What is a Flow?

Learning objectives

• You will understand the purpose, structure, and key components of a flow.
• You will see how fields, sources, recipients, add‑ons, volume caps, pricing rules, filters, steps, Hours of Operation, and change history integrate to form a complete lead processing pipeline.
• You will be able to explain the testing process for flows and the significance of the Flow Change History in maintaining and troubleshooting the system.

Overview

Summary:
A flow is a comprehensive, sequential pipeline used in LeadConduit to capture, validate, enhance, and deliver leads. It combines components such as field mappings, sources, add‑ons, volume caps, pricing rules, filters, discrete processing steps, Hours of Operation, and a detailed Flow Change History to ensure that only high‑quality leads are passed through to recipients.

Why it matters?:
Flows create consistency across lead processing, ensuring that each lead is validated, enriched, and routed correctly. This not only improves conversion rates but also controls costs through dynamic pricing and volume management. By maintaining a thorough history of changes, flows allow administrators to troubleshoot issues, revert unintended modifications, and continuously optimize lead delivery.

Practical examples

Example 1: Basic web form flow

A company uses a flow that:

1. Captures lead data from a web form including fields such as first name, last name, email, and phone.
2. Uses inbound field mapping to standardize various source field names.
3. Applies acceptance criteria to ensure key fields are present and correctly formatted.
4. Implements a filter step to remove duplicate leads.
5. Sends validated leads to a CRM through a Recipient Step.
6. Logs every configuration change in the Flow Change History for future reference and troubleshooting.

Example 2: Advanced flow with add‑ons and volume caps

A lead vendor creates an advanced flow that:

1. Accepts leads from multiple sources, such as Facebook lead ads and custom web forms.
2. Maps source-specific fields (both standard and custom) to LeadConduit fields.
3. Applies multi‑layer acceptance criteria (e.g., require email, phone, and valid state values).
4. Uses an add‑on to enrich lead data by verifying phone numbers and validating external data.
5. Implements volume caps to control the number of leads processed per source each hour.
6. Applies rule‑based pricing to assign both purchase and sale prices dynamically based on lead attributes.
7. Uses various filter steps to ensure only high‑quality leads progress.
8. Records all modifications in the Flow Change History for auditing and rollback if needed.

Implications & applications

Key takeaways:

• A flow is the end-to-end blueprint for lead processing—from data capture and field mapping to validation, enrichment, pricing, and delivery.
• Integrated components such as fields, sources, recipients, add‑ons, volume caps, pricing rules, filters, and steps work together to ensure quality and efficiency.
• Hours of Operation settings limit processing to specific timeframes, while Flow Change History offers a traceable log that helps with troubleshooting and rollbacks.

Practical applications

• Fields on a flow: Define the individual data points (first name, email, phone, etc.) required for each lead.
• Sources and recipients: Sources specify where data is coming from (e.g., web forms, Facebook lead ads) and recipients define where the lead is delivered (e.g., CRM systems).
• Testing a flow: Ensure reliability by submitting test leads and verifying that field mapping, acceptance criteria, add‑ons, filters, and recipient steps function as configured.
• Add‑ons: Enhance lead quality by incorporating third‑party integration services such as phone and email validation.
• Volume caps: Limit lead intake during specified timeframes to control costs and avoid overwhelming downstream systems.
• Pricing: Utilize rule‑based pricing to assign dynamic purchase and sale prices based on lead attributes.
• Filters: Use filters to block leads that do not meet quality thresholds and prevent processing of invalid data.
• Steps: Break the processing into discrete stages (validation, enhancement, filtering, delivery) to streamline management.
• Hours of Operation: Schedule when the flow is active to align processing with business hours.
• Flow Change History: Monitor and review all modifications to quickly troubleshoot issues and revert to previous configurations when necessary.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What are fields on a flow?

Fields are individual data elements (such as first name, email, or phone) that define the information structure of a flow. They serve as the basis for data mapping, validation, and rule-based processing.

How do sources and recipients operate within a flow?

Sources define the origin of lead data (for example, from a web form or Facebook lead ads), while recipients determine where the processed, validated leads are delivered (such as a CRM or an email system).

What does it mean to test a flow?

Testing a flow means submitting sample leads to verify that every component—field mappings, acceptance criteria, add‑ons, pricing rules, filters, and delivery steps—functions correctly before the flow goes live.

What is an add‑on in a flow?

An add‑on is an optional, integrated service that enriches or validates lead data (like phone or email verification) without incurring regular transaction fees, thereby enhancing overall lead quality.

What are volume caps?

Volume caps limit the number of leads that can be processed or delivered within a specified time period. They help manage costs, control flow volume, and prevent system overloads.

What is pricing in the context of a flow?

Pricing in a flow refers to the rule‑based mechanisms that set the purchase cost for leads and the sale price charged to buyers, ensuring dynamic, attribute‑based financial control.

What are filters in a flow?

Filters are rule‑based mechanisms that stop leads from progressing if they fail specific quality criteria. They serve as gatekeepers to ensure that only leads meeting all requirements are processed further.

What is a step in a flow?

A step is an individual operation within a flow. Each step performs a discrete function—whether validating data, enhancing information, filtering leads, or delivering data to a recipient.

What does it mean to set my Hours of Operation in a flow?

Setting Hours of Operation means configuring the periods during which a flow is active. Leads submitted outside these defined hours can be paused or rejected to align processing with business hours.

What is the Flow Change History and how can I use it?

The Flow Change History is a detailed log that tracks every modification made to a flow, complete with timestamps and user information. It helps with troubleshooting, auditing, and the ability to revert to previous versions if a new change causes issues.

Glossary