use it to send data to your server. The body must be a JSON array. Details like user ID and conversation ID are automatically included in the data sent to your server under the sb key. Use the save response section to save specified user details with values from your server response. Use the JSON dot notation. Our support doesn’t include assistance with this feature, as it is for advanced users and requires custom code on your server. For help with this, feel free to hire us.
• Tools calling: For more details go here.
• Flow connector: Connect the flow to another flow and start it.

• Flows can be multilingual. Add translations for messages, button texts, and other content in the translations area. You can also use the multilingual via translation feature for automatic translations. If the default language of your flows is not English you have also to set the default language under Settings > Artificial Intelligence > OpenAI > Training Sources Language.
• Users can move back to earlier steps and update previously entered details in a conversational manner. For example, they might say “Sorry, I entered the wrong email”, “I need to update my email and phone number”, or even a general message like “Sorry, I entered the wrong details, go back”, which will return them to the previous step.

Q: What are Flows Builder?
Flows are sequences of interactions between the user and the chatbot that guide the user through a series of questions and answers.

Q: How can I start a Flow?
Use the Start block to set when the Flows should start, such as when a user starts a new conversation, sends a specific message, or on page load. Flows can start only when all set conditions are met.

Q: What action blocks are available in Flows?
Available blocks include Send message, Send button list, Send video, Get user details, Set data, Actions, Conditions, and Rest API.

Q: How do Conditions work in Flows?
Conditions create different branches in the Flow. If a condition is met, the Flow follows the true branch; otherwise, it follows the false branch.

Q: Can Flows collect user information?
Yes, using the Get user details block, Flows can gather and store user information.

Q: How can I send data to my server from a Flow?
Use the Rest API block to send data via a JSON array to your server. User details are included automatically under the sb key.

Q: Are there predefined Flows?
Yes, CHAT App automatically generates flows such as Registration and Follow-up flows based on specific settings.

Q: Can I customize Flows according to my needs?
Yes, you can create custom Flows combining various blocks and conditions to guide your users toward specific goals.

Q: Is technical knowledge required to use the Rest API block in Flows?
Yes, the Rest API block requires advanced knowledge and custom server code for proper integration.

Q: Can users take control from an automated Flow and talk to a human agent?
Yes, Flows support a human takeover feature where users can switch from the automated flow to live human support.

Q: How do I track the performance of my Flows?
You can monitor Flow engagement and conversion statistics in the analytics section of Support Board to optimize your setup.

Tools calling allows to connect the chatbot to external tools and systems to retrive information needed to answer the user. The chatbot will query your server and return the information from your server to the user. The data sent to your server is in the body and it includes the user input, user ID, and conversation ID. Tools calling is used by Q&A and Flows. More details here. Our support doesn’t include assistance with this feature, as it is for advanced users and requires custom code on your server. For help with this, feel free to hire us.

• URL: Enter the URL of the API endpoint that will supply the necessary values for the function.
• Headers: If you are setting up a Q&A, enter key-value header parameters, separated by commas. E.g. apikey:123345, json:true. If you are setting up a flow, enter add key-value header parameters by clicking the Add new item button.
• Properties: Enter values that the user must provide to the chatbot. For example a city, a tracking number, etc. The chatbot will ask the user for these values. If you already know all the possible values, you can enter them in the Allowed values field.

CHAT.devad.io will send the following information to your server. If you use the POST method, it will be included in the JSON body, if you use the GET method, it will be included in the header.

{
    "sb": {
        "user_id": "123",
        "conversation_id": "123",
        "user_language": "es"
    },
    "arguments": {}
}

The arguments array contains the values provided by the user. The keys are the name converted to kebab case, for example if the property name is Order Number, the key will be order-number. The user_id is the ID of the user in CHAT.devad.io and conversation_id is the ID of the conversation. You can use these IDs to retrieve more information about the user and the conversation via the REST API.

Your server must returns a JSON array with the values required by the chatbot. Include success: true only when the request is successful and the expected information is returned. Do not include it if the information cannot be retrieved (e.g., when an invalid order number is provided). See the example below for more details.

{
    "order_status": "Delivered 2 hours and 25 minutes ago",
    "success": true
}