How do I make changes or modify my flow that is already in production or published?
Have your products changed? Do you want to correct a text? With these simple steps, do it yourself!
Editing a bot's conversational flow allows you to quickly adapt to changes in product or service catalogs. For example, if a new product is introduced or an existing one is updated, users with the Atom administrator role can easily modify the bot's dialogues to include updated information. This ensures that users receive the most relevant and accurate information, which improves the user experience and increases the chances of conversion.
Therefore, below and in simple steps, we tell you how to change text or images in your bot:
Access the Configuration: Go to the side menu of the platform where you manage your bot. Look for the option Configurations -> Platform -> Bots.
Select the Bot: Within the Bots section, you will find a list of available bots. Locate the bot that contains the conversational flow you want to modify and click on it.
Edit the Flow: Click on the three-dot icon next to the bot's name and choose the "Edit Flow" option.
Modify the Message: As an example, we want to add more promotions to our catalog. To do this, we locate the piece of the conversational flow that corresponds to the message we want to modify and click on that piece. A sidebar will appear with options and the option to access the text of the message is enabled.
Add the Desired Promotion: Within the message piece, you will find the text corresponding to the current message. This is where we add the new promotion to be included in the catalog. We will simply click on the message content box to add the Thursday promotion.
Save the Changes: Once you have made the necessary changes, be sure to save them. Look for the option to save or apply the changes and click on it. This will update the bot's conversational flow with the new promotion added.
Add or modify an image to a message
Continuing with the previous steps, from the Message piece, we will follow the following steps:
Locate the image upload option within the Message piece: Within the message piece, look for the option to upload an image. This may be indicated by a specific icon or a descriptive name. Click on this component to access its configuration.
Upload the Desired Image:
Once inside the image component, you will have the option to upload a new image from your device or from a URL. Be sure to follow the image limitations and formats described in the Flow Components article, including the specifications for each social network where the bot is deployed.
Save the Changes:
After uploading the desired image and making sure it meets all the required specifications and limitations, save the changes made to the component's configuration. This will update the bot's conversational flow with the new image included.
🛑 Considerations when updating flows in production
Modifying a conversational flow in a bot in production can have consequences if there are active users interacting with it. To avoid errors or inconsistencies, keep the following in mind:
⚠️ What can happen if you publish a flow with active users?
Errors in agent assignment: if a piece linked to the assignment is modified or deleted, the client may be left unattended.
Errors in agent assignment: if a piece linked to the assignment is modified or deleted, the client may be left unattended.
Unexpected conversation cuts: if the flow changes while the user is interacting, they may receive an error message or be left in an unresponsive state.
Unexpected conversation cuts: if the flow changes while the user is interacting, they may receive an error message or be left in an unresponsive state.
Unexpected behavior: some nodes may stop running correctly if pieces were removed in the middle of an interaction.
Unexpected behavior: some nodes may stop running correctly if pieces were removed in the middle of an interaction.
💡 Impact of modifications on active flows and their effect on information fields
When updating flows, the information fields saved by the bot can also be affected. Here are some key points:
What happens to existing fields? If a "Save field" component is deleted or modified, conversations that have already used it may retain the previous value, but new ones could leave it empty or duplicate it if the flow was not adjusted correctly.
What happens to existing fields? If a "Save field" component is deleted or modified, conversations that have already used it may retain the previous value, but new ones could leave it empty or duplicate it if the flow was not adjusted correctly.
How to validate if a change is already applied to new conversations? Simulate new conversations from scratch (without previous history) and verify if the values are saved as expected in the history or logs.
How to validate if a change is already applied to new conversations? Simulate new conversations from scratch (without previous history) and verify if the values are saved as expected in the history or logs.
Recommendations for standardizing collected information: Use validations within the "Save field" component to avoid saving empty or incorrect values. Verify if the field is also being filled in secondary or automatic routes (for example, retries or error responses). Check that there are no multiple points in the flow saving the same field with different logic.
Recommendations for standardizing collected information:
Use validations within the "Save field" component to avoid saving empty or incorrect values.
Use validations within the "Save field" component to avoid saving empty or incorrect values.
Verify if the field is also being filled in secondary or automatic routes (for example, retries or error responses).
Verify if the field is also being filled in secondary or automatic routes (for example, retries or error responses).
Check that there are no multiple points in the flow saving the same field with different logic.
Check that there are no multiple points in the flow saving the same field with different logic.
Best practices for post-change review: Simulate complete conversations to validate how and when the information is updated. Compare records before and after publication to detect unexpected changes in the saved values.
Best practices for post-change review:
Simulate complete conversations to validate how and when the information is updated.
Simulate complete conversations to validate how and when the information is updated.
Compare records before and after publication to detect unexpected changes in the saved values.
Compare records before and after publication to detect unexpected changes in the saved values.
✅ General recommendations:
Avoid making changes during peak hours or with active users in the bot.
Avoid making changes during peak hours or with active users in the bot.
Always include an error message, so that in case of failure the user receives a useful response.
Always include an error message, so that in case of failure the user receives a useful response.
Document any recent bot publications to facilitate analysis if an incident occurs.
Document any recent bot publications to facilitate analysis if an incident occurs.
Validate every change in a test environment before going to production, especially if it includes sensitive fields or critical routes.
Validate every change in a test environment before going to production, especially if it includes sensitive fields or critical routes.
✅ Recommended verifications when duplicating flows
When duplicating an existing flow or making a deep edit, it is essential to check that the conversational logic has been replicated correctly and that there are no inherited elements that could break the operation.
🔍 Checklist for conversational structure control:
Check the buttons in the messages: make sure that the visible buttons correspond to active evaluators in the next piece. Often, when editing a flow, the options are updated but the old buttons are not removed.
Check the buttons in the messages: make sure that the visible buttons correspond to active evaluators in the next piece. Often, when editing a flow, the options are updated but the old buttons are not removed.
Verify the response evaluators: confirm that each button evaluator has the exact same label as the text of the button displayed to the user. A minimal difference can break the route.
Verify the response evaluators: confirm that each button evaluator has the exact same label as the text of the button displayed to the user. A minimal difference can break the route.
Delete old unused buttons: if you change an option or flow, it is important to delete the previous button, not just edit it. This avoids invisible errors that do not redirect correctly.
Delete old unused buttons: if you change an option or flow, it is important to delete the previous button, not just edit it. This avoids invisible errors that do not redirect correctly.
Prior validation in a test environment: before publishing, use internal campaigns such as "Test I" to verify routes, evaluators, assignments, and fields saved in real conditions.
Prior validation in a test environment: before publishing, use internal campaigns such as "Test I" to verify routes, evaluators, assignments, and fields saved in real conditions.
🧩 Review of critical fields and inherited configurations
In addition to validating the logic of the flow, keep in mind that the data entered manually in the components is duplicated as is, so it is essential to review:
Custom URLs: when duplicating a flow, the external URLs configured previously (for example, in buttons or calls to APIs) are also copied. Make sure they are still valid for the new use case.
Custom URLs: when duplicating a flow, the external URLs configured previously (for example, in buttons or calls to APIs) are also copied. Make sure they are still valid for the new use case.
Unique identifiers: review fields such as template IDs, references to external systems, or specific conditions that may have become outdated.
Unique identifiers: review fields such as template IDs, references to external systems, or specific conditions that may have become outdated.
Real example: if a URL like https://empresa.com/contacto?cliente=123 is not modified after duplicating, it could lead to erroneous data or even security breaches if the flow is reused for another client.
Real example: if a URL like https://empresa.com/contacto?cliente=123 is not modified after duplicating, it could lead to erroneous data or even security breaches if the flow is reused for another client.
✅ Best practices
Use "comment" components to mark points that require review before publishing.
Use "comment" components to mark points that require review before publishing.
Document critical values reused within the team to avoid inconsistencies.
Document critical values reused within the team to avoid inconsistencies.
Apply a complete test of the duplicated flow with real scenarios before putting it into production.
Apply a complete test of the duplicated flow with real scenarios before putting it into production.