Hello Everyone,
Imagine building a kiosk that gives you full control over how actions are executed in later screens in that same kiosk. What if you could use data from a previous action later in that kiosk—with no interruptions or data gaps? This is exactly what sequential actions bring to Kiosk Studio in Zoho CRM.
Sequential actions enable you to use action responses in subsequent screens or components in your kiosk. With this enhancement, kiosks can now wait for one action to complete before moving to the next step, enabling you to use the response of that action in later screens or components.
Here's a quick example:
Let's say your first step in the kiosk creates new records. With sequential actions enabled, your kiosk waits for those records to be created and then makes them available in the next step. For example, once a new lead is created, you can immediately schedule a meeting for that lead or create a task for that record owner in subsequent screens. You can also use these new records in decision components, pass them on to another action, or trigger follow-ups without any manual setup.
What's new?
- Wait for completion: This option tells your kiosk to wait until an action is completed to ensure its response can be used in the next screen.
- KioskRecords: This combines GetRecords, CurrentRecords, and CreatedRecords into a single grouped view for easier access.
- CreatedRecords: This option displays the list of new records created through Kiosk actions.
- Kiosk Fields: This merges screen fields and action fields under one unified section for simpler configuration.
How sequential actions can improve your kiosks
Wait for completion
To enable sequential actions for your kiosks, you must switch on the "Wait for completion" toggle. Once enabled, the kiosk will wait until the action is completed before showing users the next screen, where they can use the appropriate action responses.
By default, most actions will have this option automatically enabled. The actions for which this option needs to be manually enabled are as follows:
- Activities (tasks, calls, and meetings)
- Create record
- Webhooks
- Functions
If this option is not enabled, kiosks will be executed in parallel, without waiting for actions to be completed. Those action responses cannot be used in subsequent screens.
Add failure path (optional)
Enabling sequential actions for kiosks will give users the choice to add a failure path if needed. This is optional and visually different from the success path, as shown in the screenshot below.
When we enable the "Wait for completion" action, users can enable a failure path in case the action fails during execution. When enabled, the kiosk will display two paths: a success path and a failure path. You can then define the next steps in each case.
Message on load
While actions like webhooks and functions are being executed, you can display customized messages to users.
Let's go through the use case below to see how sequential actions work in kiosks.
Use case: Pass function outputs in subsequent screens
Let's say you want to add new leads through functions to your Zoho CRM account. Create the function to capture new lead records and save it. The output of this function will be the record IDs of newly created leads.
With sequential actions enabled, the kiosk will wait for the function to finish and produce its output (i.e., the new record IDs will be available in the next screen). The returned outputs (record IDs)become action fields in your kiosk. In this use case, we'll schedule a demo for newly created records in the subsequent screen. We'll first use the GetRecords component to get the record IDs from the function. Then we'll configure the Create Record action with GetRecords as a lookup. Finally, we'll set up the Activities action to schedule a meeting for the new record IDs.
This makes it easier to build dynamic flows that depend on real-time outputs from functions or external APIs.
Check out the video below to learn how you can use custom function outputs in a GetRecords component to fetch and display new records (via functions), and how you can schedule a demo for those records.
Now that you understand how sequential actions work in kiosks, it's time to learn about the new components and fields we've added to kiosks as a result of this new feature.
New components in Kiosk Studio
→ KioskRecords and CreatedRecords
With sequential actions, newly created records from the Create Record action can be displayed through CreatedRecords. To simplify your setup, GetRecords, CurrentRecords, and CreatedRecords are now grouped under a single category: KioskRecords. This gives you a unified view of all record-related options in one place.
CreatedRecords in decision components
Currently, while configuring a decision component, you can only add conditions based on GetRecords and CurrentRecords.
With sequential actions, you can now configure a decision component by adding conditions based on CreatedRecords as well. Click KioskRecords and choose CreatedRecords to add your conditions.
CreatedRecords in action components
You can now configure actions based on CreatedRecords in Kiosk Studio. Simply select the action you want to configure, select the record type as CreatedRecords, and complete the configuration.
Let's say you want to update a field in a created record. You can configure the Update Field action, select CreatedRecord as the record type, and configure which field needs to be updated.
Similarly, you can use CreatedRecords in various action components in kiosks.
→ Kiosk Fields
Previously, you could only use screen fields in your actions or create different paths in decision components.
Now you can use both screen fields and action fields under one section called Kiosk Fields, making it easier to manage all available inputs in your Kiosk setup.
Sequential action specifications
Here are some additional details related to configuring sequential actions in Kiosk Studio:
- You can add up to three sequential actions from webhooks and functions between the two screens in a kiosk or between the start and end state of a kiosk.
- The execution wait time for webhooks and Deluge functions is 10 seconds. If the action takes longer, it will be considered as having failed and will be moved to the failure path (if configured). The action will still be executed, but its response will not be available in later screens.
- The maximum number of fields that can be created for webhooks and Deluge functions is 25.
- If errors like sockettimeout, threadtimeout, or connecttimeout occur while webhook or Deluge functions are being executed, the action will be considered as having failed and will be move to failure path (if configured).
- Only JSONObject responses from webhooks and functions are supported.
- JSONArray is not supported for sequential actions.
- The string returnType is only supported in functions. Thus, the JSONObject response has to be parsed and sent as a string from the action.
Sequential actions are designed to make kiosks smarter, faster, and more connected, and to help you create dynamic, data-aware experiences that respond in real time.
We're sure this valuable addition to Kiosk Studio will provide users with greater control to create smoother flows. If you have any questions regarding this enhancement, please comment below and we'll get back to you at the earliest.
Thanks & Regards,
Serena Woolridge