Skip to content
ChatterfyHelp Center
HomeGeneralCRMAI ManagerTrackerPlatformsFAQUpdate log
Main
Bot Settings
Automation & AI
CRM defaults
Flow Settings
AI Settings
Steps
Communication
Changes
Terms
Terms — transition management
Condition — conditional branching
A/B Router — Random Distribution
Delay — delayed transition
Tracking
Additional
Messenger
Client card
Chat data
Events
Users
Mailings
Analytics
  1. CRM
  2. Terms
  3. Terms — transition management

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”

Updated June 21, 20264 min
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” to the lead: they see only the result—the next message or a pause. But they are what maintain the funnel structure and make A/B tests, GEO-based branching, and delayed touches possible.
Unlike AI Routings — semantic routing(also routing, but by the meaning of the lead’s live reply), Terms work on already accumulated data and time—tags, sale statuses, Custom Fields, current time, and distribution percentage. No AI tokens are needed; everything happens instantly.
Which step to use when
A condition based on exact values (tag, field, deposit, time of day) — Condition. An A/B test of two or more message versions (50/50, 70/30) — A/B Router. Schedule execution for a specific time in a time zone (in 1 hour, at 10 a.m. tomorrow, on Monday) — Delay.


3 steps in the category

Condition — conditional branching
The Condition step branches the flow based on exact values in the lead’s data. Tag exists — left. deposit greater than $100 — right. time from 12 to 18 — third branch. This is the opposite of “AI Rout
A/B Router — Random Distribution
The A/B Router step randomly distributes leads across different branches of the scenario in a specified percentage ratio . Use it for A/B tests: run two message variants, compare conversion, and keep
Delay — delayed transition
The Delay step transitions to the next step at a specific time according to the bot's time zone. Unlike the Delay parameter inside other steps (relative delay), here you specify an absolute time of da
—Condition— branching by exact conditions. Supports tags, sale statuses, Custom Fields, current time, and conversation duration. Logical operators (and / or, equals / does not equal, greater than / less than). Binary or multi-branching.
—A/B Router— random distribution across branches in specified percentages. Used for A/B tests: test two greeting variants, two types of promo image, or two CTA phrasings. Distribution is random, but statistically converges to the specified proportions when N > 200 leads.
—Delay— a delayed transition until a specific time. You can set “in N minutes / hours / days” or “at a specific time in the bot’s time zone.” The lead “gets stuck” on this step until the time comes, then moves on.


Condition vs AI Routings — the difference is fundamental

These two branching mechanisms are often confused. The main difference is what the decision is based on:
Property
Condition (Terms)
AI Routings (Communication)
What it analyzes
Exact card data (tag, field, number)
Meaning of the lead’s reply (natural language)
When it triggers
Immediately upon reaching the step
After AI Reply, on the lead’s reply
Costs AI tokens
No
Yes
Typical use case
Tag exists = left, does not exist = right
Lead said “not interested” = to the rejection branch
Simple rule:exact data → Condition. meaning of the reply → AI Routings.Both often coexist in one funnel: AI Routings determines the lead’s reaction (agreement/objection), then Condition routes based on already collected data (country, sale status, tag).


Use cases by segment

—Arbitrage: A/B Router 50/50 between two promo materials at the start → Condition by tag GEO-RU/GEO-EN → different affiliate link. Delay 24 h before the reactivation message for leads without a deposit.
—E-commerce: Delay 1 h after an item is added to the cart → Condition “is the order paid?” → if not, send a cart-recovery message. if yes — a thank-you. A/B Router tests two cart-recovery wordings.
—Support: Condition based on the VIP tag → if VIP — straight to an operator, bypassing AI. if not — AI Reply. Delay 5 minutes for “time to think” between FAQ steps.
—Info business: Delay 2 days after the first touch → reactivation for those who didn’t buy. Condition by plan from Custom Field → different onboarding sequence for basic / premium / VIP.


Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. The lead stays on the Delay step until the specified time arrives. If their messages come in during this time, they are added to the chat; AI Reply from the previous step can respond to them (if Skip transition blocking is enabled), but the next transition does not happen until the Delay timer expires. If you want a new lead message to interrupt Delay, configure AI Routings before the Delay step with a “lead wrote” branch.

This is normal with a small sample. The distribution is random, and with a 50/50 split over 100 leads you may see 60/40 or 45/55 — this is normal statistical noise. At 1000+ leads, convergence to 50/50 will be within ±2–3%. If the skew is greater than 70/30 at N > 1000, that is suspicious; recheck the settings. More details — Uneven A/B testing — 90% to one branch, 10% to the other.

Yes. In Condition, you can combine conditions using AND / OR: “tag VIP AND country = Russia OR Total Deposit > 1000”. Complex branching is supported. If a condition becomes longer than 3–4 items, it is usually easier to split it into two consecutive Condition steps.

No. AI Routings uses tokens and can sometimes be wrong with non-standard wording. If you have exact data (tag, field, number), use Condition: it is free, instant, and 100% deterministic. AI Routings is only for when you need to understand the meaning of the lead’s reply.

Yes. The Delay timer is stored on the Chatterfy side, not on the Telegram side. Server restarts, bot stops, updates — none of this resets the timer. If the bot is in Stop status for longer than the Delay period, the lead will “unfreeze” from Delay. When the bot is enabled, the lead will immediately move on (without accumulated delay).


Articles in this section

A/B Router — Random Distribution
The A/B Router step randomly distributes leads across different branches of the scenario in a specified percentage ratio . Use it for A/B tests: run two message variants, compare conversion, and keep
Condition — conditional branching
The Condition step branches the flow based on exact values in the lead’s data. Tag exists — left. deposit greater than $100 — right. time from 12 to 18 — third branch. This is the opposite of “AI Rout
Delay — delayed transition
The Delay step transitions to the next step at a specific time according to the bot's time zone. Unlike the Delay parameter inside other steps (relative delay), here you specify an absolute time of da


Related

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
AI Routings — semantic routing
The AI Routings step is fuzzy routing. It is connected after AI Reply and routes the lead to different next steps depending on the meaning of their reply. Conditions are described in natural language;

Was this article helpful?

NextCondition — conditional branching

On this page

  • 3 steps in the category
  • Condition vs AI Routings — the difference is fundamental
  • Use cases by segment
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Articles in this section
  • Related