SD Workflows - Multi Submit

Summary You can turn a form into a workflow that is completed in stages. Container elements split the form into stages, and section visibility controls who can see each one. In the Multi-Submit tab of SD Workflow, you add actions for each stage: some run as soon as the stage is submitted, such as archiving the ticket, setting its status or emailing the customer, and others run after a set time. PaT draws a map of the workflow as you build it.

Steps

Introduction. You can create a form in PaT that is submitted in sections, one step at a time. You build a workflow by breaking a form into defined stages and guiding users through each one in the correct order. It's a powerful way to control how data is collected throughout a process. Say you need input from different stakeholders, in a specific sequence: stage 2 can't be completed until stage 1 is done, and stage 3 can't begin until stages 1 and 2 are complete. That is where workflows come in. They let you: - break your form into multiple steps; - trigger actions when each step is completed, such as assigning a task or sending a message; - control visibility, so only the right users see and complete the sections relevant to them. A workflow turns a simple form into a structured, intelligent process that mirrors how your business actually operates. The steps below use a ticketing system as the example.

Step 1

In the SD Form Builder, the Container form element groups other form fields into logical sections, which makes the form easier to read and complete. For example, you might group all the address details into one container, employment information into another, and so on. Containers also define the steps, or stages, of a workflow. To turn a container into a workflow step, you switch on a setting called multi-submit, which tells PaT that the container is an independent step in the form's submission. To find it, click the Edit button (a pencil) among the buttons at the top right of the container. The Edit form field Field Group box opens.

Step 2

On the General tab, switch on Enable multi-submit form workflow for this section, so that it reads YES. This changes the form from a simple data collection tool, like a survey, audit or poll, into a multi-stage workflow, where different stakeholders complete specific sections in a sequence you define.

Step 3

As a form moves through its stages, each step can see the inputs from previous steps by default. To control who can view a section, use the section's visibility setting, Authorised Groups, under Multi-Submit Workflow lower in the same box. You choose who is authorised to view the section; the options include the assignor, assignee, guest, author, owner or ancestor of the SD. For example, in a ticketing system the customer (the owner) creates the ticket. A later stage might have a customer service rep rate the quality of the ticket, to find training opportunities. You may not want the customer to see that rating, so you leave the owner out of that section's visibility list. When you are done, click Save & Close Field Group, at the bottom right of the box.

Setting up actions for each stage

Step 4

Click SD Workflow in the menu on the left of the screen, under SD Form Responses. The workflow page opens on its Workflow Settings tab.

Step 5

Click Multi-Submit, the second tab at the top of the page, after Workflow Settings. It is where you set up what PaT does once users have entered the required information and clicked the submit button.

Step 6

The Multi-Submit tab is where you assign actions to specific sections of the form. The Workflow Stages column, on the left, shows each stage, based on the order of the container elements in your form: stage one is the first container, stage two is the second, and so on. When you select a stage, you set what happens when that stage is submitted in the column to its right: Actions: Upon Submit at the top and Actions: By Time below it.

Step 7

Actions: Upon Submit controls what happens when the user clicks the submit button. Actions: By Time lets you automate follow-ups, for example creating a task if no response is received within 90 minutes. A stage can have both: in a ticketing form, for example, the first stage might have six actions, three triggered as soon as it is submitted and three set to fire later, based on timing rules.

Step 8

To see the actions configured for a stage, click the stage in Workflow Stages. Its actions show under Actions: Upon Submit and Actions: By Time.

Step 9

For example, one stage of a ticketing form has three Upon Submit actions. The first archives the ticket once the stage is submitted: it is filed away automatically and removed from the active workflow. This kind of automation is where workflows are most powerful: jobs normally done by hand, like filing, assigning or escalating, are handled automatically by PaT, freeing your team to focus on higher-value work.

Step 10

The second updates the ticket status to Completed once the stage is submitted. In a manual system, someone would have to update the status in a spreadsheet or physically move a paper form. In PaT, you configure the rule once and from then on it is handled automatically: less admin, fewer errors, and more time for your team to focus on what matters most.

Step 11

The third sends the customer an email notification that the ticket has been closed: one more way automation in PaT reduces manual work and gives time and productivity back to your team.

Adding an action upon submit

Step 12

To add a new action to a stage, select the stage, then click the + at the left end of the Actions: Upon Submit heading. A short form opens at the top of that section.

Step 13

In Action Description (200 words max), give your action a description.

Step 14

In Action Type to occur, select the type of action you want to occur. The options include archive this SD, create a new task, message on a new chat, message on form SD chat, message on queue SD chat, send a browser notification and update form Status on QueueSD.

Step 15

Click Add new Action - submit, under Action Type to occur.

Adding an action by time

Step 16

You can also add actions by time: click the + at the left end of the Actions: By Time heading, below the Upon Submit actions. A short form opens.

Step 17

In Action Description (200 words max), add a description.

Step 18

In Action Type to occur, select the type of action you want to occur. The list has the options named in Step 14, plus checks such as Check Form Chat activity and Check SLA for breach**.

Step 19

In Period before action occurs, select the amount of time to wait before the action is triggered.

Step 20

In Freq of check, beside it, choose how often the action should run: - Run once: the action triggers a single time when the condition is met. - Run 'til submit: the action keeps checking and re-triggering as needed until the condition you set is satisfied.

Step 21

When you are done, click Add new Action - time, under the drop-down lists.

Step 22

As you build out your workflow, PaT draws a map of it in the Flow of Actions column, to help you visualise your design.

Result. You can now build workflows from multi-submit form sections: they control visibility, trigger targeted actions and guide processes stage by stage.