Mastering Dynamic Conversations with Looping Flows

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Understanding Looping Flows
   • 2.1 What are Looping Flows?
   • 2.2 How Looping Flows Work
3. Implementing Looping Flows in Flow AI
   • 3.1 Creating a Flow for Contact Information
   • 3.2 Handling Names and Emails
     • 3.2.1 Saving User's Name
     • 3.2.2 Validating User's Email
   • 3.3 Displaying Saved Values
   • 3.4 Adding Quick Replies
   • 3.5 Handling Unknown Triggers
4. Looping Back in the Flow
   • 4.1 Resetting Parameters
   • 4.2 Looping Back to Start
   • 4.3 Looping Back to Specific Points
5. testing and Conclusion

🔄 Understanding Looping Flows

2.1 What are Looping Flows?

Looping flows refer to the concept of going back to a previous part of the flow or even back to the start of the flow itself. It allows developers to create dynamic conversation flows in chatbots and virtual assistants. By incorporating looping flows, users can revisit certain steps or correct errors before proceeding.

2.2 How Looping Flows Work

In looping flows, users are guided through a series of questions or prompts to Gather information. These prompts can include asking for the user's name, email address, or any other Relevant details. The flow is designed to handle different user responses and validate inputs when necessary. Looping back in the flow allows users to fix errors or revise their answers before continuing.

🔄 Implementing Looping Flows in Flow AI

3.1 Creating a Flow for Contact Information

To illustrate how looping flows work, let's create a new flow specifically for asking contact information from the user. This flow will include gathering the user's name and email address.

3.2 Handling Names and Emails

3.2.1 Saving User's Name

When asking for someone's name, we can save the given answer using the "Any Text" trigger. This trigger allows us to accept any text input without validation. In this case, we will name the trigger "user.name".

3.2.2 Validating User's Email

For emails, it's important to validate the input to ensure that the provided email address is valid. To achieve this, we can use the "Should Be" trigger with the type set to "Email Address". This trigger ensures that the input matches the format of a valid email address. If the input is invalid, the flow will proceed to the "Unknown" trigger.

3.3 Displaying Saved Values

After gathering all the required information, we can display the values that we have saved. This allows the user to review the entered information and check for any mistakes. We can utilize the saved values of the parameters in our text reply by using double curly brackets.

3.4 Adding Quick Replies

To make it easier for users to respond, we can add quick replies to our chatbot. Quick replies provide predefined response options that the user can select. In our project, we can simply drag the relevant quick replies from the intent library.

3.5 Handling Unknown Triggers

To handle situations where the user's response doesn't match the predefined intents, it's essential to add an "Unknown" trigger. Without this trigger, unmatched messages would trigger the unknown flow, which may not be desired. By adding the unknown trigger, we can appropriately handle unexpected user input.

🔄 Looping Back in the Flow

4.1 Resetting Parameters

Before looping the flow back to the part where we ask for contact information, it's crucial to reset the parameters. This ensures that the chatbot overwrites the old values with the new values. Without resetting the parameters, both the old and new values may be retained. Although this can sometimes be useful, it's not what we want in this case.

4.2 Looping Back to Start

To loop back to the beginning of the flow, we can use the "In Event Reply" feature. By typing this event reply, we instruct the flow to start again from the initial step. This looping technique allows users to go through the flow multiple times or fix errors without creating unnecessary complexity.

4.3 Looping Back to Specific Points

In some cases, looping back to the start of the flow may not be desirable. Instead, we may want to loop back to a specific point within the flow. To achieve this, we need to add a new event at the desired place and include an event reply to trigger the flow back to that point. Without the event reply, the flow might get stuck, disrupting the intended looping behavior.

🔄 Testing and Conclusion

Now that we have implemented looping flows in Flow AI, it's time to test our creation. By triggering events in the preview and observing the chat, we can ensure that our flow functions as intended. The saved parameter values should be displayed correctly, and the unknown triggers should handle unexpected inputs appropriately. Looping flows provide a powerful tool for creating interactive and dynamic conversations with chatbots and virtual assistants.

🎯 Highlights:

• Looping flows enable going back to previous parts of a conversation flow.
• Flow AI allows for resetting parameters and looping back to specific points.
• Validating user inputs, such as email addresses, is important in looping flows.
• Quick replies enhance user experience and facilitate responses.
• Testing and refining the flow is crucial to ensure desired functionality.

FAQ:

Q: How can looping flows benefit chatbots? A: Looping flows allow users to revisit specific steps, correct errors, and dynamically interact with chatbots.

Q: Can looping flows handle invalid user inputs? A: Yes, looping flows can incorporate triggers to handle unknown or invalid inputs and prompt users for appropriate responses.

Q: Are looping flows only useful for gathering contact information? A: No, looping flows can be used for various purposes, such as multi-step processes or interactive decision-making.

Q: Can looping flows be complex to implement? A: Looping flows can be as simple or complex as needed. Careful planning and testing ensure effective implementation.

Q: What are the benefits of displaying saved parameter values? A: Displaying saved parameter values allows users to review their inputs and ensure accuracy before proceeding.