Rules

Rules are a mechanism that enables you to run actions on objects manually. Unlike Automations which lets you create a workflow that would run automatically when a trigger is detected, Rules will only be enacted when the admin or a user authorized by the admin chooses to run it.

There are a lot of actions you can do with Rules, and some of them might sound similar to the ones you find in Automation. But remember that the actions in Automations take place only when a pre-defined trigger occurs, the data agrees to some specific conditions that you have mentioned, and after undergoing the flow control you created.

For instance, you can create a Rule to assign a lead to a particular user when the status of the lead changes. This action will take place only when you click the button to run the Rule. Any lead whose status changes after you run the rule won’t be assigned to the user.

Hope you have a clear understanding Rules. Now, let’s take a look at how to create a Rule and define it. 

Creating a New Rule

Let’s take a look at how to create a new rule:

Step 1: Click the ‘Add Rule’ button on the top right corner of the screen. This will open the ‘Add Rule’ side panel.

Step 2: Enter a name and a description for the rule in the ‘Rule Name’ and ‘Description’ fields.

Step 3: Under the ‘Execution Timelines’ section of the panel, select from the following radio buttons: ‘Customer Specific Time Zone’ and ‘Regular Time Zone’.

• • Customer-Specific Time Zone: The customer-specific time zone runs the created rule for the customer automatically at the specified time in their time zone. Select the object from which the records should be captured, and select the field in which you capture the record’s time.
  • Regular Time Zone: On the other hand, the regular time zone lets you select a particular time zone, date, and time on which the rule will be executed. You can also opt if the rule should be executed later, now, or should run for a lifetime.

Step 4: You can also choose a time-out duration at which the rule should stop running.

Step 5: Click ‘Submit’. 

Configuring a Rule

Clicking ‘Edit’ opens up the rules configuration panel, where you can customize the rules created by you. This is where you define the Rule you just created and what happens when you run the Rule.

On the left-hand side of the panel, you will see the following actions: Convert, Field Mapping, Field Update, Assign, Wait Time/Date, If Value, Notification, If Exist, If Available, Record, and Schedule Activities. You can click any of these actions to open them in the workspace to edit and define them. You can arrange them in any desired order by clicking and dragging the double ellipsis icon (:::). The order you place the actions will determine how the rule will be run.

Let’s look at each of these in detail.

Convert

The ‘Convert’ action simply helps you convert any record in an object to a different object.

Step 1: Click the ‘Convert’ rule icon. This opens the ‘Convert’ configuration panel.

Step 2: Select the object that contains the record you want to convert in the ‘From Object’ drop-down.

Step 3: Select which object to which you want to convert the record from the ‘To Object’ drop-down.

Step 4: In the ‘Record Type’ drop-down, select whether the record that you move is a parent record or a child record. A parent record is a main record under which there will be multiple child records. The child records get affected when you change the parent record.

Step 5: Selecting the record type opens a field with all the records in it. You select as many records as you want in it.

Step 6: If you only want to create a copy of the records in the designated object, select ‘Copy Record’ from the ‘Convert Type’ drop-down. Choosing this won’t affect the existing record in the source object. If you want to completely move the record to the destination object, then select the ‘Move Record’. This removes the record from the source object while copying it into the destination object.

Field Mapping

The ‘Field mapping’ lets you map the field values of a record in an object to the field values of records in other objects. This means you can link two fields with different names from two different objects in order to perform certain actions on them. This is mostly helpful to perform other actions like ‘Convert’.

Note: Actions like ‘Convert’ only work properly if fields are properly mapped. For instance, if you want to convert a record from a ‘Leads’ object into a ‘Deals’ object, but the field that captures their names is titled User Name in the former and Name in the latter, the ‘Convert’ action will reflect an error message. This is why field mapping is very necessary.

Step 1: Click the ‘Field Mapping’ rule icon. This opens the configuration panel.

Step 2: Select the object whose fields you want to map in the ‘From Object’ field.

Step 3: Select the object to which you want to map the records in the ‘To Object’ field. You can add multiple ‘To Object’ fields by clicking the ‘+Add’ button on the top-right corner in case you want to map the fields in the source object to multiple destination objects. This is helpful in instances like converting a record from an object into multiple other objects.

Step 4: In the ‘Field Selection’ section of the configuration panel, you will see columns titled ‘From Field Name’ and ‘To Field Name’. Select the field you want to map in the ‘From Field Name’ column.

Step 5: The number of ‘To Field Name’ columns will be equivalent to the number of ‘To Object’ columns you selected above. Each ‘To Field Name’ directly belongs to the object you selected in the ‘To Object’ column above. For instance, if the first object you selected in the ‘To Object’ column is Sales, the first ‘To Field Name’ column will only show the fields in the Sales object. If the object you selected in the second ‘To Object’ column is Accounts, the second ‘To Field Name’ column will only show fields in the Accounts object. Select the fields to which you want to map the fields from the ‘From Field Name’ column.

Step 6: If you want to remove a ‘To Field Name’ column, click the ‘X’ button.

Field Update

The ‘Field Update’ action lets you update the value of field records as you want. For example, if you want to update the expected budget of certain contacts in bulk, you can use the ‘Field Update’ rule.

Step 1: Click the ‘Field Update’ rule icon. This opens the ‘Field Update’ configuration panel.

Step 2: Select the object that contains the field you want to update from the ‘Object Name’ column.

Step 3: Select the field in the object you want to update from the ‘Select Field’ column.

Step 4: In the ‘Record Type’ column, select ‘Parent’ or ‘Child’ based on how you want the updated field to be. If you want the field to be updated into a parent field, choose ‘Parent’. On the other hand, if you want the updated field to be a sub-part of a parent field, select ‘Child’.

Step 5: Enter the value to which the field should be updated in the ‘To Value’ column.

Step 6: If you want to add multiple field updates in a single rule, click the ‘+Add’ button on the top-right corner of the configuration panel. If you want to remove a field update, click the ‘X’ button.

Assign

The ‘Assign’ rule helps you assign, transfer, or share the records in an object to another user or user group. This comes in handy in instances where you want to transfer objects like leads or deals to another user when their status change.

Step 1: Click the ‘Assign’ rule icon. This opens the ‘Assign’ configuration panel.

Step 2: Select how you want to assign the record in the ‘Assignment Type’ column. You can select from ‘Assign’, ‘Transfer’, or ‘Share’.

• • Assign: The ‘Assign’ function lets the team leader or manager allocate the record to any of their team members. This means that even after the team member takes over the record, the team leader will have view access to the record to monitor their progress.
  • Transfer: The ‘Transfer’ function allows a user to hand over a record under their supervision to another user completely. After a record is transferred, the transferrer will no longer have any access to it. The record is now completely under the authority of the transferee.
  • Share: The ‘Share’ function lets you share view access over any record with another user. This means that the other user can have a real-time view of the record and its updates.

Step 3: In the ‘Assign To’ column, if you want to assign to an individual user, choose ‘User’. On the other hand, if you want to assign to a user group, choose ‘Division’.

Step 4: In the ‘Field’ section of the configuration panel, you can apply the conditions based on which fields will be assigned to the specific user. In the ‘Select Field’ column, select the field whose condition should initiate the assigning. For example, if you want to assign the field to a user when the status of a lead changes, select Status in the ‘Select Field’ column.

Step 5: In the ‘Condition’ and ‘Field Value’ columns, select what condition of the selected field should trigger the assigning. In the previous example, if you want the lead to be assigned while their status is changing to Close, then select ‘Is’ in the ‘Condition’ column and ‘Close’ in the Field Value’ column.

Step 6: If you want to add additional conditions, click the ‘+’ button on the right-hand side and follow the same steps in the fields that appear below.

Step 7: When you add an additional condition, if you want both of those conditions to be agreed to run the rule, click ‘AND’. On the other hand, if you only want either of those conditions to be agreed to run the rule, click ‘OR’.

Wait Time/Date

With the ‘Wait Time/Date’ rule, you can select when the rule should be activated. You will find the following radio buttons under ‘Wait Time/Date’:

• • After: Choosing ‘After’ lets you select the time (in seconds) for which the system shall wait to run the rule when you click the run button.
  • On-Time: Choosing ‘On-Time’ lets you run the rule as soon as you click the run button on any rule.
  • Wait for Event: The ‘Wait for Event’ button lets you choose an event or action that happens in the system. When you choose this and click the run button, the system will wait until this event happens to run the rule.

If Value

The ‘If Value’ rule can be used as a prelude to any other rule. It can be used to run a rule if a particular condition is agreed. For this to happen, the ‘If Value’ rule should be added prior to other rules in the workspace. For instance, the ‘Convert’ or ‘Field Update’ rule can be run if the budget value of the record is equal to a certain amount. To create this rule, drag the ‘If Value’ rule on top of the ‘Convert’ or ‘Field Update’ rule and adjust the value settings.

Let’s take a look at how this is done:

Step 1: Click the ‘If Value’ rule icon. This opens the ‘If Value’ configuration panel.

Step 2: In the ‘Select Object/List’ column, choose whether you want to set the condition based on an object or a list.

Step 3: If you selected an object in step 2, the ‘Object Name or List Name’ column will automatically be loaded with the names of the objects you created. On the other hand, if you choose a list, the column will be loaded with the names of the lists you have saved. Select the object or list name based on which you want to set the condition.

Step 4: The ‘Select Field’ column will be loaded with the names of the fields from the object or list you selected in step 3.

Step 5: The ‘Select Operator’ column is a connector between the ‘Select Field’ and ‘Value’ columns. It contains several options like Is, Is Not, Is Between, etc. Select a value based on your criteria.

Step 6: In the ‘Value’ column, enter the figure of the field that you selected in the ‘Select Field’ column. Based on the operator you selected, the system will check if the value of the field is or is not the value you entered.

Step 7: If you want to enter multiple conditions at the same time, click the ‘+Add’ button on the top-right corner.

Step 8: In case you’re adding more conditions, you have to choose either ‘OR’ or ‘AND’. If you want all the ‘If Value’ conditions to be agreed upon to run the rule, click ‘AND’. On the other hand, if you only want either of those conditions to be agreed upon, click ‘OR’.

Notification

The ‘Notification’ rule helps you to get notified on different platforms when any rule runs. Let’s take a look at how this can be enabled.

Step 1: Click the ‘Notification’ rule icon. This opens the ‘Notification’ configuration panel.

Step 2: Select the type of notification you want to enable in the ‘Notification Type’ column. Selecting ‘In App’ lets you display notifications inside the Office24by7 mobile app. Selecting ____ lets you ____.

Step 3: Choose the channel for notification in the ‘Notification’ column (SMS/email).

Step 4: If in case you have not enabled the SMS or email add-ons, the following error message will be displayed: ‘You have no active SMS/email plan’. You will also see a ‘Go to add-ons’ button on the right side. You can click that button and go to the add-ons to purchase SMS or email credits.

Step 5: If you selected SMS, the next column will be updated as ‘Sender ID’. If your selection is email, the next column will be ‘Email ID’. Select the sender ID or the email ID from which the notification should be sent.

Step 6: Select the template of the notification message from the ‘Template’ column.

If Exist

The ‘If Exist’ rule helps you to run a rule based on the existence of a particular field in an object. The system will add this as a condition and will only execute the rule if or if not a particular field has a value.

Step 1: Click the ‘If Exist’ rule icon. This opens the ‘If Exist’ configuration panel.

Step 2: You can make the ‘If Exist’ condition based on a field from either an object or a list. Choose ‘Object’ or ‘List’ from the radio buttons provided.

Step 3: The next column will show ‘Select Object’ or ‘Select List’ based on your selection. This column will also be automatically loaded with the objects/lists you have created. Select the desired object/list from the drop-down.

Step 4: The ‘Select Field’ column loads with the fields of the object or list you just selected. Click the drop-down icon and select the field you desire.

Step 5: In the ‘Value’ column, choose ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. If you choose ‘Yes’, the rule will be executed only if there is a value in the chosen field. On the other hand, if your choice is ‘No’, the rule will be executed only if the chosen field has a null value.

Is Available

The ‘Is Available’ rule is a condition that lets you run a rule based on the availability of a user or the customer. This means that the rule will only be run if the chosen user is available at the desk/customer is online on a specified date and time.

Step 1: Click the ‘Is Available’ rule icon. This opens the ‘Is Available’ configuration panel.

Step 2: If you want to create the rule based on the user’s availability, click ‘User’ from the radio buttons provided. On the other hand, if the rule should be run based on the customer’s availability, click ‘Customer’.

If your choice is ‘User’:

Step 1: If you choose ‘User’, the next column will automatically load with all the user fields in the system. Choose User Name from the drop-down.

Step 2: In the ‘Select Operator’ column, select your choice from Is, Is Not, etc., based on how you want the criteria to be applied.

Step 3: In the ‘Select Value’ column, enter the names of the users whose availability you want to check.

Following these steps will let the system check if the selected users are available while you run the rule. You can also check the availability of users on a particular date and time, based on which you can execute the rule. Let’s check how you can do that.

Step 4: Click the ‘+Add’ button on the top right of the configuration panel. This opens a new set of ‘User Fields’, ‘Select Operator’, and ‘Select Value’ columns.

Step 5: In the ‘User Fields’ column, choose either Date or Time as your criteria.

Step 6: Fill in the ‘Select Operator’ column and choose a date in the ‘Select Value’ column. If you want to check the availability of both date and time, then click the ‘+Add’ button again and select the time.

If your choice is ‘Customer’:

Step 1: If your selection is ‘Customer’, the next column will load with the names of all channels (email, chat, WhatsApp, visitor, voice call) a customer can use to approach you.

Step 2: In the ‘Select Operator’ column, select your choice from Is, Is Not, etc., based on how you want the criteria to be applied.

Step 3: The ‘Value’ column reflects the following values based on your selection in the ‘Channel Name’ column.

• • For Email and Voice Call: Valid & Invalid (Valid indicates that the email ID or phone number is genuine and reachable, whereas invalid indicates that they cannot be reached).
  • For Chat, WhatsApp, and Visitor: Online and Offline (online indicates that the customer is currently active and interacting in chatbot, WhatsApp, or on the Website, whereas offline indicates that the customer is not active on any of these channels).

Select the value based on which you want to execute the rule.

After you are done with the steps, click ‘Submit’.

Record

The ‘Record’ rule is a condition that lets you run a rule based on the availability of a user or the customer. This means that the rule will only be run if the chosen user is available at the desk/customer is online.

Schedule Activities

The ‘Schedule Activities’ rule lets you schedule any activity (Email, WhatsApp, Call, Task, Meetings, etc.) to a later date and time. You can create any activity by simply going to your activities tab, where you can also provide the sender ID, receiver’s ID, message content, and other details. These activities can be accessed in the ‘Schedule Activities’ rule and be scheduled at a time of your convenience.

Step 1: Click the ‘Schedule Activities’ rule icon. This opens the ‘Schedule Activities’ configuration panel.

Step 2: Select the type of activity you want to schedule in the ‘Activity Type’ column. You can select from Email, WhatsApp, Call, Task, and Meetings.

Step 3: The ‘Activity Name’ column will be loaded with the activities you created based on your selection in the ‘Activity Type’ column. For instance, if you select ‘Email’ as the activity type, the system will automatically load the names of all email activities you have created in your activities tab.

Step 4: You can select the date and time for which you want to schedule the activity in the next column. 

Executing a Rule

We have looked at how to create a rule in detail. However, when you click the ‘Submit’ button at the bottom of each rule configuration box, it only saves the rule in the ‘Rules’ tab. You have to manually execute the rule from the set of created rules. Here is how you do that.

Step 1: Open the ‘Sales Setup’ menu. From the list of tabs on the top, click ‘Rules’. This will open a table with all the rules you have created. You will see details of each rule in the table including the rule name, type, created date, etc.

Step 2: To execute a particular rule, click the button against the rule under the ‘Execute’ column. This will run the rule instantly. 

User Privileges

Now that you have created the rules that you want, it is time to assign the user privileges to the rules. Not everybody in the organization will get complete access and authority to the rules. The organization admin will have complete authority over the rules. The admin can also decide which user gets authority over each rule in the system.

Let’s take a look at how the admin can grant privileges to users.

Step 1: Navigate to the ‘Rules’ tab under the ‘Sales Setup’ menu. This will display a table with all the rules you have created so far. In the columns of each row, you can see the details like rule name, rule type, no. of users, created by, created date and time, modified date and time, and status. You will also see buttons like action and execute.

Step 2: Find the ellipsis icon (…) under the ‘Action’ column against the rule. Click the icon. From the drop-down menu, choose ‘User Privileges’.

Step 3: The user privileges side panel opens up. Here you will see the list of all the users in your organization and their essential details like email ID, phone number, etc. Click the checkbox against the users for whom you want to give the privileges.

Step 4: Click ‘Submit’. You will see a pop-up message that says “Users Assigned Successfully!”

To view who all have the privileges to execute a rule, simply go to the rules overview table and find the ‘No. of Users’ column against the particular rule. If you have assigned user privileges to that rule, you will see a number in that cell that denotes the number of users with privileges to that rule. Click that cell to see the names of all users. 

Editing a Rule

You might want to edit a rule at times to make necessary changes in the way the rule is executed or conditions are applied. To edit a rule, follow the below steps:

Step 1: Go to the rules overview table by clicking the ‘Rules’ tab under the ‘Sales Setup’ menu.

Step 2: Click on the ellipsis icon (…) against the desired rule in the ‘Actions’ column. From the drop-down menu that appears, select ‘Edit’.

Step 3: The edit rule side panel appears. In the workspace, make necessary changes to the elements you want.

Step 4: Click ‘Submit’.

Upon successful submission of the edited rule, you will see a pop-up message that says “The Rule has been Edited Successfully!” 

Deleting a Rule

To delete a rule you created, follow these steps:

Step 1: Go to the rules overview table by clicking the ‘Rules’ tab under the ‘Sales Setup’ menu.

Step 2: Click on the ellipsis icon (…) against the desired rule in the ‘Actions’ column. From the drop-down menu that appears, select ‘Delete’.

The rule will now be deleted and you will see a pop-up message that says “The Rule has been Deleted Successfully!”