Overview

The Phone Number parameter is a simple data collection parameter used to record a phone number, for an individual or an organization. The recorded phone number can be used to fill in variables or parameters within the flow, or to match to an existing contact via automatic contact matching.

Add Phone Number Step

1. To add a Phone Number Step to your chatbot flow, you can add a step via any one of the three methods covered in **Flows Editor: Add a New Step *. The primary method is to click the Add Step button found at the top right of the Flow Editor.

Adding a Step can also be done by right-clicking anywhere within the Flows Editor, or by dragging from an existing Flow Step.

2. Regardless of the method used to add the Flow Step, the Add Step menu will open, allowing you to select the desired option. To add the Phone Number Step, either expand the Data Collection category and select the desired parameter (Name), or use the search bar to search for it.

2. Once selected, the Phone Number Step will be added to the Flow Editor. As with any flow step, you can drag and drop it wherever it is needed. (If you used the right-click method to open, it will appear in that location.)

2. Clicking the Menu button (three dots) will allow you to:

   1. Edit the Phone Number Step.
   2. Duplicate the Phone Number Step
   3. Set as the initial Step
   4. Delete the Phone Number Step

Phone Number Step Edit Menu

In most cases, you will first edit the Phone Number Step before duplicating or determining its place in the flow. Click Edit, and the Edit Menu will open. The Edit Menu will open on the right side.

Under General, you can:

1. Provide a Friendly Name: - This allows you to differentiate between different variants of the same Step. The Friendly Name is a unique naming parameter that allows you to identify this particular Step among other similar steps in the API and in reporting.
2. Cover Image: - The cover image is a cosmetic component, allowing you to enhance the appearance of your request for the customer's name in the chatbot flow.
3. Title: - The Title field is the text above the input field you wish to present to the user. If you are asking for a home number, this might state "Home Number". For mobile number, it might be Mobile Number.
4. Text Box: - The text box allows you to define the text that the customer sees in the prompt. For a Phone Number Step, this is likely to be a variation of "Enter your cell/home/work number here...."

Click Save when you've defined the parameters of your Phone Number Step component.

If you scroll down a bit further, an additional option is presented for Phone Number Steps. In the section below, options to connect to other Flows, Steps or Departments.

Connecting the Phone Number Step to Other Components

In most cases, data collection steps are found at or near the beginning of most flows. Therefore, they will typically need to connect to the next step in the flow or receive a connection from a previous flow. Three methods are provided to connect your Step to other components within the Flow. A detailed description of these methods can be found in the Flow Editor: Connecting Flow Steps..