This unit is part of the Salesforce Quick Start path.
If you haven't already done so, we recommend starting with Introduction: Salesforce quick start first before you go any further.
In this unit we'll cover how to setup a scheduled flow to trigger and send to your test contact record, and then configure a simple two-way conversation.
Quick links:
Setting up a flow for the first time
Configuring a simple two-way conversation
Setting up a flow for the first time
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Click on the Flows tab in the top navigation bar of your Pendula tenant
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Click on the New flow button
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Enter the following values into each field:
Data source:
Salesforce
Related object:
Contact
Name: Enter a meaningful name here -
Under When will it trigger? select the On a schedule button
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Set the First sent date & time field to today's date and the time 10 minutes into the future (to give you time to complete the remaining steps)
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Slide the toggle to One-off rather than repeating (so the flow only triggers once)
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Under Who are you sending it to? you'll need to set some rules to define the recipients of this flow, otherwise it will send to all contact records in your environment! Because this is just a test flow, let's ensure it only sends to your test contact record. Click on the Add rule button
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Enter the following values into each field:
Object:
Contact
Field:
Mobile Phone
Operator:
is equal to
Value: enter the mobile number of your test contact record in Salesforce (in +61) format
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Click on Check to check the Recipient Preview
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Confirm the Recipient Preview displays
Currently matches 1 record
.If the Recipient Preview matches zero records, ensure you have a test contact record created in Salesforce which shares the same mobile number as the one you have entered in your flow criteria. Additionally, if the Recipient Preview matches more than 1 record, it means multiple contact records within Salesforce share the same mobile number. Confirm you have entered the correct number to avoid inadvertently sending multiple SMS!
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Click Save & next to progress to the flow builder
Now that you have setup what your flow is regarding, when it is triggering and who it is sending to, you can utilise the flow builder to configure the series of actions which will take place once it has triggered.
The flow builder provides you with a blank canvas, and a toolbar of actions or 'nodes' which you can drag-and-drop onto the canvas and connect to form a logical sequence of actions.
In this example, you'll be using nodes from the Conversation category.
Configuring a simple two-way conversation
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Click and drag an outbound SMS node from the toolbar onto the canvas
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Once added to the canvas, the settings panel for this node will automatically open on the right-hand side of the screen. Click on the Select SMS template dropdown and select your recently created SMS template. This should then populate the text box within the node settings panel.
If you haven't created an SMS template prior to building this Flow, you can simply enter free text directly into this text box to create the contents of your SMS
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Once added to a node, a template is unique to the flow-meaning you can continue to edit it's content without updating the original version
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Click Save within the node settings panel to close it. If you ever need to access these settings again, you can re-open this panel by double-clicking on the node.
Now that you have configured an outbound SMS to be sent out as part of your flow, you can consider what should happen if a recipient responds back with a particular keyword or phrase such as
CONFIRM
orUPGRADE
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Click and drag an inbound SMS node from the toolbar onto the canvas
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Hover your mouse over the edge of your previously configured outbound SMS node until the outline becomes green, then click and drag to connect it to the inbound reply node.
This links the two different nodes together in order to define the order in which the recipient will progress through, and is indicated by an arrow or 'path'.
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In the settings panel of the inbound SMS node, you can now start defining what Pendula will consider as an expected response.
For this example, type in
hello
in the Keywords field and hit the return (or enter) key to save. You can optionally enter in any other words or phrases by repeating this process. -
Once you are happy with your expected responses, click Save to close the settings panel.
Now that you configured an inbound SMS node, let's add an other outbound SMS node so that if a recipient replies with an expected response they receive an SMS acknowledging their reply has been received.
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Click and drag a new outbound SMS node from the toolbar onto the canvas
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Link the previously configured inbound SMS node to this new node, so that the order of nodes within your flow is as follows:
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In the textbox of the settings panel of your newly added outbound SMS node, include a message confirming the expected response has been received by either using an existing template or simply adding in free text eg.
Thanks!
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Once you are happy with your final message, click Save to close the settings panel
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Finally, click on Align to arrange your flow.
What's next?
There are two options available to you once you are ready to save your flow.
- Finish later: your Flow will be saved with a status of
Draft
(nothing will trigger or send) until it is edited and set toActive
- Save & Activate: your flow will be saved with a status of
Active
, meaning it will trigger and send at the date and time you previously set on the flow setup screen.
If you are ready to proceed, click on Save & Activate and follow any further prompts to trigger your flow.
You should be receiving an SMS very shortly, which you'll be responding to in the next unit!
The next unit in this quick start path is Step 5. Activate and view the results!