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  3. Flow step types

Flow step types

Steps are the building blocks of any flow. Each step performs one specific action: send a message, change a status, check a condition, send an event to Tracker . Connect steps with lines — and you get

Updated September 2, 20264 min
Steps are the building blocks of any flow. Each step performs one specific action: send a message, change a status, check a condition, send an event to Tracker. Connect steps with lines — and you get a funnel. The simplicity is intentional: one step ≈ one operation, so the funnel can be read at a glance and is easy to maintain.
All steps are divided into 5 families by action type. This is not just an organizational grouping in the UI — these are semantic groups that help you think about the funnel structure. When you open the slash menu or drag from the Flow Settings sidebar, the steps are already grouped by these families.
What is used most often
Send message is the most basic step for sending prepared text. AI Reply is for smart replies via AI. Condition is for branching by exact conditions (tags, fields). AI Routings is for branching by the meaning of the lead's reply. Change tag and Change sale status are for tracking progress. Webhook is for integrations with the outside world. Push messages are for warming up silent leads. Operator is for handing off to a person.


5 step families

Communication — communication steps
The Communication category is the steps that talk to the lead . This is the main communication layer: sending prepared messages, AI replies, semantic routing, and delayed push messages for nurturing.
Changes — data changes
The Changes category is steps that change lead or conversation attributes without sending messages. A tag is added or removed, the sale status is updated, an operator is assigned or unassigned, or the
Terms — transition management
The Terms category is steps that control how and when a lead moves further through the flow. They do not send messages or change data—they only branch and pause the logic. These steps are “invisible”
Tracking — sending events externally
The Tracking category is steps that send data outward . They do not communicate with the lead or change the lead’s data inside Chatterfy — they send events and parameters to external systems. Tracking
Additional — auxiliary steps
The Additional category — these are utility steps. They do not interact with the lead, do not change data, do not manage transitions, and do not send events. Their only task is to help the team naviga
—Communication— steps that communicate with the lead: Send Message (prepared text), AI Reply (dynamic reply), AI Routings (routing by meaning), Push Messages (delayed pushes), Custom Push (a separate step for pushes).
—Changes— steps that change lead data: Change Tag (tags), Change Flow (move to another flow), Change Sale Status (funnel stage), Operator (assign / unassign an operator).
—Terms— steps that control transitions: Condition (exact conditions), A/B Router (random distribution), Delay (delayed transition).
—Tracking— steps that send events outward: Send Event (to Tracker), Webhook (custom HTTP to any system).
—Additional— utility steps for the team that do not affect the lead: Note (note on the canvas).


Which step for which task

Full table: “what I want to do → which step → which family it belongs to.” Handy to keep bookmarked.
I want to...
Use this step
Category
Send prepared text
Send message
Communication
Generate a reply via AI
AI Reply
Communication
Route leads by the meaning of the reply
AI Routings
Communication
Warm up silent leads
Push Messages, Custom Push
Communication
Change tag / sale status
Change tag, Change sale status
Changes
Move to another flow
Change flow
Changes
Assign an operator
Operator
Changes
Route by exact condition (tag, field)
Condition
Terms
Run an A/B test
A/B Router
Terms
Wait until a specific time
Delay
Terms
Send an event to Tracker
Send event
Tracking
Send data to an external service
Webhook
Tracking
Leave a note for the team
Note
Additional


Condition vs AI Routings — what to choose

This is the most common source of confusion. There is a fundamental difference between them: one works with exact lead field values, the other with the meaning of the lead’s reply.
Condition — conditional branching— precise rules. Tag exists = go left. Total Deposit > 100 = go right. Custom Field for country = “Spain” — go to the Spanish branch. Binary logic based on specific values. Works instantly, costs no AI tokens, and is ideal for decisions based on already known data.
AI Routings — semantic routing— fuzzy rules. The lead said “not interested” = go left. The lead asked about the price = go right. The lead sent consent in any form (“sure,” “ok,” “let’s go”) = go to the success branch. AI decides based on the meaning of the reply. Works after AI Reply, costs tokens on every call, and is ideal for decisions based on the lead’s live reaction.
Simple rule: if you can describe the condition precisely (tag, field, number) — use Condition. If you need to understand the meaning of what was said — use AI Routings. If you need both in the funnel, put AI Routings first (after AI Reply), and use Condition for technical branching based on already accumulated data later.


Frequently asked questions

Minimum 3–5 for a working flow (greeting + qualification + goal). There is no hard maximum limit, but more than 30–40 steps in one flow is hard to maintain. Split large funnels into several flows with transitions via Change flow. A sign that it’s time to split: three or more parallel “lines” that are hard to keep in your head.

The one that has Is start step of flow enabled. Usually this is Send message with a greeting or AI Reply that responds to the lead’s first message on its own (a good technique for qualification). Without a start step, new chats will “hang” — there will be nowhere to go.

Yes, via Change flow with a specific step specified. Or via webhook (POST to updateDialog with stepId). Or manually in the customer card in Messenger. This is often useful when a lead has “dropped out” of qualification and you want to give them a second chance after some time.

The lead will “hang” on this step and will not receive further messages. Use Steps Conversion — funnel by flow steps to find problem areas: if many leads accumulate on a step, there is a break there. Open the flow on the canvas and check that the step has outgoing lines (for AI Reply / Send Message — one; for Condition / AI Routings — according to the number of branches).

Steps are unique nodes on the canvas. If you want two different branches to come to the same point, connect both branches with lines to one step (this is supported). If you want to duplicate behavior in different places, copy the step (Cmd+C / Ctrl+C on the node). Duplicates are not synchronized with each other.


Related

Flow Settings
The Flow Settings section is the heart of Chatterfy . This is where the bot’s communication logic with the lead comes together: which messages are sent, in what order, which conditions are checked, wh
Create New Flow — creating a flow
Creating a flow is the first operation you perform in Flow Settings. Immediately after connecting, the bot already has one empty default flow. If you need another one (for example, a separate funnel f
AI Settings — Bot Personality
The Flow Settings → AI Settings section defines the bot's personality — the general context that AI takes into account in every response via the AI Reply step inside this flow. Three blocks: Global Le
Steps Conversion — funnel by flow steps
Steps Conversion is a tool that shows how users go through your scenario step by step. You select a sequence of steps in a flow (for example: Welcome → Qualify → Offer → FD), and Chatterfy shows: how

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On this page

  • 5 step families
  • Which step for which task
  • Condition vs AI Routings — what to choose
  • Frequently asked questions
  • Related