Workflows are the cornerstone of Connectif, as they shape the various marketing automation strategies. They allow you to automate processes efficiently, from sending emails to real-time hyper-personalization of the user experience to optimize customer interactions.
There are several types of workflows in Connectif, classified based on specific characteristics. Additionally, some of them offer better performance and speed for strategies, so understanding them can help optimize their effectiveness.
The main idea of this article is to provide a better understanding of the different types of workflows, making it much easier to optimize a workflow by aligning it with one of these types.
1. What types of workflows can you find in Connectif, and how do they work?
Connectif determines the type of workflow based on its configuration and nodes. This type influences its behavior, allowing its functionality and performance to be optimized.
The types of workflows are:
- Mass Action.
- Rule.
- Reactive.
- Classic.
In the list above, workflow types are ordered from best to least performance, so when optimizing a workflow, the first thing we should try is to meet the requirements of one of these types to make the workflow much more efficient.
a. Mass Action Workflows
Workflows designed to perform one or more actions on multiple contacts may be classified as Mass Action workflows.
When a workflow is of the Mass Action type, it is optimized to run much faster and will automatically complete once the execution is finished.
a.1. Characteristics of Mass Action Workflows
Workflows are considered Mass Action if they meet the following characteristics.
- There is no trigger, timer, schedule, or abx-testing node in the workflow.
- The Start node configuration is set to "all existing contacts."
b. Rule Workflows
Rule workflows define actions that will be executed whenever an event occurs.
An example of a workflow that fits this type would be "On Page Visit > Show Popup" or "On Cart Abandonment > Send Email."
These workflows listen for events and trigger an action whenever the event occurs.
b.1. Characteristics of Rule Workflows
Workflows are considered Rule workflows if they meet the following characteristics:
- Only trigger nodes are connected to the "Start" node. No other node except a trigger should be connected to the "Start" node.
- No other trigger nodes are directly connected to the Start node.
- No contact limitations are applied to any node.
- There are no timer, schedule, or abx-testing nodes.
- The "Number of times triggered" property has not been used in any variable association.
c. Reactive Workflows
Reactive workflows are very similar to Rule workflows, meaning they are types of workflows that listen for an event to perform a series of actions.
Unlike Rule workflows, these do allow the use of timer, schedule, or abx-testing nodes.
c.1. Characteristics of Reactive Workflows
Workflows are considered Reactive if they meet the following characteristics:
- Only trigger nodes are connected to the "Start" node. No other node except a trigger should be connected to the "Start" node.
- No other trigger nodes are directly connected to the Start node.
- It is not of the Rule type.
d. Classic Workflows
Classic workflows are those that have not been optimized to fit into any of the previous types. They are the least efficient, and whenever possible, they should be optimized to fit into one of the aforementioned types.
d.1. Characteristics of Classic Workflows
Workflows are considered Classic if they do not meet the characteristics of Mass Action, Rule, or Reactive workflows.
2. Best practices for optimizing workflow types
- If the workflow to be optimized is of the Mass Action type and no triggers are going to be used, you probably want it to run only for existing contacts and not for new ones. If so, configuring the workflow for existing contacts only will make it a Mass Action type, making it much faster and more efficient.
- If the workflow is going to run on every page visit, it is highly recommended to ensure that it fits one of the Rule or Reactive types.
- A very useful way to improve the efficiency of your workflows is to break them into smaller units. For example, if you are creating a workflow that sends a mass email campaign and then waits 30 days to send a reminder when the email is clicked, it would be a good idea to separate the workflow into two: one that sends the mass email campaign and another that only reacts to email clicks. This way, one could be optimized as a Mass Action type, and the other could be optimized as a Rule or Reactive type.
3. How to check the workflow type
Once the workflow has started, you can check its type in Live View by observing the tooltip of the Info icon located in the "Start" node.
Classic workflows do not have this icon, as they do not benefit from any of the optimizations available for the other types.
Congratulations!
You have reached the end of the lesson.
Do you have any unresolved questions?
Remember, you can always reach our Connectif specialists. To contact them, simply open a support ticket by clicking the blue "Help" button on your dashboard.
Keep learning!
To make the most of your Connectif account, we recommend continuing with the following articles:
- Condition Nodes, to filter which requirements contacts must meet to continue through the flow.
- Trigger Nodes, to use them in real-time when contacts perform an activity.
- Action Nodes, to perform specific operations within workflows.
- Workflows Area, to learn how to access and manage different strategies, as well as create new workflows and start those that are ready.