DeskFlow: WhatsApp flow automation and AI, without coding
Build your WhatsApp chatbot and the processes around it in VipDesk’s visual flow builder: menus, data capture, AI agents, lookups in other systems and actions in the CRM and on tickets, with a hand-off to your team when a person is needed. No code required.
A visual editor to automate WhatsApp flows
Each flow is a diagram: blocks are the steps (send a message, ask a question, query a system, create a deal) and arrows are the transitions, with or without a condition. What is on the canvas is exactly what runs on your channels.
Demo flow open in the editor: each block is a step and each arrow a transition.
Drag, connect, configure
Component palette by category, block search, zoom, minimap, undo and redo, copy and paste, groups and sticky notes on the canvas.
Draft and publish
Changes stay in a draft with auto-save. You publish when you are ready and can roll back to a previous version from the history.
Test before activating
Playground with simulated sessions, one-off tests of API calls, a visible conversation context and execution logs per flow.
Organization and teamwork
Folders, a trash with restore, JSON export and import, comments on the flow and an indicator of who is editing.
Triggers, conditions and actions
Every flow starts with a trigger, picks its path with conditions and runs actions on your channels, inside VipDesk or in other systems.
Triggers: what starts the flow
- Incoming message on a channel connected to VipDesk, such as WhatsApp. The flow replies on the same channel.
- Schedule: runs at an interval, daily or weekly, with a time window, weekend, holiday and specific-date blocking, for a list of numbers, a contact group or a CSV file.
- API call: another system starts the flow for a given number, passing context data.
Conditions: where the conversation goes
- If/else with equality, comparison, “contains”, “exists”, list and regular-expression operators on any conversation data.
- Conditions on the arrow itself: equals, contains, context value, positive answer, digits only or regex, with no extra block.
- Numbered menu and, optionally, an AI that picks the option when the customer writes in their own words.
Actions: what the flow does
- Text messages, buttons, lists, media and approved WhatsApp templates.
- Data capture and validation (name, ID number, number, email) stored as conversation variables.
- Variables and expressions in any field, with built-in helpers for dates, currency, text and lists; loops over lists and pauses of up to 5 minutes.
- Actions inside VipDesk, lookups in other systems and AI agents, described below.
System integration through APIs
The HTTP request block reads and writes data in ERPs, e-commerce platforms, internal systems and any service with an API, and the response becomes a variable for the next steps.
- GET, POST, PUT, PATCH and DELETE with headers, query parameters and a body built from flow variables.
- Authentication with a Bearer token, username and password, an API key in a header or in the URL, a session with automatic login, or a token fetched from a login endpoint.
- Response in context: pick the response field (for example
items[0].price) and use it in the following messages and conditions. Separate success and error outputs. - Stored credentials kept as encrypted secrets, referenced by name, never written into the flow.
- Failure alerts sent to a webhook when an integration starts failing.
- Data sources and knowledge base: import records through an API, CSV spreadsheets or Google Drive files for the AI to consult during conversations.
For developers, there are custom blocks in Python run in an isolated sandbox, and connections to MCP servers that expose tools to the AI agents.
Example: order lookup
The customer types the order number. The flow calls your system’s API with that number, stores the status in a variable and replies “Your order is ${{order.status}} and ships on ${{order.eta}}”. If the API fails, the error output hands the conversation to an agent.
VipDesk-specific blocks
Beyond messages and integrations, the flow acts directly on your operation: tickets, CRM, calendar, payments, Kanban and telephony, without copying data between screens.
“Customer service” category of the component palette (the editor’s interface is in Portuguese).
Tickets and team
Transfer to a department (with distribution across agents), change the ticket status and owner, apply tags to the contact and the ticket, hand the conversation to another flow.
Sales CRM
Create a deal in the pipeline with title, value and source filled from the conversation; move the deal to another stage or pipeline when the customer advances.
Calendar and Kanban
Create an appointment in VipDesk’s calendar (professional, service and time) and open or move Kanban cards for tasks that need follow-up.
Payments and telephony
Generate a payment link or Pix charge through the payment provider configured in VipDesk and check whether it was paid; place a call with a recorded audio or connect the agent to the customer.
Settings of the “Create deal (CRM)” block: title, value and source accept conversation variables.
AI on WhatsApp: agents that talk and take action
An AI agent on WhatsApp talks to the customer, looks up data and takes action within the limits you set in the flow. You use your own provider’s API key (OpenAI, Google Gemini or Anthropic).
AI agent with tools
A free-conversation block with your instructions and tools it can call: query an API, search the knowledge base, create a deal, apply a tag, book an appointment, generate a payment link or hand off to a human.
Intent classification
The AI routing block reads the message and picks one of the outputs you defined (“duplicate invoice”, “support”, “cancel”), with a fallback reply.
Knowledge base
Imported documents and records become grounded answers: the AI replies only from your company’s material.
Audio and images
Automatic transcription of incoming voice messages and image reading by the agent, so the flow understands what the customer sent.
Examples of WhatsApp flow automation
Three flows built only with the blocks described on this page.
Customer service: a menu with AI only when needed
The customer writes on WhatsApp. The flow greets them by name, offers a numbered menu and, if the person replies in free text, the AI picks the option. Simple lookups are answered through an API; outside business hours, a condition on the current time says so and logs the request; during business hours, it transfers to the right department with distribution across agents.
CRM: from first contact to the sales rep
The flow asks for name, product of interest and timeline. With the answers, it creates the deal in the pipeline with title and value filled in, applies the source tag and hands the conversation to the sales team. When the customer confirms the proposal in another conversation, another flow moves the deal to the next stage and generates the payment link.
Tickets: status, owner and escalation
A customer reports a problem. The flow collects the details, applies the tag for the type of issue, changes the ticket status and delivers it to the responsible department. If the field-service API confirms a visit, the flow shares the date; if it does not respond, it escalates to a manager by transfer. SLA deadlines and expiry alerts remain with VipDesk’s native automation rules.
See DeskFlow in action
Just over twenty seconds in the editor: the demo flow, the settings of a CRM block, the customer service component palette and an AI agent.
Recording of the editor with a demo flow and no customer data. The video has no audio; the captions describe each step. The editor’s interface is in Portuguese.
Full tutorials for DeskFlow and the platform are on the VipDesk YouTube channel and in the help center (in Portuguese).
Frequently asked questions
Is DeskFlow a separate product from VipDesk?
No. DeskFlow is VipDesk’s visual automation engine and opens inside the platform with the same login. Flows act on the channels, tickets, CRM and calendar of your account.
Can I build a WhatsApp chatbot with DeskFlow?
Yes. The flow starts when a message arrives on a WhatsApp number connected to VipDesk and replies on the same channel: menus with options, buttons and lists, data capture, lookups in other systems and, when a person is needed, a transfer to the right department with the history. The chatbot and human customer service share the same queue. See the step by step in how to build a WhatsApp chatbot without coding.
How does AI work on WhatsApp?
In two ways. The AI routing block understands what the customer wrote and picks a path in the flow. The AI agent talks freely following your instructions and calls tools: search the knowledge base, query an API, create a CRM deal, book an appointment or hand off to an agent. The AI uses the API key of the provider your company chooses. More in AI agent for WhatsApp: what it does and when to use it.
Do I need to know how to code?
No. Flows are built by dragging and configuring blocks. Variables and conditions use a simple syntax with suggestions as you type. Developers can optionally create custom blocks in Python.
How is DeskFlow different from VipDesk’s automation rules?
The native rules handle lead distribution, pipeline-stage follow-ups, SLA deadlines and escalation. DeskFlow is for processes you design: guided conversations, lookups in other systems, conditional decisions and chained actions in the CRM and on tickets. The two work together.
Can it integrate with my system?
Yes, through APIs. The HTTP request block makes GET, POST, PUT, PATCH and DELETE calls with token, username and password, API key or session authentication, and the response is available to the rest of the flow. Other systems can also start a flow through the API.
How do I test a flow before activating it?
In the playground, with simulated sessions and the conversation context visible, without messaging customers. API calls can be tested one at a time. Changes stay in a draft until you publish, and the history lets you roll back to a previous version.
Is artificial intelligence required?
No. A flow can be fully deterministic, with menus, conditions and integrations. The AI blocks are optional and use the API key of the provider your company chooses (OpenAI, Google Gemini or Anthropic).
Which channels does the flow reply on?
The channels connected to your VipDesk account. A flow is bound to the accounts it should act on, and each account belongs to one active flow at a time. Scheduled flows can also send messages to a list of numbers, a contact group or a CSV file.
Go deeper
How to build a WhatsApp chatbot without coding
Step by step to build a WhatsApp chatbot in a visual flow builder: goal, menu, data capture, API integration, AI and hand-off to your team.
Read articleAI agent for WhatsApp: what it does and when to use it
What an AI agent on WhatsApp is, how it differs from a menu chatbot and assistive AI, when it pays off and how to keep the conversation under control.
Read articleHow to connect customer service to your sales pipeline
Why WhatsApp and other channel conversations get lost before they become sales, and how to connect customer service and your pipeline in six steps.
Read articleSee a flow built for your operation
In the demo, we design one of your team’s real processes with you in DeskFlow, from the trigger to the action in the CRM or on the ticket.
Prefer to email us directly? comercial@vipphone.com.br