Workflow Overview

Iterable workflows are custom, multi-step processes that send users personalized messages based on their interactions with your brand.

Once triggered, workflows can analyze user behavior, apply filters and delays, split users into different groups, update user profiles, change subscription preferences, call webhooks, trigger other workflows, and more. Workflows are a great way to build multi-step welcome or cart abandonment campaigns.

This document describes how to create a basic workflow and gives a high-level overview of the various pieces of a workflow.

# Table of contents

# Viewing and creating workflows

To view and create workflows, navigate to Messaging > Workflows.

• This screen lists all the workflows in the current project.

• To view the campaigns associated with any workflow, twirl down the Campaigns indicator. Clicking a campaign will open it in context of the workflow send node that uses it.

  • Alternatively, hover over the workflow and click the View Campaigns within Workflow link that appears. This brings up the list of the workflow's campaigns in an interface that shows details such as unique clicks, unique opens, etc.

# Creating a basic workflow

Follow these general steps to create a simple workflow:

• Navigate to Messaging > Workflows.

• Click Create a New Workflow.

• Configure the workflow's green Start When trigger node by double-clicking it and adjusting its settings as necessary.

  

• Save the filter node by clicking Update Node.

• Drag a send node (Send Email, Send In-App, Send Push, Send SMS, or Send Web Push) onto the workflow canvas.

  

• Connect the trigger node to the send node by dragging an arrow between their connection points.

  

• Double-click the send node to open it. Edit it as necessary:

  

  • Specify a Campaign Name, a Custom Conversion Metric (if necessary), and Labels.

  • Select a base template for the campaign.

    • It is not possible to create a new base template while editing a workflow send node.

• At this point, Iterable must generate the campaign associated with the new send node. To facilitate this:

  • Save the send node by clicking Update Node.
  • Save the workflow by clicking Save (in the upper-right corner).

• Again, open the send node.

  • Edit the template to create the content for your campaign.
  • Save the template by clicking Save Template.
  • Save the send node by clicking Update Node.

• Save the workflow by clicking Save (in the upper-right corner of the workflow).

• Enable the workflow with the toggle in the upper-left.

• The workflow is now active. After some time passes, use the send node's Campaign Analytics tab to check on its performance. For more details, read Workflow Analytics.

# Workflow triggers

The workflow trigger is what determines when a user will enter a given workflow. It is represented by a green node at the top of the workflow (see below).

There are many types of potential triggers:

• Received API Trigger
• Triggered By Workflow
• Added Item To Cart
• Purchased
• Scheduled Recurring List
• Subscribed To List
• Unsubscribed From List
• Unsubscribed From Message Type
• Unsubscribed From Channel
• User Profile Field Updated
• Triggered Custom Event
• Opened An Email
• Clicked An Email
• Received An SMS
• Opened Push
• Clicked An In App

For more information, read Workflow Triggers.

# Workflow actions

There are various actions that can be performed against a user in a workflow. To apply an action, drag it from the left tray to the desired position in the workflow and link it to any nodes that you want to precede or follow. Actions are represented by light grey nodes once dropped into the workflow.

There are many types of potential actions, which allow you to do the following:

• Send an email, in-app, push, or SMS message
• Add or remove a user from a list
• Update a field on the user profile
• Modify a user's channel or message type subscriptions
• Call a webhook
• Delay for a set amount of time
• Trigger another workflow

For more information, read Workflow Actions.

# Workflow filters

Filters allow you to select which users will move on to the next step in a workflow. To apply a filter, drag a filter node from the left tray to the desired location in the workflow. Filters are represented by purple nodes in the workflow.

As you'll notice above, there are three filter node types:

• Fields Match
• AB Split
• Field Split

For more information, read read Workflow Filters.

# Advanced options and testing

When viewing a workflow, you will find two options under  Advanced Options:

# Limit Simultaneous Entrances Per User

This option prevents users from existing multiple times simultaneously in a workflow. This is useful for shopping cart abandonment workflows, as you do not want to send an email to a user for every item they leave behind in their carts. Generally, you will want to turn this on for marketing/promotional workflows. You will leave this off for transactional/password reset-related workflows.

# Limit Lifetime Entrances Per User

Use this option to prevent users from entering a workflow multiple times over time. This is useful for welcome series and other workflows that a user should only ever pass through once.

# Testing your workflow

To learn about testing and troubleshooting workflows, read:

• Testing a Workflow
• Troubleshooting Workflows

# Activating your workflow

To activate your workflow, switch the toggle in the top-left from Disabled to Enabled.

# Cloning workflow nodes

To create a copy of an existing workflow node, select it and then click Clone Selected in the top-right action bar.

To clone multiple nodes and their connections, toggle Select On and then click and drag over the nodes that you would like to clone. Then click Clone Selected (as shown below). Hold down the <shift> key to select multiple nodes and connections.

# Updating workflow email templates

To edit or switch a template in a workflow campaign, double-click the action node for the campaign. Then click Back to Select Template.

When you change the template, the campaign name will remain the same.

# Workflow analytics

There are various types of metrics associated with workflows: basic workflow metrics, workflow analytics, and workflow campaign metrics. To learn more about these metrics, read Workflow Analytics.