Start Flow Block

Introduction

This guide will walk you through the Start Flow block in Phonely, detailing how it functions and how you can customize it to enhance your AI receptionist’s performance. The Start Flow block is crucial as it determines when specific workflows are triggered based on customer interactions.

Accessing the Start Flow Block

Navigate to the Start Flow Block:

• Go to the Agent Page: Open the Phonely application   here  .

• Select Workflows Tab: Once on the agent page, click on the “Workflows” tab to access the Start Flow block.

Understanding the Start Flow Block

The Start Flow block allows Phonely to initiate specific workflows when certain conditions are met during a conversation. This ensures that Phonely can seamlessly manage tasks like scheduling appointments without interrupting the natural flow of a conversation.

Key Features and Customizations

1. Conditions for Triggering a Workflow:

• Setting Conditions: You can define specific phrases or intents that will trigger a workflow. For example, if a customer wants to “schedule an appointment,” Phonely can be programmed to recognize this intent through semantic matching, even if the exact phrase isn’t used.

• Example Condition: You might set a condition as “when someone wants to schedule an appointment,” which tells Phonely to trigger the appropriate scheduling flow.

2. Document and Website Access:

• Enabling/Disabling Access: The Start Flow block allows you to control what additional information (like documents or websites) Phonely can access during a workflow.

• Use Case: If you want Phonely to have access to specific documents to answer off-script questions, keep these enabled. Conversely, if you want Phonely to focus solely on the task at hand, you can disable these options.

3. Additional Information and Instructions:

• Tweaking Behavior: If Phonely’s default behavior isn’t performing as desired in a particular flow, you can input additional instructions. These instructions apply to the entire workflow, helping Phonely optimize its performance according to your specific requirements.

• Example Instructions: You can instruct Phonely to address users by their name more often or change the way it responds to certain prompts.

4. Setting a Default Flow:

• Purpose: A default flow is a baseline workflow that runs every time Phonely answers a call. This is useful for tasks like collecting the caller’s name, phone number, and email address before proceeding with other actions.

• Configuration:

• Go to Settings.

• Select Advanced.

• Choose your preferred Default Workflow.

Best Practices

• Enable Document Access: While it’s optional, allowing Phonely to access documents can be beneficial for answering unexpected questions during a call.

• Use Additional Instructions Wisely: Be specific with the additional information you provide to ensure Phonely’s behavior aligns with your expectations.

• Set a Default Flow: If your operations require certain information at the start of every call, setting a default flow ensures consistency and efficiency.

Conclusion

The Start Flow block is a powerful tool for customizing how Phonely interacts with your customers. By understanding and utilizing the features outlined in this guide, you can fine-tune your AI receptionist to better meet the needs of your business.

Stay tuned for additional tutorials on other blocks to further enhance your Phonely setup.