Use Smart Rules to elevate your automated workflows

What are Smart Rules, anyways?

Smart Rules leverage dynamic variables and data extraction to replace dozens—or hundreds—of previously static formulas with a single, smarter rule. Where you once had to manually create each and every static rule with a pre-set value, Smart Rules allow you to add dynamic variables that update each time the rule is triggered. 

If you’re a Front customer, you can draw some similarities between Smart Rules and Message Templates; just like Message Templates allow you to choose dynamic input and outputs (like “sender name” or “recipient name”), Smart Rules let you do the same. 

How to replace hundreds of traditional rules with one Smart Rule

There are endless scenarios where one Smart Rule can replace multiple static, hardcoded rules by using dynamic variables. Here are two examples:

1. Assign a message to the person saying "I got this!" in comments

In an ideal world, handoffs are quick and seamless—though more often than not they’re manual or unclear. We’ve got a fix: Now, you can build a Smart Rule that assigns a conversation to whoever comments “I got this!”—or whatever phrase you’d like—on the message. The dynamic variable in this case is Author. Instead of one rule per teammate, you can now have one Smart Rule for everyone. 

2. Notify a manager when an SLA is breached 

Take care of breaches immediately with a single, customized Smart Rule. In this example, the Smart Rule will be triggered as soon as an SLA breach tag is added to a message. In the backend, the assignee and manager are looked up (those are the dynamic variables here) and notified. This one rule can replace dozens or more hard-to-manage rule per manage with one Smart Rule.

Create brand new workflows with Smart Rules’ new functionality 

With the release of Smart Rules, there are also some fresh, game-changing capabilities that are designed to help your workflows scale with your business. Check them out:

1. Extract an order ID and add a link to your internal systems in a comment.

You can create a smart rule that reads the body of an incoming message and extracts all order ids  following a pattern, where the dynamic variable would be the order id pattern. Say, for instance, your order IDs follow the pattern "2 letters - 5 digits - 2 digits”—that’d be your dynamic variable. You can create a rule that then adds those to the domain of your order management system, say www.myoms.com/[order_id] and show those URLs in a comment for easy reference. This works with any type of recognizable ID, booking ID, customer number, ticker ID, etc.

2. Add URLs to a conversation in a comment—automatically

Say you’re tracking something like an order or booking ID. You can now create a Smart Rule that extracts all URLs from the body of a message and immediately lists them in a comment on the conversation, so your team can quickly take action on the message. 

Fewer rules, unlimited workflows

Our goal is that with Smart Rules, you can eliminate dozens, if not hundreds, of static rules—making managing and scaling your workflows simpler. Additionally, you can easily create dynamic, new rules with advanced functionality to make sure your team is working as smooth and efficiently as possible. As your team grows, Smart Rules are critical to a scalable workflow, organized system, and tailored customer experience. 

Check out our Help Center article on Smart Rules for the nuts and bolts.