What is a routing flow?

A routing flow defines how communications to a particular service in Contact are handled by the system. Routing flows can be defined for:

• Calls
• Emails
• Web chats

How are routing flows created? #

Routing flows are created in Flow Editor. The routing-flow parameters are defined in units of functionality (prewritten blocks of instructions) known as “node types”, which each carry out a single specific function in a service, such as playing audio. Each routing flow consists of a set of node types, which are interconnected with paths to define a routing flow.

Pre-defined routing flows may be provided with the Contact web interface. Administrators with access to Flow Editor can either change these existing routing flows or create new routing flows to meet the ongoing needs of their customers.

The platform owner can make the routing flows available or unavailable for individual resellers.

The resellers (administrator-level) can then make the routing flows available or unavailable for individual companies.

Company administrators can specify which routing flow runs when a communication is received. They can also reconfigure any user-configurable parameters that have been defined by the creator of the routing flow. However, they can only modify existing routing flows or create new ones if their company is configured to do so by a reseller administrator.

Profiles are supported within companies. Each company administrator can assign a profile to a user login to define which routing flows that are available to the company the user can see. The profile may permit the user to see all of the company’s routing flows or only some of them.

What are the benefits of routing flows? #

The advantage of using routing flows to define services is that they enable a reseller to display a restricted subset of a service’s functionality to their customers (companies) in accordance with each company’s requirements, with the possibility of extending this functionality to meet the ongoing needs of the company. Customised routing flows can be constructed quickly and easily in Flow Editor by connecting blocks of functionality together into a routing flow, which can then be deployed into live service for a particular customer.

The same routing flow can be used by multiple resellers and companies. Routing flows that are no longer in use can also be removed from the system as required. Platform owner and reseller administrators with access to Flow Editor can also make certain parameters used in a routing flow “user-configurable”, meaning that:

• A company administrator can change the routing-flow parameters without editing the routing flow itself. For example, they might specify the group of agents to which calls are routed, the audio file to play, or custom holiday schedules, enabling them to customise services to suit the company’s requirements.
• The parameters can be presented to the company administrator in an easy-to-digest format with explanation text.