Branches connect various actions and triggers within a workflow and show the path(s) a contact may take once enrolled through completion of the workflow.

There are three types of branches that you may see in a Sakari workflow: Output, Failure, and Timeout

Types of Branches

Output Branch

An output branch is the result of a contact successfully meeting the criteria of the upstream branch and connecting to a downstream branch.

Output branches connect various nodes (trigger or action), with a contract moving from one node to the next.

Example 1

Once a new contact is created from the Contact Created enrollment trigger, that contact will move to the Filter action.

When a branch is connecting two nodes, additional actions or inline triggers can be added as an intermediary step.

Example 2

Some actions can branch into multiple outputs, such as the Choice action.  In this case, the output branches are a part of the action.  Additional branches can be added, but not as an intermediate step.

Enrolled contacts in the image above must pass through the Yes, No, or Other branch, in this case depending on if the message received is Yes or No.  All other received messages would flow down the other branch.

Failure Branch

A failure branch is created from a trigger or action when the possibility of an error exists from that node.  Failure branches can only exist within a workflow after initial enrollment, as an enrollment failure would simply not enroll a contact.

Example 1

The Send Message action will split into two branches: an output branch and a failure branch.  Any message that is successfully sent will continue down the output branch, however any errors (e.g. invalid phone number, opted out) would flow through the failure branch.

A failure branch is not an automatic termination of the workflow for the contact, however, you must configure the workflow to account for these instances.

Timeout Branch

A timeout branch is created from an inline trigger.  Timeout branches are necessary so as not to cause contacts to be stuck in a workflow indefinitely.

A timeout branch has a maximum wait time of 7 days, but can be set to a shorter period in the inline trigger configuration.

Example 1

A Link Clicked inline trigger can be added within a workflow, but you wouldn't want that contact to be enrolled indefinitely if they do not click the sent link.

If the configured link is clicked prior to the configured wait time, the contact will continue down the clicked path. If the wait time is met, the contact will continue down the timeout path, denoted with a ⏰ icon.

Additional Notes

Branch Termination

Any branch can be a terminating branch in a workflow.  If a contact passes through a branch and there is no additional trigger or action configured, that contact will complete its path through the workflow.

In the workflow editor, this is displayed as a hanging add node icon without an action or trigger connected.

In View Mode, the termination is shown as a red circle, ending that specific path through the workflow.