Complete Omnifox workflows guide: triggers, nodes and examples

Automating your support shouldn't require a developer. In Omnifox, a workflow is a visual automation you draw like a diagram: a single trigger that fires it, and a graph of nodes that decides what happens next. This Omnifox workflows guide gives you the full picture —triggers, action nodes, conditions and waits— and closes with a real flow you can copy today.

What a workflow is (and isn't)

Every workflow has exactly one trigger. That trigger is the event that ignites the automation: an incoming message, a tag being added, a conversation closing, a webhook from your store. From there, the flow moves through nodes connected by arrows. Three families are worth knowing from day one:

• Action nodes: they do something. Send message, Send WhatsApp template, Add tag, Transfer to an agent, Create deal, HTTP request.
• Conditions: they branch the flow. If (one rule), Switch, Contact has tag, Business hours, AI Classifier, Detect language.
• Waits: they pause the flow. Wait time (a delay with a unit), Wait until an event happens, Wait for agent reply.

One golden rule: chat workflows (in /workflows) and voice IVRs (inside Channels → Calls) are separate editors. Don't mix nodes from one into the other.

Triggers at a glance

Triggers are grouped by area. Messaging ones are the most used: Message received accepts filters by channel, by keyword, by type, and the first message only option (perfect for a one-time welcome). You also get Button pressed, List option selected and WhatsApp Flow submitted.

Conversation triggers react to the chat lifecycle: Conversation opened/closed/resolved, SLA breached, Contact inactivity (minutes), CSAT response received. Contact triggers fire on Contact created, Tag added or Contact field updated. And System triggers open the door to integrations: Incoming webhook, Scheduled (cron), Shortcut (manual from inbox).

If your plan includes voice, you add Call triggers (Call received, Voicemail received, IVR option selected) and CRM ones (Deal won, Deal with no activity).

Action nodes: the muscle

Action nodes are what the workflow "does" outward. For messaging you have Send message, Ask a question (which waits for the customer's reply before moving on), Send WhatsApp template, Notify team by email and Request CSAT survey. To organize the contact: Update contact, Add tag, Remove tag, Change lifecycle stage.

On the sales side you get CRM nodes (Create deal, Assign deal owner, Create follow-up task) and Projects nodes (Create card from conversation, Create project from deal). To reach the outside world: HTTP request, Google Sheets, HubSpot and Book appointment. And to steer the flow itself: Jump to another node, Loop/for each, Call another workflow, Set variable, Try/Catch and Run in parallel.

Conditions and waits: the brain

An automation without branches is just a notification. Conditions are what make a flow smart. If (one rule) opens two paths (true/false). Switch opens several branches evaluating AND/OR rules. Business hours is especially handy because it hands you three ready branches: In hours, Out of hours and Holiday. And the AI Classifier lets a model read the last message and route it to the right branch (sales, support, billing) with a fallback when nothing fits.

Waits sync the flow with real life. Wait time lets minutes, hours or days pass before a second message. Wait for agent reply freezes the flow until a human steps in.

An end-to-end flow you can copy

Let's look at the classic "first-contact routing." It's short but shows the trigger → condition → action pattern:

1. Trigger: Message received with the first message only filter on.
2. Node: Add tag "new" to mark the contact.
3. Condition: Business hours.
   • In hours branch → Send message: "Hi {{$contact.first_name}}! Connecting you with an advisor." → Transfer to an agent.
   • Out of hours branch → Send message: "Thanks for reaching out. We're open 9am–6pm and will reply first thing." → Close/Reopen/Snooze conversation (snooze).
   • Holiday branch → Send WhatsApp template with the holiday notice.

Notice how the {{$contact.first_name}} variable personalizes the greeting; if the data is missing, Omnifox replaces it with an empty string without breaking the text.

Common beginner mistakes

• Building one giant workflow. Several small, focused flows (one welcome, one out-of-hours) beat a monster you can't debug.
• Forgetting the "first message only" filter in the welcome: without it, you greet on every message.
• Mixing editors: IVR nodes don't live inside chat workflows.
• Not wrapping an HTTP request in Try/Catch: if the external API fails, your flow dies silently.

Get yours running

In Omnifox the editor is drag-and-connect: pick the trigger, chain nodes, publish. Start with the welcome flow above, measure how your first-response time drops, and grow branches from there. Each branch you wire is one repetitive reply your team never has to type by hand again. Ready to automate your first conversation? Open the workflows editor and try it today.