Workflow Automations are designed to make the job of an agent easier by automating processes such as sending a followup text, transcribing certain calls, or automatically forwarding transcriptions to Slack. The type of step ensuring these actions are performed is called an Action (not to be confused with an Object Action selected within Trigger).
Setting Up an Action
In Workflow Automation, an Action step is where a specific task is carried out automatically. Once the conditions before this step are met, the action is triggered. It's where the system performs actions based on your configuration.
A Workflow automation Action step can be added to the workflow at any point after the Trigger. All you need to do, is to select + Add action option, when setting up a new step within the workflow.
Cloudtalk currently provides four types of actions:
Speech to Text (only visible when the Recording trigger is used)
Each automation workflow needs at least one action to work as expected. You can add multiple actions within the same workflow to make your automation even more efficient.
API Request
This Action type is good for tech-savvy users looking for more creative freedom in designing automations. An API (Application Programming Interface) allows different web applications to communicate. At this time, requests can be made either to the CloudTalk REST API or other, external systems which use:
Authentication schemes requiring static, immutable headers (e.g., Basic or Bearer authentication schemes)
Systems with URL / JSON body authentication.
CloudTalk's API is one example of the latter type. Each API Action consists of the following components:
"Name" | Definition | Example Value |
Endpoint | URL of the respective API endpoint |
|
Method | Defines the action of the API request | Accepted: |
Headers | Metadata, often necessary for authentication and other purposes | Key: |
Values | Define the body of the request in the form of a JSON object | Key: Value: Format: |
Use the Values section of the API request builder to define the body of a request. Each entry in the Values section will contain a Key, Value, and Format.
In this instance, Key is the property name in the API request. For example:
contactName
Value can be static. It might be something like:
Johnny Snow
This value could also be a dynamic property which sends the value input based on the data taken from your chosen Trigger. To achieve a dynamic value, choose from one of the blue phrases in the Useful data for your Workflow sidebar. As shown below, you should see the Value box populate with something like:
{{event.properties.contacts[0].name}}
This example would pull the name value from the contact associated with your Trigger.
Format value describes a data type, such that the target system (API) can correctly interpret any enclosed data. CloudTalk supports the following formats:
Number - whole (integers) or decimals (floats with a dot decimal separator)
String - sequence of alphanumeric characters
Boolean - evaluates to True or False (any undefined form defaults as False)
Auto - type is detected automatically
SMS
The SMS Action step ensures that an SMS is sent to the specified number as part of the automation. In the background, the system sends an API request with the configured details to the CloudTalk Send SMS API endpoint, triggering the SMS sendout without requiring agent involvement.
To configure the SMS Action, you need to set the following attributes:
Recipient - phone number in international format SMS should be sent to
Sender - SMS capable phone number in international format SMS should be sent from
Text - content of the message that should be sent
API Key and API Secret - API credentials retrieved from Cloudtalk Dashboard by admin
Since this action involves a request to the CloudTalk API, standard rate limits apply. For more details, refer to our API Documentation.
Common Issues
Numbers in the Recipient and Sender fields must be in international format.
The number used as the Sender must be SMS-capable.
API credentials must be entered without additional spaces.
Ensure there is sufficient account credit, as SMS automation incurs additional costs.
Send a Notification to Slack
This Action type is commonly used for internal notifications, allowing important information to be forwarded to a company Slack channel. To use this option, ensure you have a connection to the appropriate Slack workspace and channel. Additionally, verify that the token scopes for the workspace and channel include chat:write permissions.
To configure the Send a Notification to Slack action, following attributes need to be defined:
Token: An authentication token generated via Slack's interface.
Channel: The Slack channel where messages will be posted.
Text: The message content.
Icon_emoji: An emoji icon to represent the message.
Icon_url: A URL for a custom icon to represent the message.
Use_markdown: When set to True, the text is displayed as formatted text.
As with API requests, each parameter's value can be set as a static entry or a dynamic value. To use a dynamic value, click into the Value box and then select one of the blue phrases in the Useful Data for your Workflow sidebar.
The resulting Slack notification might look something like this:
Speech to Text Transcription
This Action type is commonly used to transcribe conversations recorded during a call into written text. Keep in mind that this Action is only available when the Recording Uploaded Trigger is selected.
To configure Speech to Text action, following attributes need to be defined:
Language
Enhanced Transcription
Model
Read more about Speech-to-Text Transcription to gain a deeper understanding of how this functionality works, its features, and associated costs.
If you have any further questions, please reach out to our Support team, we are always happy to help!