Best Practices: Testing your Flows before Launching
Using the simulator is an excellent way to test a flow while building, but nothing beats a real-world test before you launch.
Conducting test-runs with real phone numbers or social media channels will help you avoid common problems such as message content errors, flow logic mistakes, failed messages, channel connectivity issues, and much more. This is why we consider it a best practice to test before you send your flows out to contacts.
Be sure to establish real connections for your preferred channel type.
For example, if using an SMS gateway or local carrier, you should have phone numbers connected for each carrier you wish to use. In the example below, you can see that the account has fully connected their local carrier- in this case, Orange.
Before you send a flow out to dozens (if not thousands) of contacts, create a small test group. Navigate to the "Contacts" tab and click the menu icon ☰, then on "New Group" .
Send your flow to your test group by checking the select 'All' button at the top, then click the flow button that will appear:
Your test contacts should complete the flow in its entirety to check for message content errors (such as typos or confusing text). Be sure to check out our article on message content best practices.
As your contacts are passing through the flow, note if any messages or replies are not working the way you want or expected.
Take a look at your Results to further analyze your contacts' interactions with your flow:
By fully testing your flows in a real-world context, you can avoid simple mistakes- saving you time and money. You may also be interested in A/B testing your flows before launching.
Check out our article on troubleshooting delivery errors if you find that your messages are not sending properly, and contact us via the support widget to the bottom right of the screen if you have any questions.
Conducting test-runs with real phone numbers or social media channels will help you avoid common problems such as message content errors, flow logic mistakes, failed messages, channel connectivity issues, and much more. This is why we consider it a best practice to test before you send your flows out to contacts.
Connect your channel
Be sure to establish real connections for your preferred channel type.
For example, if using an SMS gateway or local carrier, you should have phone numbers connected for each carrier you wish to use. In the example below, you can see that the account has fully connected their local carrier- in this case, Orange.
Create a group of test contacts
Before you send a flow out to dozens (if not thousands) of contacts, create a small test group. Navigate to the "Contacts" tab and click the menu icon ☰, then on "New Group" .
Send your flow to your test group by checking the select 'All' button at the top, then click the flow button that will appear:
Your test contacts should complete the flow in its entirety to check for message content errors (such as typos or confusing text). Be sure to check out our article on message content best practices.
As your contacts are passing through the flow, note if any messages or replies are not working the way you want or expected.
Take a look at your Results to further analyze your contacts' interactions with your flow:
By fully testing your flows in a real-world context, you can avoid simple mistakes- saving you time and money. You may also be interested in A/B testing your flows before launching.
Check out our article on troubleshooting delivery errors if you find that your messages are not sending properly, and contact us via the support widget to the bottom right of the screen if you have any questions.
Updated on: 19/12/2024
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