Effective use of delays in flows

Controlling communication in automated flows can be crucial. In particular, delays provide you with the opportunity to make the interaction more realistic and human. This guide will show you how to effectively insert delays in a flow to enhance the user experience. Let's dive right in.

Key Insights

• You can integrate delays into a flow to control communication.
• Simple delays make the interaction more natural.
• You can choose between different types of delays, such as "typing" and "waiting".

Step-by-Step Guide

First, you need to create a new flow. This is the foundation for effectively using delays.

Go to your flow area and select the desired folder (in this example, "Sample Flows"). Then, click on "new Flow" to create a new flow. For example, name this flow "Delay Flow Number 1".

After creating the flow, you can start adding actions. Let's walk through an example: imagine a person receives a message asking "Hey, how are you?". For responses, we offer two options: "good" and "not good".

Now, let's configure the subsequent action so that the person's response is initially delayed. Add a delay after sending the first message. Drag the delay to the right position so that it comes after the message you sent.

You have the option to adjust the duration of the delay. While 3 seconds may seem simple, you can also choose 5 or more seconds to make it appear more realistic and ensure the person has time to respond.

Next, let's add feedback for the two responses. Here's the opportunity to add another delay. Go to the "Send Message" section and select another delay to place afterwards. This way, the person will receive the response after a certain amount of time has passed.

Use Smart Delays for time-adjusted feedback. If you want to extend the time between messages, you can do so. For example, set a delay so that a message comes a day after the response.

You can also adjust the duration here. Perhaps you want the response to come 10 seconds after the previous message, to refine the flow and give the user the illusion of a real conversation.

If you're crafting a response that includes an apology for the inconvenience, use the delay again to emphasize this human aspect. It shows that you care about the interaction and value the user.

To review everything, go to the preview. If you see the automated response, you can adjust the times and flow. Test each scenario to ensure everything works as desired.

Repeat the test for both options. This will give you an overview of the user experience. Pay attention to the time delays and how they are perceived.

Remember, you can vary between "typing" and "waiting". If you want the user to see that a response is being formulated, then activate "Show typing". Otherwise, you can simply use "waiting", which makes the response orientation in the flow more neutral.

Christian, that's what you need to know about inserting delays in flows. Use this feature to create realistic and engaging user scenarios.

Summary

In summary, integrating delays in flows is a sophisticated method to optimize interaction in automated chats. By creatively utilizing different delays, you can significantly improve the user experience and make it closer to genuine human interaction.