Inbound Email Flows & Inbound Chat Flows

These are two distinct Architect flow types, each handling a specific digital channel. Both share structural similarities with Inbound Message flows but have channel-specific behaviors and limitations.

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Inbound Email Flows

Section	Description
Feature Area	Architect / Flows
Flow Type	Inbound Email
Navigation (Architect)	Admin → Architect → Flows → Inbound Email
Navigation (Connect to domain)	Admin → Contact Center → Email → [domain] → Route Settings → select flow
Primary Function	Route incoming ACD emails to the correct queue based on sender, subject, keywords, or scheduling logic

What Inbound Email Flows Do

Inbound email flows allow administrators to route and deliver incoming email messages to the right queue based on customer identity and intent. The flow is assigned to an email domain in the Email routing settings and runs when a new inbound email arrives.

Email Flow Characteristics

Attribute	Value / Description
Does NOT have failure/success paths	Unlike call flows — errors are handled by configuring an action's path (e.g., Disconnect, Transfer to Queue)
No language settings	Inbound email flows do not support language configuration
No in-queue handling	Cannot trigger an in-queue flow from within the email flow itself
No audio controls	No DTMF, no text-to-speech
Maximum wait time	72 hours
In-queue flow limit	30 in-queue flows per email interaction (prevents looping when target queue = current queue)
In-queue flow initial period	60 seconds (recurring states run every 5 minutes + 5 second added wait)
Auto-generated email handling	Configurable — default is Disconnect; can be set to "Process as normal"

Auto-Generated Email Detection

Genesys Cloud automatically identifies auto-generated emails by confirming all three of these headers:

Header	Value That Triggers Auto-Generated Flag
Auto-Submitted	Not equal to "no"
Precedence	Contains "bulk"
X-Autoreply	Contains "yes"

Default behavior: auto-generated emails are disconnected. Setting location: Architect → Flows → Settings → Inbound Email.

Common Routing Logic in Email Flows

Routing Scenario	Architect Technique
Route by keyword in subject line	Contains() function in a Decision action
Route by sender's email domain	EmailAddressDomainPart() function in a Decision action
Route by case ID in body	Contains() on the body text
Route by schedule (business hours)	Evaluate Schedule or Evaluate Schedule Group action
Auto-reply after hours	Send Auto Reply action
Route internal vs external senders	EmailAddressDomainPart() — send internal employees to employee queue, everyone else to standard queue

Permissions

Permission	Purpose
Architect > Flow > Add	Create email flows
Architect > Flow > Edit	Edit email flows
Architect > Flow > View	View email flows
Architect > Flow > Delete	Delete email flows

How Email Flows Connect to Email Domains

1. Create and publish the Inbound Email flow in Architect
2. Navigate to Admin → Contact Center → Email
3. Select the email domain and configure routing settings
4. Assign the published Inbound Email flow

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Inbound Chat Flows

Section	Description
Feature Area	Architect / Flows
Flow Type	Inbound Chat
Navigation (Architect)	Admin → Architect → Flows → Inbound Chat
Primary Function	Route ACD web chat interactions to the correct queue; optionally invoke bot flows before agent handoff
Channel	Web chat (via Web Chat widget / Web Messenger — deprecated web chat; Inbound Chat flows are for legacy Web Chat)

What Inbound Chat Flows Do

Inbound Chat flows handle chat interactions arriving via Genesys web chat widgets. They route chats to agents, invoke bots, and perform logic based on available agent capacity, schedules, or customer data. This flow type is distinct from Inbound Message flows, which handle ACD messaging channels (SMS, social, messaging apps, Web Messenger).

Chat Flow Characteristics

Attribute	Value / Description
Failure/success paths	No — same as email; errors handled via action-level path configuration
In-queue handling	No in-queue flow within chat flows
Audio controls	No — no DTMF, no TTS
Language setting	Yes — chat flows do support a default language setting
Error event transfer queue	Configurable at flow creation — optional queue to transfer the flow to if Architect detects an error
Maximum wait time	72 hours
Bot integration	Can invoke a Dialog Engine Bot Flow or Digital Bot Flow via Call Bot Flow / Call Digital Bot Flow action

Permissions

Permission	Purpose
Architect > Flow > Add	Create chat flows
Architect > Flow > Edit	Edit chat flows
Architect > Flow > View	View chat flows
Architect > Flow > Delete	Delete chat flows

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Comparison: Email vs Chat vs Message Flows

Attribute	Inbound Email	Inbound Chat	Inbound Message
Channel	Email (ACD)	Web Chat (legacy)	ACD Messaging (SMS, social, Web Messenger)
Failure/success paths	No	No	No
Language setting	No	Yes	No
In-queue handling	No	No	No
Audio / DTMF / TTS	No	No	No
Maximum wait time	72 hours	72 hours	72 hours
In-queue flow limit	30 per interaction	N/A	30 per interaction
Bot integration	No (email-specific)	Yes	Yes
Auto-generated handling	Yes (configurable)	No	No

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Shared Architect Flow Notes for Digital Flows

Rule	Applies To
No failure or success paths	Email, Chat, Message
In-queue flow limit of 30	Email and Message
Cannot loop transfer to same queue	Email and Message
72-hour max wait time	Email, Chat, Message
All require publishing before use	All flow types
Assigned at channel config level	Email → Email domain settings; Chat → Web Chat widget; Message → Messaging config

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Key Takeaways

Topic	Summary
Inbound Email flow	Routes ACD emails; no audio, no failure paths, no language; max 72hr wait; auto-generated email detection
Auto-generated detection	Three headers: Auto-Submitted ≠ "no", Precedence = "bulk", X-Autoreply = "yes"
Email routing techniques	Contains(), EmailAddressDomainPart(), Evaluate Schedule, Send Auto Reply
In-queue flow limit	30 per email/message interaction
Inbound Chat flow	Routes legacy web chat; similar to email but does support language setting
Chat vs Message	Inbound Chat = legacy Web Chat widget; Inbound Message = ACD messaging channels (SMS, social, Web Messenger)
Both lack in-queue handling	Neither email nor chat flows trigger in-queue flows internally