Building the Guided Conversations flow - Online Help | Zoho Desk

Building the Guided Conversations flow

A good practice to follow before setting out to build a conversation flow is to prepare a hand-written or digital outline of the conversation or process to ensure all the necessary inputs and outputs are in the right place in a sequential order.

See also: Use cases of GC in Healthcare, IT, and Retail industries ↗

Availability

Permission required
Users with administrative privilege who have the permission to create, view, edit, or delete Guided Conversations can access this feature. Check availability and limits ↗

Creating flows

Users who have the create permission can build the guided conversation flows. Similarly, users who have view and edit permission can perform relevant actions.

To set profile permission

Setup
1. Go to Setup > User and Control > Permissions > Profile.
2. Select a profile.
3. Under Administrative profile, toggle Guided Conversation.
4. Check Create, View, Edit, or Delete as required.

To create flows

Setup
1. Go to Setup > General > Guided Conversations.
2. Select the department in which you want to build the conversation flow and click Create Flow.
3. Choose an option to create the flow: Custom Flow or Templates.
4. If you choose the Custom Flow option, you will fill in the flow form:
  • Enter Flow Name.
  • Choose Target Audience.
  • Choose Channels and Default Language.
  • Enter Description and click Create Flow.
5. The centralized dashboard will be displayed to create, update, and manage the flow and its languages.
6. When you click on a language, it will take you to the respective builder.
7. Click the Add Block icon (  ) on the builder to start adding the block of your choice.
8. On the Blocks Library Panel, under any of the categories (Display blocks, Question blocks, or Choice blocks), choose a block to add.
9. You can also add actions in between the blocks from the Action blocks section: Jump, Fork, Operations, Combine, or Webhook block.

See also: Multilingual capabilities in GC ↗

To add a display block

In the Message Block, select Text or Info card.
  • Text: Enter Message and Block Name and click Save.
  • Info card: Select Card Type, Static or Dynamic. If you choose Dynamic, choose Rendering Style, Single or Multiple.
    • In Card Info List, upload an image and enter title, subtitle, and description.
    • If there are Multiple Cards, then enter the above information for all cards.
    • Click Add Card Field to include more fields like Text or Button.
    • If you choose Static Card, click Add Card to include more than one card.
Then enter the Block Name, and click Preview Block or Save.

To add a question block

  1. Select a type of question block.
  2. Enter Block name and Input variable. The options will vary based on the type of block. For example, for a number block you must select the number type.
  3. In Advanced Settings, toggle Skip block or End Block, if needed.
  4. Click Preview Block or Save.

To add a choice block

  1. Select any type of button, Dynamic Button, or Choice Card.
  2. Select Button Type, Single or Multiple.
  3. In Button list, enter Button Name and click Add Button, if needed.
  4. Toggle Create Path, if needed.
  5. Enter Block Name and Input variable.
  6. For Dynamic Button, enter an Error Message (for example, "Something went wrong, please restart the chat to try again").
  7. Select Card Type, Static or Dynamic.
  8. Enter text in the Question field.
  9. Select Button Type, Single or Multiple.
  10. In Card List, enter the necessary details.
  11. In Advanced Settings, toggle Skip block or End Block, if needed.
  12. Click Preview Block or Save.
Likewise, add more blocks to complete the flow.

To add variables to the flow

  1. On the far left side of the Guided Conversation builder, click the Variables icon (  ). The Variables panel will appear.
  2. Select a variable type from the drop-down (Global, Local, or Session).
  3. Select the variables from the available list. The variables created before will be listed here; you can choose from those. From within the flow you can only create a Local variable.
  4. Click Save.

To create a local variable from the flow

  1. On the far left side of the Guided Conversation builder, click the Variables icon (  ). The Variables panel will appear.
  2. Under Variable Type, select Global variable from the drop-down.
  3. Click Add Local Variable.
  4. Enter the following details in the form:
    • Variable Name: Name of the variable
    • Variable Type: Data type of the variable, String or Number
    • Variable Value: Value to be assigned to the variable
    • Description: A brief description of the variable
  5. Click the Save button.

Actions available in the builder

The builder for Guided Conversation comes with an intuitive, user-friendly interface that lets you build the conversation flow one block at a time. You can use the following actions on the builder while working with blocks.
ActionAction nameEnables user to
Enter full screenView only the builder in full screen.
Collapse path / Expand pathShow fewer or more paths while working with extensive flows.
Re-centerCome back to the center of the builder if moved away to either extreme.
Zoom InZoom in on a specific area of the builder.
Zoom OutZoom out to view a larger area on the builder.

Creating flows for specific channels

Nowadays, businesses encourage their customers to transact and interact with them through multiple channels. For example, customers can enquire about their order or make a payment from the mobile application. They can raise a service request, place an order, or contact the customer care executive through a WhatsApp business account.
A chat-based guided approach can help users easily navigate their way through the process. To facilitate this, organizations can build exclusive flows for different channels such as Web, mobile (iOS and Android), Telegram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram.
Info
Some blocks are not supported in every channel. For example, the Info card is supported in Web but not in WhatsApp. So while admins can create a single flow for all channels, they need to carefully chalk out the process to ensure the flow is built using a common set of blocks that are supported across channels. Depending on the requirement, it is best practice to create flows for individual channels.

To create flows for specific channels

Setup
1. Go to Setup > Self Service > Guided Conversation.
2. Select the department in which you want to build the conversation flow and click Create Flow.
3. In the Create Flow page, choose the Channel for which you want to create the flow. You can choose all the channels: Web, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, Messenger, Line, or iOS, Android.
4. Enter Name and Description for the conversation flow and click Create Flow.

Publishing a conversation flow

After building the conversation flow, it's time to publish. Publishing the flow doesn't mean it will be available on your website for end users; it only means that the flow is available for the GC Widget to access.
Setup
1. Go to Setup > General > Guided Conversation. The conversation flows are listed under Published, Draft, and Trash.
2. Click Draft to view the flows that need to be published.
3. Select the finalized flow and click Preview to review the flow before publishing. Preview opens a chat window on the right, enabling you to examine whether the conversation flows as intended.
4. Verify the flow, make any changes if needed, then click Publish when you are ready.
Note
  • The Save Draft option lets you save the flow midway so that you can resume working on it later.
  • You can make a flow available on different websites or web pages by using the share options.

Editing flows

Flows that are saved as draft or published can be edited to include more channels, modify the path, and so on. Since every block is not supported in every channel, the system shows an alert within the flow on the specific block, prompting admins to delete the blocks and make the necessary amendments.
For example, in the image below you can see the notification bar showing the number of blocks that are not supported.
Also, while editing, when a particular channel is chosen, the blocks that are not supported in the channel will be displayed.

To edit flows

Setup
1. Go to Setup > Self Service > Guided Conversations > GC Flows.
2. Select a Flow, click the More icon, and select Edit.
3. In the Edit Flow page, check or uncheck the desired channel.
4. Change the Flow Name and Description if needed.
5. Click Update Flow.
Note
Zoho Desk doesn't retain chat conversations for end users. The existing conversation will be deleted right away when a new session is created. However, for sessions that are ended or restarted, the conversation history will be deleted within 24 hours of session completion.

Customization settings

The widget customization options have been enhanced to provide greater flexibility.
You can now modify:
  • Widget logo: Upload your brand logo to personalize the widget header.
  • Theme color: Choose a color that aligns with your brand's theme for the widget interface.
  • Greeting messages and media: Set a default greeting text. Add media (images, GIFs, videos) to create an engaging experience.
  • Launcher icon and shape: Choose a custom icon (for example, chat bubble, question mark) for the launcher. Adjust the shape to be circular, square, or chat-bubble shaped.
  • Launcher position: Position the launcher at the bottom-left, bottom-right, or any custom location on the screen.
  • Background pattern: Customize the widget with a patterned or a plain design.
  • Powered by branding: Option to display or remove the "Powered by" branding text.
  • Call-out messages: Configure messages to prompt user interaction (for example, "Need help? Click here!").

End options

  • Control user actions at the end of the session:
    • End session: Ends the session with an option to start a new session, or retain and restart the session.
      • Start a new session: Clears previous session history and starts a fresh one.
      • Retain and restart the session: Retains the previous session and restarts it.
  • Create a new session: Ask the user whether to proceed with a new session or close the widget. This option clears the previous session history and creates a new session for the user.

Idle session timeout

  • Set a timeout period to manage idle sessions effectively.
    • A pop-up will prompt the user to continue or restart the chat after inactivity.
    • The maximum session timeout is 23:59 hours (24 hours triggers an automatic session timeout).
    • If inactive for more than 24 hours, the session cannot be continued.

Multilingual options

Enable language selection within the widget to provide a localized experience for users.

Associating flows with the ASAP add-on

Once the flows are created, you can host them on your website by associating them with the ASAP add-on or the GC widgets.
For example, if you want customers to experience the dual benefit of live chat, where the chat can take place with a support agent along with the GC chat flow, then you can associate the flow with the ASAP add-on. Likewise, if you want to provide your customers a complete self-service platform, you can use the GC shareables to host the flow on your website.

See also: Embedding the ASAP add-on ↗

Note
To facilitate live chat, you must associate a Business Messaging channel with the GC bot.

To associate flows with ASAP

Setup
1. Go to Setup > Channels > ASAP.
2. Click the name of the add-on in which you want to include conversation flows.
3. Under the Tab Selection, hover over the Chat tab.
4. Click the Settings icon corresponding to the Chat tab.
5. Under the Chatbot Settings section, enable the Guided Conversation toggle button.
6. Click the Associate Guided Conversation Widget link.
7. Click the Select link to view the list of available conversation flows.
8. Select the GC flows that you want to associate with the add-on and click Add. The conversation flows you selected are now associated with the ASAP add-on.
9. Click Save/Update.

Sharing GC flows

Once the flows are associated with a widget, the administrator can share it with customers or agents using the following options:
  • Embed the code snippet on the webpage. You can embed different widgets in different webpages. Widgets can be customized within the web-app design, including the placement of the widget, the widget shape, and the way the bubbles appear within the widget. This lets you view the GC flows within a chat widget in your help center, and allows GC flows to be invoked as a chat widget from any HTML page.
  • Use iFrame to display the chat widget right within a blog post or article. It also facilitates opening the chat widget in the rich text editor. For example, in any help center, GC flows can be invoked from areas like the Ticket Reply editor, Add form Editor, Comment Box, KB Editor, and so on.
  • Share the QR code in social channels such as WhatsApp, Instagram, and Telegram for customers to access the GC flow as a chat widget in a separate web page with a public URL.
  • Share the public URL for anyone to access the chat widget. Similar to the QR code, when the URL is invoked by the user, the GC chat widget gets loaded in a separate web page with a public URL.
  • Use Mobile SDK to provide access to the GC chat from your mobile application. It loads the entire flow within the third-party app.
Note
  • The option to embed the chat widget will NOT be available if the flow permission is set as agents only.
  • Invoking the GC flow via the QR code from a mobile phone will ask to download an app clip to render mobile-optimized GC chat.

To select a sharing option for a GC flow

Setup
1. Go to the GC Flows list view and select the desired flow.
2. Go to the Share tab from the centralized dashboard and select an option to share the flow with customers.
3. You can select Embed, iFrame, QR Code, Public URL, or Mobile SDK.
4. If you select Embed, iFrame, or Public URL, click Copy to copy the code.
5. If you select QR code, click Download or Print.

Deleting a conversation flow

Deleting a conversation flow does not remove the GC flow entirely from Zoho Desk. It only means that the flow will not be visible to your end users on your help center. Once deleted, the flow will move from the Flows tab to the Deleted flows tab. You can restore it anytime by selecting the deleted flow and clicking the Restore button. Note that only users with permission to delete GC flows in their respective Profiles can delete.

To delete a conversation flow

Setup
1. Go to Setup > General > Guided Conversation. The conversation flows are listed under Flows.
2. Hover over a conversation flow under the Published or Draft category.
3. Click the Delete icon corresponding to the flow. The confirmation box appears.
4. Click Delete.
Note
When a flow is deleted, all associated languages are also removed but can be restored together.

See also

Components of GC Flow Builder ↗

Guided Conversation: Business Scenario and Scope ↗

Use Cases of GC in different industries ↗