Hey there, newbie! Welcome to the exciting world of automated messaging. If you're scratching your head wondering where to start, fear not – we've got your back. This guide will walk you through the first steps to take in setting up your account and building your very first flow.
Alright, let's kick things off with the basics. A channel is essential to your messaging platform – it's how you send and receive messages. Without a channel, your messages are just stuck in limbo, so let's get connected.
To add your first channel, head over to our handy guide and follow the step-by-step instructions. You can opt for SMS or voice calls with a phone number or social media networks such as Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and more.
Now that you've got your channel game strong, it's time to dip your toes into the world of flows. Flows are like the scripts for your automated conversations. Here's a quick rundown on how to start building your first one.
Click on the "Flows" tab at the top of your account page. Think of this as your command center for all things flows.
Hit that "New Flow" button, and a dialogue box will pop up. Name your flow, add a keyword trigger if you're feeling fancy, and choose a flow type. For our example, let's go with a sample registration flow using SMS and social media channels.
Click 'Create,' and voilà, you're now in the flow editor.
Let's break down the steps of a simple registration flow:
Ask for the contact's name: It's polite, right? Use the Send Message Action node to initiate the conversation.
Wait for Response: Add this Split Action to gather their reply. This is where the magic happens- we'll save their response as "Name."
Update the Contact: Save the contact's name for future reference. This is crucial, and we've got a nifty trick using the @results.name variable.
Add to a Group: Because we're social creatures, let's toss our contacts into a group called "Completed Registration."
Curious to see if your masterpiece works? Use the simulator on the right-hand side of the flow editor. It's like a sneak peek before the big reveal.
In the example above, we added a final message in the flow using the variable @contact.first_name to be extra friendly.
And there you have it! You've successfully created a flow that asks for a contact's name, saves it, and adds them to a group. But hey, this is just the beginning. Feel free to dive into more complex flows, explore the help docs in our Help Center, or shoot us a message if you're feeling chatty.
Congratulations, you're officially a flow master! 🚀
If you have any questions or just want to run some ideas by the team, we are always happy to help.