Workflows

Understanding Workflow Objects

SlickText’s Workflows tool allows you to create custom sequences that send text messages, collect information, update contact records, change inbox statuses, and much more. To learn more about the basics of creating Workflows, click here.

This article provides a comprehensive overview of the four object types: Triggers, Actions, Conditions, and Waits. By configuring and connecting objects, you can create automated journeys for your contacts that allow you to put your text messaging, data collection, and inbox management on autopilot.

The four object types:

Term	Definition
Trigger Object	Triggers insert contacts into your workflows. A workflow can’t function without at least one trigger.
Action Object	Actions perform various tasks as contacts move through your workflow.
Condition Object	Conditions are used to check statuses before proceeding. These objects execute immediately. Most Conditions have a Yes/No outcome, although some condition objects have more.
Wait Object	Wait objects pause the contact’s journey through the workflow until a condition is met or a period of time elapses.

In this article:

Trigger Objects Defined

Action Objects Defined

Condition Objects Defined

Wait Objects Defined

Trigger Objects Defined

Trigger objects insert contacts into workflows when the contact meets the criteria you define in the object settings. There are many ways to trigger a workflow; for example: when a contact is created, when data in a contact field changes, at a specific date and time, or when a message is received from the contact.

Note:

You can use multiple triggers or multiple instances of the same trigger with different configurations to insert contacts into the workflow at different points.

Term	Definition
Contact Created	Inserts contacts into the workflow when a contact is created. You can select one or more creation sources (how the contact was created) to define which contacts get inserted. Creation Sources: Import (CSV upload) Manual Creation (Created from the contacts page) Keyword (Text to join) Inbox (Created when someone who is not a contact sends you a message) Website Popup (Created when someone subscribes from a SlickText website popup.) API (Created via API)
Contact Field Changed	Inserts contacts into the workflow when the value of a specific field for a contact changes. You will select the field, condition, and value. For example, if you set the state field to State Is Tennessee, the contact will be inserted in the workflow when the state field changes to Tennessee.
Link Clicked	Inserts a contact into the workflow when they click a link that was shortened using SlickText’s link shortener. You can choose a specific link from the dropdown or choose any link to trigger the workflow.
Contact Added to List	Inserts contacts into the workflow when they're added to a list. You can choose a specific list from the dropdown or choose Any List to trigger the workflow when the contact is added to any of your lists.
Contact Removed from List	Inserts contacts into the workflow when they're removed from a list. The workflow must be active at the time the contact is removed from the list. You can choose a specific list from the dropdown or choose Any List to trigger the workflow when the contact is removed from any of your lists.
Message Received	Inserts contacts into the workflow when they send a message to your number. In the object settings, you can look for specific data in the message and capture it to a contact field in SlickText.
Inbox Convo Status Changed	Inserts contacts into the workflow when the status of their inbox conversation changes. You can choose one or more specific statuses from the dropdown or Any Status.
Inbox Conversation Tagged	Inserts contacts into the workflow when their inbox conversation is tagged. You can choose a specific tag from the dropdown or choose Any Tag to trigger the workflow when any tag is applied to the contact’s conversation.
Inbox Conversation Untagged	Inserts contacts into the workflow when a tag is removed from their inbox conversation. You can choose a specific tag from the dropdown or choose Any Tag to trigger the workflow when any tag is removed from the contact’s conversation.
Inbox Conversation Assigned	Inserts contacts into the workflow when their inbox conversation is assigned to a teammate. You can choose a specific teammate from the dropdown or choose Anyone to trigger the workflow when the conversation is assigned to anyone on your team.
Inbox Conversation Unassigned	Inserts contacts into the workflow when their inbox conversation has been unassigned to a teammate. There are no additional settings for this object.
Cart Abandoned	Requires an ecommerce integration. Inserts contacts into the workflow when one of their carts is considered abandoned. You can define how long before a cart is considered abandoned by going to ecommerce settings.
Order Status Changed	Requires an ecommerce integration. Inserts contacts into the workflow when one of the status of one of their orders changs.
Contact Birthday	Inserts contacts into the workflow on their birthday at a specific time of the day. All contacts with the same birthday will be inserted into the workflow at the same time each day.
Schedule	Inserts one or more contact audiences into the workflow on a specific date and time. You can choose All Contacts, or any combination of lists and segments from the dropdown.

Note:

Contacts that are part of multiple audiences selected will only be inserted into the workflow once.

Action Objects Defined

Action objects perform automated tasks that progress contacts through a workflow. Use action objects to send messages, update data, delay the next step in the workflow, and much more.

Term	Definition
Send Message	Sends text messages to contacts. The Message Name will display in the workflow canvas and Workflows Analytics, but will not be included in the actual message that is sent. If UTM Parameters is enabled in your account, the Message Name will be the name of the UTM Campaign. All of the same tools are available for the message as when you are creating a campaign.
Update Contact Field	Updates a contact field with a specific value. You will select a contact field and then define the value that will be added to the field.
Delay	Delays the next step in the workflow for a certain amount of time or until a specific date. If you choose For a certain amount of time, each contact will advance to the next step in the workflow after the specified amount of time has elapsed. Enabling a time and weekday window will add an additional delay until the time and weekday window has opened again if the delay ends outside of the time and weekday window. If you choose Until a specific date, all contacts will be delayed until the specified time and date, regardless of when they entered the delay object. This can be easily confused with a Wait object. The key difference is Wait objects pause the workflow for a contact until they take action or a period of time elapses.
Add Contact to List	Adds contacts to one or more specific lists. Choose one or more lists to add the contact to.
Remove Contact from List	Removes contacts from one or more specific lists. Choose one or more lists to remove the contact from.
Split Traffic	Splits workflow traffic into two or more directions sending a specific percentage of contacts down each path. Click + Add Split to add as many as 6 splits. You can choose the percentage of contacts that will be sent down each path, or choose Distribute Evenly to send the same percentage of contacts down each path.
Assign Inbox Conversation	Assigns a contact's inbox conversation to a specific teammate. You will select the teammate to assign the conversation. If there is not an inbox conversation associated with the contact, this action will be skipped and the contact will advance to the next step in the workflow.
Unassign Inbox Conversation	Unassigns a contact's inbox conversation. If there is not an inbox conversation associated with the contact, this action will be skipped and the contact will advance to the next step in the workflow.
Tag Inbox Conversation	Tags a contact's inbox conversation with one or more tags. If there is not an inbox conversation associated with the contact, this action will be skipped and the contact will advance to the next step in the workflow.
Untag Inbox Conversation	Removes one or more tags from a contact's inbox conversation. Choose one or more tags to remove or choose All Tags to remove all tags. If there is not an inbox conversation associated with the contact, this action will be skipped and the contact will advance to the next step in the workflow.
Set Inbox Convo Status	Sets the status of a contact's inbox conversation. You will select the status you want to set on the conversation. If there is not an inbox conversation associated with the contact, this action will be skipped and the contact will advance to the next step in the workflow.
Mark Inbox Conversation	Marks a contact's inbox conversation as read or unread. If there is not an inbox conversation associated with the contact, this action will be skipped and the contact will advance to the next step in the workflow.
Create Inbox Convo Note	Creates a note in a contact's inbox conversation. You must enter a description of the note. This description shows up on the workflow canvas as a reference for you. Neither the description or note will be visible to the contact. These notes will only be visible to you and your team. If there is not an inbox conversation associated with the contact, this action will be skipped and the contact will advance to the next step in the workflow.
Unsubscribe Contact	Unsubscribes the contact from your brand in SlickText. If your account has multiple brands, the contact’s status will not change under the other brands.
Delete Contact	Deletes the contact from your brand in SlickText. If your account has multiple brands, the contact’s status will not change under the other brands.
Eject from Workflow	Ejects the contact from the workflow. Contacts are automatically ejected from the workflow whenever there is no next step for them.This object is primarily used to show you a count in the Live View of what point in the workflow contacts are being ejected and for what reason.
Send HTTP Request	Makes an HTTP request to a URL with specific parameters. URL: Enter the URL of the host server Request Method: Choose GET, PUT, POST, or DELETE Content Type: Choose JSON or URL Encoded Form Data Request Data: Click + Add Data to create the payload of your HTTP Request. The values can either be static values you enter or use merge tags for dynamic values that are specific to the contact. For example, if you want to include the contact’s mobile phone number in the payload, enter the merge tag for the value. To see a list of available merge tags, click the bracket icon anywhere you can send messages in SlickText.
Send Email Notifications	Sends an email notification to one or more specified recipients. Subject: This will be the subject of the email. Recipients: Add at least one or more recipients. Send Replies To: Insert an email address to receive replies to the notification. Message: Write your message. Include emojis and merge tags if desired.
Select Random Contacts	Holds contacts in a delay until a specific date and time at which a certain number of contacts are selected at random to go down one path or another. For example, this object is commonly used to facilitate the selection of winners at the end of a contest
Send Slack Message	Requires a Slack integration. Sends messages to a specified Slack channel. Select the channel and write the message that will be sent to the Slack channel.

Condition Objects Defined

Condition objects ask the question, “Does this condition exist for the contact at this point in time?” Depending upon the answer to the question, the workflow can take different paths. Typically the answer is a simple yes or no, but for some objects, multiple paths can result from the check.

Term	Definition
Contact Field Matches	Checks whether or not a contact field matches a specific value. You will select the specific field and define the condition to check for. The options for Condition and Value are based on the data type of the contact field.
Contact is on a List	Checks whether a contact is on one or more specific lists.
Contact Matches Segment	Checks whether a contact matches a specific segment.
Message Clicked	Checks whether a contact has clicked a link in a specific message. You will define which message to check. The message must be in the same workflow as this object. Make sure there is a link in the message that will be checked.
Link Clicked	Checks whether a contact has clicked a specific link. You will define the link to check. The link must be clicked after the workflow is active.
Check Inbox Convo Assignee	Checks whether a contact's inbox conversation is assigned to one or more specific teammates. Choosing “Any Teammate” will include all teammates in the check. You can select one or more individual teammates from the list.
Check Inbox Convo Tags	Checks whether a contact's inbox conversation has one or more specific tags. You will select one or more tags.
Check Inbox Convo Status	Checks the current status of a contact's inbox conversation. Choosing Any Status will include all statuses, or you can select one or more individual statuses.
Inbox Conversation is Unread	Checks whether the contact’s inbox conversation is currently marked unread. In addition to Yes and No, there is a third outcome called Conversation Doesn’t Exist.
Check Opt-In Status	Checks the contact’s current subscription status. There are 5 possible statuses: Not Subscribed, Pending subscription, Subscribed, Unsubscribed, or Blocked.
Check Cart Status	Requires an ecommerce integration. Checks the current status of a contact's latest cart.
Check Cart Value	Requires an ecommerce integration. Checks the value of a contact’s latest cart.
Check Order Status	Requires an ecommerce integration.Checks the current status of a contact's latest order.
Check Order Value	Requires an ecommerce integration. Checks the value of a contact’s latest order.
Check Average Order Value	Requires an ecommerce integration. Checks a contact’s average order value over a specified timeframe.
Check Order Count	Requires an ecommerce integration. Checks the total number of orders a contact has placed over a specified timeframe.
Has Ever Unsubscribed	Checks whether the contact has ever unsubscribed in the past, regardless of their current status.
Check Message Sentiment	Uses AI to evaluate the sentiment of messages sent to or from a contact. You can check the sentiment of the last message or all messages received since a specified time, then choose whether you want to check the messages sent to or from the contact. The AI will determine one of the following sentiments: Positive, Negative, Neutral, Mixed, or Unknown.
Check Workflow Status	Checks the current status of a contact in a different workflow. Once you select the workflow to check the contact’s status in, you’ll have 3 outcomes available: Not Started, In Progress, Finished.
Check Time	Checks whether the current time is before, between, or after a specific date and time. If you choose to only check the time, you will also be able to specify the days of the week. Days not selected will produce a No outcome regardless of the time of day.
Contact Counter	Tracks how many contacts pass through the object, and then selects one or more contacts based on how many have previously entered. You can tell the object to select contacts based on whether the previous number of contacts who entered the object is exactly, less than, or greater than a specific number. You can define whether the contact count is between 2 specific numbers. You can also tell the object to select contacts at specific intervals; for example, one out of every 10 contacts get selected, with or without a limit.

Wait Objects Defined

Wait objects pause contacts as they progress through the workflow for a period of time or until a condition is met. Depending upon whether the condition is met, the workflow can travel one of two different paths:

Yes —This means the condition you defined was met before time ran out.
No —This means time ran out and the condition was not met.

Term	Definition
Contact Field Changed	Holds contacts for a certain amount of time while waiting for a specific field to meet a condition or change to a specific value. You will select the specific field and define the condition to check for.
Message Clicked	Holds contacts for a certain amount of time while waiting for them to click a link in a specific workflow message. You will define which message to check. The message must be in the same workflow as this object.
Link Clicked	Holds contacts for a certain amount of time while waiting for them to click a specific link. You will define the link to check. The contact must click the link within the time period you define for the object.
Message Received	Holds contacts for a certain amount of time while waiting for them to send a message to your number. You can choose whether to have the object look for specific data in the message and have the data stored in SlickText.