Learn how to create your Conversation Flow. This process can be completed by Enterprise Content Managers and Enterprise Admin Users however Enterprise Content Managers can not turn on or off Conversation Flows. Click here to learn more types.

Creating a New Conversation Flow

1. From the Navigation Bar, select Automations > Conversation Flows.
2. Click Create New in the upper-right corner of the page
3. Fill in the Setup menu by following the steps below:
   
   1. Conversation Flow Name: Enter the display name for the Conversation Flow as it will appear on the Conversations page.
   2. Description: Include a description of the intended use case and any relevant details you want to appear on the List page.
   3. Smart Phrase: Create a custom Smart Phrase (without spaces) that will be used to trigger the Conversation Flow. 
      1. For Conversation Flows that include Event-based Smart Phrases, you must include "Event" at the beginning of the Smart Phrase.
   4. How will these messages be sent: Determine whether you would like to create an SMS or voice Conversation Flow.
   5. Response Timeout: Set how long the Conversation Flow stays open to patient responses before the session ends. The maximum is 43,200 minutes (30 days). This value applies to each message sent, not to the Conversation Flow as a whole. Although a timeout value must be specified to save the Conversation Flow, this setting will not impact IVR Conversation Flows. NOTE: If a user interrupts the Conversation Flow and sends a separate message to the patient, the session ends regardless of the Response Timeout set. 
   6. Channel Notifications: A Channel Notification must be selected for each Conversation Flow. 

      1. Silent (default): All Conversation Flow messages to the patient and patient responses will display in the Patient Channel, however, responses from patients will not set the Patient Channel status to Open if is originally closed. NOTE: An Action to Open the Patient Channel, configured for a Patient Response, will override this setting.

      2. Alert: All Conversation Flow messages to the patient will display in the Patient Channel and the Patient Channel will Open as new responses from patients are received. 
         NOTE: An Action to Close the Patient Channel, configured for a Patient Response, will override this setting.

      3. Hide Messages in Inbox: All Conversation Flow messages, except Internal Mentions and associated Event Messages, are hidden from the Patient Channel and users will not be able to view the Conversation Flow messages to patients nor any patient responses. This is beneficial if a Conversation Flow incorporates a survey for which Artera users should not view patient responses for. 
         NOTE: We do not recommend selecting this option if a Conversation Flow includes a Mention Action. If this option is selected, the Mention will be added to the Patient's Channel but users would be missing the context from the Conversation Flow. If you wish to use this option and include a Mention Action in the Conversation Flow (for example, mention a user if a patient provides a 1 out of 10 survey response), ensure that the Internal Mention includes full context so users are aware of what is needed. 

4.  Select Start once all setup items are entered.

Add Root Message and Patient Responses

Once you have completed the Conversation Flow's configuration, you will be routed to the Builder view to begin building your messages. NOTE: You can update the Conversation Flow's settings at any time by navigating back to the Settings tab.

Process Steps

1. Indicate the languages you would like to include in the Conversation Flow by navigating to the Languages menu. English and Spanish are currently supported. 
2. Create your first message by selecting the + within the Add Message box.
   
3. Once on the Create Message window, you will be presented with the following fields to complete. Once completed, select update to create the outgoing message to the patient. 
   
   1. Internal Title: An internal-facing label associated with the Conversation Flow to provide easier search and identification.
   2. Message Content: This is the first message (Root Message) the patient will receive. Be sure to include the ask of the patient and expected responses. Select the Smart Phrases icon {} to choose the Smart Phrases you want to include in the message. If you are including a Spanish translation, insert the Spanish message within the Spanish field.
      • NOTE: Event Smart Phrases like {eventDate} populate only when the Conversation being sent has an appointment attached to it. A Conversation Flow that starts without an appointment sends the Smart Phrase as literal text, including the curly brackets {}, even though it displays in green when drafting the Conversation Flow's message. Green confirms that AHFE recognizes the Smart Phrase, not that data will be available to fill it.
   3. Next, you will populate the Patient Responses based on the message. You will need to define one or more Patient Responses within your outbound message. These create the parameters for the patient's reply and allow you to define the proper branch of the Conversation Flow the patient should receive next. Select Add Response. 
      • Patient Input - Use the drop-down menu to select the response value. The following response options are available for selection:
        1. 0-10: In situations where the patient has more than two options, we recommend using numbers for the Patient Response options.
        2. True, False
        3. Yes, No: In situations where the patient only has two response options, we often recommend choosing the Yes and No response options. 
        4. Low, Medium, High
        5. Small, Large
        6. Unrecognized Response 
      • Internal Description - Enter the associated message you want to appear in the Patient Channel for your staff to review. These messages will help give context to staff when they are reviewing the Conversation Flow history.
4. Once updated, the Conversation Flow ill reflect your initial outgoing message and possible branches based on a patient's response.
   
5. Continue to build out the Conversation Flow by adding messages and Patient Responses. To add another message on a branch, navigate to the gray Add Message box within the appropriate branch and select the "+" to add the next message within the Conversation Flow.  
   • To edit or delete a previous message or Patient Response, select the message or Patient Response within the diagram. An Edit Message window will display where modifications can be made and updated. The message or Patient Response(s) can also be deleted from this window. 
     
6. Once all information has been entered and validated and you are satisfied with the Conversation Flow, select Create in the upper-right corner to create the Conversation Flow.
   

Add Actions and Follow-up Messages

Process Steps
You can continue building out the Conversation Flow by adding messages and Standard Actions or Conditional Actions to each of these Patient Responses. Actions allow you to trigger additional workflows such as confirming appointments, creating Internal Mentions, or closing a Patient's Channel. 

Standard Actions and Conditional Actions can be added to individual Patient Responses to automate the appropriate next step that should be taken based on a patient's response. Each Patient Response can have up to 9 related actions. Click here to learn about the available system-defined Actions. 

1. To add an Action to a Patient Response, hover over the Patient Response you wish to add an action for and select the + Action button that appears.
   
2. Select Add Action or Add Conditional Action to choose the appropriate action from the drop-down menu. The function of each Action is defined here.

Ending a Patient Response on an Action

A Patient Response can end on an Action. You do not need to add a follow-up message after the final Action.

When a Patient Response ends on an Action, the Action runs, the Conversation Flow completes, and no message is sent to the patient. Use this when the response only requires back-end work, such as updating an Appointment Status or closing a Patient Channel, and the patient does not need a reply.

Any Standard Action or Conditional Action can be the final step in a Patient Response. Ending a Patient Response on Transfer to Live Agent is recommended, because the caller is already speaking with a live agent and a follow-up message would not reach them. Click here to learn about the available Actions.

To end a Patient Response on an Action:

1. Add your Action to the Patient Response.
2. Leave the follow-up message empty.
3. Save the Conversation Flow.

NOTE: A Patient Response that ends on an Action completes without any indicator in the builder. When you review a Conversation Flow later, you cannot tell whether a Patient Response was intentionally built to end without a message or whether a message is missing. Use the Internal Description field on the Patient Response to record that ending without a message is intended.

Set Conversation Flow to On

Similar to Triggers, you will need to update the status of your newly created Conversation Flow from Off to On.

1. Locate the Conversation Flow in the Conversations Flows page. Use the (...) Actions menu to select Turn On.
2. Your Conversation Flow Status will update from Off to On.
3. Finally, enable your Conversation Flow by following these instructions to insert your Conversation Flow's Smart Phrase into one of the patient outreach options.

Conversation Flow List Page

Once a Conversation Flow is successfully created, it will display within the Conversation Flows page. The Conversation Flows are ordered first by status (On, Off) and then by name (A-Z). All columns on this page can be alphabetically sorted by hovering over the column's name and selecting the arrow.

Search for Conversation Flows by Name, a Conversation Flow's Smart Phrase, or Type. Filtering by Type is only relevant for Conversation Flows that were initially copied from the Template Library. 

• Name: Name of the Conversation Flow
• Description: Internal-facing description provided for the Conversation Flow
• Smart Phrase: The custom Smart Phrase created for and associated with the Conversation Flow
• Status: Current status of the Conversation Flow (On, Off)
• Method: This will display an icon that indicates whether the Conversation Flow is IVR or Text-based. NOTE: AFHE Conversation Flows only support IVR.
• Type: If a Conversation Flow was copied from the Template Library, the Type field will display with the Type of Conversation Flow. AHFE organizes Templates by Type. 
• Last Updated: The last updated date and time of the Conversation Flow.
• Actions:
  • Turn On/Off - All Conversation Flows will be created in an off status. You must update the status of the newly created Conversation Flow from Off to On. Similarly, a Conversation Flow that is turned on can easily be paused.
  • Duplicate Conversation Flow - This will take the contents and settings of the current Conversation Flow and create a new Conversation Flow containing the same content and settings.
  • Delete Conversation Flow -  This will delete the Conversation Flow from your Conversation Flows engine. NOTE: The Conversation Flow must be in an off status in order for Enterprise Admin Users to delete it. 
  • View Running Triggers - Displays the Triggers in which this Conversation Flow is currently being used. 
  • View Quick Responses - Displays the Quick Responses in which this Conversation Flow is currently being used.

Duplicating a Conversation Flow

When choosing to duplicate a Conversation Flow, all previously configured settings and contents of the original Conversation Flow will be replicated automatically. Both "on" and "off" Conversation Flows can be duplicated and will be duplicated with an "off" status. Once a Conversation Flow is duplicated, the new Conversation Flow will be updated with:

• A new name. Duplicated Conversation Flows will display as “Copy of <name of original Conversation Flow>” until manually updated.

• The original Smart Phrase used to trigger the Conversation Flow will be prefixed with “Copy of”. For example, “Copy of <original Smart Phrase>”. This can be updated in the settings of the duplicated Conversation Flow. 

How to Duplicate a Conversation Flow

1. Navigate to the Conversation Flow's Actions menu (...) that you would like to duplicate.
   
2. Select Duplicate Conversation Flow.
3. Once a Conversation Flow has been successfully duplicated, a success message will appear.

Editing or Deleting a Conversation Flow

Edit a Conversation Flow

To edit a Conversation Flow, navigate to the Conversation Flows list page and select the name of the Conversation Flow you wish to edit. All fields within the Conversation Flow are editable. 

Delete a Conversation Flow

To delete a Conversation Flow, navigate to the Conversation Flow's (...) Actions menu and select Delete Conversation Flow. 

Keep the following limitations in mind when deleting a Conversation Flow: 

• Conversation Flows cannot be deleted if the Conversation Flow's Smart Phrase is used in a running Trigger or in an active Quick Response. Any Trigger where a Conversation Flow's Smart Phrase is in use must be paused and any Quick Response where the Conversation Flow's Smart Phrase is in use must be deleted first.
• A Conversation Flow that is "on" cannot be deleted.
• A deleted Conversation Flow will not be visible in the Conversation Flows list page, however, its historical data will be retained with AHFE. Contact your Customer Success Representative for additional details.