Inbound email flows overview

Administrators and contact center managers can use advanced routing capabilities in Architect for email messages. This method routes and delivers incoming email messages to the right queue based on a better understanding of the customer and intent.

To set up email messaging, create an inbound email flow in Architect and then select the flow in PureCloud > Admin > Contact Center > Queues. Set the configuration to direct incoming email messages to route through the flow to a specified queue. Depending on your design, you can configure an inbound email flow to route email messages to a specific queue based on who sent the message.

Unlike call flows, inbound email messages do not have failure or success paths. In the event of an error, you can configure an action’s path, for example, adding a Disconnect action or transferring to a specific queue. Inbound email flows do not include language settings, in-queue handling, or audio controls such as DTMF or text-to-speech.

To familiarize yourself with inbound message flows, review the following pages:

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Inbound email flow configuration and setup

Page	Description
About routing	Use routing features to create schedules, configure call and message routing, plan for emergencies, and store data locally in data tables for use in Architect.
ACD email routing overview	PureCloud routes incoming email messages through ACD just like it routes calls and emails, using the same routing and evaluation methods and considering skills, language, priority, and agent utilization.
Add an inbound email flow	Create and configure an inbound email flow in Architect.
Manage data resources in the flow	In addition to editing variables and viewing usage, you can add and filter variables for inbound message flows.
Set default event handling behavior	Determines how Architect behaves in the event of an error in the inbound message flow.
Expression help feature	Learn how to access the built-in expression resource to assist when creating inbound message task expressions.
Work with expressions	Use expressions to create sophisticated and complex flow calculations by selecting variables and operators.
Architect built-in variables	See the list of Architect read-only, built-in variables for inbound message flows.
Manage a variable	Edit a variable’s values.
Work in the Edit Message Body dialog box	Create complex expressions that route to the message recipient.
Set up a message sequence with the String Builder	Create a more complex ordered sequence of message elements that route to a message recipient. Use any combination of data, expressions, prompts, and text elements.
Manage a message sequence	Manage an ordered sequence of message elements that the system plays back to the caller. Arrange the order of elements, add or delete elements, and edit an element’s configuration.
Enable an alternate message sequence language	Configure and order the message sequence for other configured languages.
Disable an alternate message sequence	Reset the message sequence to the default language, or cancel an alternate message sequence.
About Architect	Find more information on flows, including configuring default settings; managing flows; dependency searches; flow design resources; and tips, best practices, and troubleshooting.
Architect permissions overview	Review Architect permissions, which are based on flow design tasks or job functions. An administrator from the PureCloud organization must assign the appropriate permissions to an Architect user.

Inbound email flow actions and tasks

Icon	Category	Action	Description
	Data	Call Data Action	Retrieve information about a customer from default or custom data actions integration in PureCloud.
		Data Table Lookup	Retrieve data stored in a PureCloud data table.
		Get Response	Use with the Send Auto Reply action to send an automated reply to a customer
		Get Participant Data	Set up an attribute to retrieve from a call participant.
		Set Participant Data	Set an attribute value on a call participant.
		Update Data	Assign values to flow or task level variables.
	Disconnect	Disconnect	Provide callers with a graceful way to exit a menu system by disconnects the call immediately
	Send Auto Reply	Send Auto Reply	Send an email reply to a customer based on the inbound email interaction’s attributes.
	External Contacts	Get External Contact	Retrieve information about an existing external contact.
		Get External Organization	Use the Get External Organization action to find a specific organization, or with the Get External Contact action to find a specific person.
		Search External Contacts	Find one or more external contacts based on your search terms.
	Find	Find Queue	Find a queue based on its string name at IVR runtime. Use this action to source data from a data action or data lookup tables.
		Find System Prompt	Look up Architect system prompts by name and determine which prompts to play dynamically at runtime.
		Find User Prompt	Look up Architect user prompts by name and determine which prompts to play dynamically at runtime.
		Find User	Search for a PureCloud user based on an email address at IVR runtime.
		Find User by ID	Reference a user dynamically and find that user based on a string name at IVR runtime.
		Find Users by ID	Reference PureCloud users dynamically and find them based on a string at IVR runtime.
	Flow	Set Language	Allow callers to select the desired language in which to hear or view prompts.
		Set Screen Pop	Select a predefined script and, if required, configure the input variables that store the selection made by the user at runtime.
	Logical	Decision	Direct the process branch, depending on whether or not a condition is true.
		Switch	This action is similar to a Decision action, and is easy to set up when multiple cases must be evaluated. Configure a switch action to specify what has to be done by Architect, when, and under which circumstances.
		Evaluate Schedule	Use this action with the Evaluate Schedule Group action to make routing decisions based on previously defined schedules and schedule groups.
		Evaluate Schedule Group	Use this action with the Evaluate Schedule action to make routing decisions based on previously defined schedules and schedule groups.
	Loop	Loop	Direct your to process repeat a series of actions before it goes on to the next action in your design.
		Next Loop	Use the Next Loop action when, during the loop iteration, the flow encounters a false outcome and you want it to continue to the next iteration.>
		Exit Loop	Use the Exit Loop action inside of a Loop action to terminate the current loop iteration, leave the loop action, and continue the flow execution by moving to the following action.
	Change State	Change State	Jump the process directly to the beginning of a different state without any intervening steps.
	Call Task	Call Task	Use this action to call another task. When the called task completes, the configured output path determines how flow execution continues.
	Transfer	Transfer to ACD	Use the Transfer to ACD action to transfer a caller into a queuing system.
	Wait	Wait	Pause the email process for a duration or until a time that you specify.