Conversational Flows

Flows are deterministic conversation paths that guide users through structured interactions. While the AI agent handles free-form questions, flows ensure consistent data collection and multi-step processes.

What are Flows?

A Flow is a series of steps that execute in sequence when triggered. Each step can:

Send a message
Collect and validate user input
Branch based on conditions
Call webhook tools
Generate AI responses
Transfer to a human agent

[Trigger] → [Welcome] → [Collect Name] → [Collect Email] → [Confirm] → [End]

When to Use Flows

Scenario	Use Flow	Use Free-form LLM
Collecting required data (name, email, phone)	Yes	No
Compliance-required messaging	Yes	No
Appointment booking	Yes	Maybe
General Q&A	No	Yes
Product recommendations	No	Yes
Order status lookup	Maybe	Yes

Use flows when you need guaranteed outcomes. Use the LLM when you need flexibility.

Flow Triggers

Flows can be triggered in several ways:

Trigger Type	Description	Example
`keyword`	Message contains specific words	”book”, “appointment”, “schedule”
`intent`	AI detects user intent	Booking intent, support intent
`always`	Every new conversation starts this flow	Welcome/onboarding flow
`manual`	Triggered by API call	After webhook event

Step Types

Message Step

Send a fixed message to the user.

{
  "type": "message",
  "content": "Welcome to Acme Corp! How can I help you today?",
  "channel": "whatsapp" // Optional: send via specific channel
}

Collect Step

Collect and validate user input.

{
  "type": "collect",
  "variable": "customer_email",
  "prompt": "What's your email address?",
  "validation": {
    "type": "email",
    "errorMessage": "Please enter a valid email address."
  }
}

Validation Types:

email - Valid email format
phone - Valid phone number
number - Numeric value
date - Date format
regex - Custom pattern
options - One of provided choices

Condition Step

Branch the flow based on conditions.

{
  "type": "condition",
  "conditions": [
    {
      "if": "{{budget}} > 10000",
      "goto": "premium_path"
    },
    {
      "if": "{{budget}} <= 10000",
      "goto": "standard_path"
    }
  ]
}

Tool Step

Execute a webhook tool and use the result.

{
  "type": "tool",
  "toolName": "check_availability",
  "parameters": {
    "date": "{{preferred_date}}",
    "service": "{{service_type}}"
  },
  "resultVariable": "available_slots"
}

LLM Step

Generate a response using the AI model.

{
  "type": "llm",
  "prompt": "Based on the customer's preferences ({{preferences}}), suggest 3 products.",
  "resultVariable": "recommendations"
}

Transfer Step

End the flow and hand off to a human agent.

{
  "type": "transfer",
  "message": "I'm connecting you with a specialist. Please hold.",
  "department": "support"
}

Via Dashboard

Navigate to Flows

Go to Senders > select your sender > Agent tab > Flows section.

Create New Flow

Click Create Flow and enter:

Name: A descriptive name (e.g., “Lead Capture Flow”)
Description: What this flow does
Trigger: How the flow is activated

Add Steps

Use the visual flow builder to add steps:

Click Add Step
Select the step type
Configure the step parameters
Connect steps by dragging between nodes

Configure Triggers

Set up how the flow is triggered:

For keyword triggers, enter the words that activate the flow
For intent triggers, describe the intent in natural language
For always, the flow runs on every new conversation

Test the Flow

Use the Test button to simulate a conversation and verify each step works correctly.

Activate Flow

Toggle the flow to Active to enable it for incoming messages.

Via API

Create Flow

import Zavudev from "@zavudev/sdk";

const zavu = new Zavudev({
  apiKey: process.env["ZAVUDEV_API_KEY"],
});

const flow = await zavu.senders.agent.flows.create("sender_abc123", {
  name: "Lead Capture",
  description: "Collect lead information from new contacts",
  trigger: {
    type: "keyword",
    keywords: ["interested", "info", "learn more"],
  },
  steps: [
    {
      id: "welcome",
      type: "message",
      content: "Great! I'd love to help. Let me collect some information.",
    },
    {
      id: "get_name",
      type: "collect",
      variable: "customer_name",
      prompt: "What's your name?",
    },
    {
      id: "get_email",
      type: "collect",
      variable: "customer_email",
      prompt: "What's your email address?",
      validation: { type: "email" },
    },
    {
      id: "get_company",
      type: "collect",
      variable: "company_name",
      prompt: "What company are you with?",
    },
    {
      id: "confirm",
      type: "message",
      content: "Thanks {{customer_name}}! Our team will contact you at {{customer_email}} within 24 hours.",
    },
  ],
});

console.log("Flow created:", flow.id);

List Flows

const flows = await zavu.senders.agent.flows.list("sender_abc123");

for (const flow of flows.items) {
  console.log(`${flow.name} (${flow.id}) - ${flow.enabled ? "Active" : "Inactive"}`);
}

Update Flow

const flow = await zavu.senders.agent.flows.update(
  "sender_abc123",
  "flow_xyz789",
  {
    name: "Updated Lead Capture",
    enabled: true,
  }
);

Example Flows

Lead Capture Flow

{
  "name": "Lead Capture",
  "trigger": {
    "type": "keyword",
    "keywords": ["pricing", "demo", "interested"]
  },
  "steps": [
    {
      "id": "welcome",
      "type": "message",
      "content": "Thanks for your interest! Let me get some details."
    },
    {
      "id": "name",
      "type": "collect",
      "variable": "name",
      "prompt": "What's your name?"
    },
    {
      "id": "email",
      "type": "collect",
      "variable": "email",
      "prompt": "What's your email?",
      "validation": { "type": "email" }
    },
    {
      "id": "company_size",
      "type": "collect",
      "variable": "size",
      "prompt": "How many employees at your company?",
      "validation": {
        "type": "options",
        "options": ["1-10", "11-50", "51-200", "200+"]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "save_lead",
      "type": "tool",
      "toolName": "create_lead",
      "parameters": {
        "name": "{{name}}",
        "email": "{{email}}",
        "companySize": "{{size}}"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "confirm",
      "type": "message",
      "content": "Thanks {{name}}! A team member will reach out within 24 hours."
    }
  ]
}

Appointment Booking Flow

{
  "name": "Book Appointment",
  "trigger": {
    "type": "keyword",
    "keywords": ["book", "appointment", "schedule", "meeting"]
  },
  "steps": [
    {
      "id": "welcome",
      "type": "message",
      "content": "I'd be happy to help you book an appointment!"
    },
    {
      "id": "service",
      "type": "collect",
      "variable": "service_type",
      "prompt": "What type of appointment?",
      "validation": {
        "type": "options",
        "options": ["Consultation", "Follow-up", "New Patient"]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "date",
      "type": "collect",
      "variable": "preferred_date",
      "prompt": "What date works best? (e.g., Monday, Dec 20)",
      "validation": { "type": "date" }
    },
    {
      "id": "check_slots",
      "type": "tool",
      "toolName": "get_available_slots",
      "parameters": {
        "date": "{{preferred_date}}",
        "service": "{{service_type}}"
      },
      "resultVariable": "slots"
    },
    {
      "id": "show_slots",
      "type": "message",
      "content": "Available times on {{preferred_date}}: {{slots}}"
    },
    {
      "id": "time",
      "type": "collect",
      "variable": "selected_time",
      "prompt": "Which time works for you?"
    },
    {
      "id": "book",
      "type": "tool",
      "toolName": "create_appointment",
      "parameters": {
        "date": "{{preferred_date}}",
        "time": "{{selected_time}}",
        "service": "{{service_type}}"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "confirm",
      "type": "message",
      "content": "Your {{service_type}} appointment is booked for {{preferred_date}} at {{selected_time}}. See you then!"
    }
  ]
}

Flow Sessions

When a user enters a flow, a session is created to track their progress. Sessions store:

Current step
Collected variables
Timestamps
Channel information

Sessions expire after 24 hours of inactivity. If a user returns after expiration, they start from the beginning.

You can query active sessions via the API to see where users are in their flows.

Best Practices

Keep Flows Short

Aim for 5-7 steps maximum. Long flows have higher abandonment rates.

Validate Early

Validate critical inputs (email, phone) immediately after collection.

Provide Exit Points

Let users say “stop” or “cancel” to exit the flow at any time.

Use Variables

Reference collected data in messages to personalize the experience.

Next Steps

Add Tools

Enable your flows to execute actions via webhooks

Knowledge Base

Let your agent answer questions from documents

Getting Started

Concepts

Guides

Conversational Flows

Conversational Flows

What are Flows?

When to Use Flows

Flow Triggers

Step Types

Message Step

Collect Step

Condition Step

Tool Step

LLM Step

Transfer Step

Via Dashboard

Via API

Create Flow

List Flows

Update Flow

Example Flows

Lead Capture Flow

Appointment Booking Flow

Flow Sessions

Best Practices

Keep Flows Short

Validate Early

Provide Exit Points

Use Variables

Next Steps

Add Tools

Knowledge Base

Getting Started

Concepts

Guides

​Conversational Flows

​What are Flows?

​When to Use Flows

​Flow Triggers

​Step Types

​Message Step

​Collect Step

​Condition Step

​Tool Step

​LLM Step

​Transfer Step

​Via Dashboard

​Via API

​Create Flow

​List Flows

​Update Flow

​Example Flows

​Lead Capture Flow

​Appointment Booking Flow

​Flow Sessions

​Best Practices

Keep Flows Short

Validate Early

Provide Exit Points

Use Variables

​Next Steps

Add Tools

Knowledge Base

Conversational Flows

What are Flows?

When to Use Flows

Flow Triggers

Step Types

Message Step

Collect Step

Condition Step

Tool Step

LLM Step

Transfer Step

Via Dashboard

Via API

Create Flow

List Flows

Update Flow

Example Flows

Lead Capture Flow

Appointment Booking Flow

Flow Sessions

Best Practices

Next Steps