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Flows: Multi-Step Data Collection

Tom Neill avatar
Written by Tom Neill
Updated over a week ago

What are Flows?

Flows are customisable sequences that guide people through a series of steps to collect information, share content, or gather feedback. Think of them as guided journeys — you design the path, and participants follow it step by step.

Why use Flows?

  • Streamlined data collection — Guide people through registration, surveys, and content in a logical sequence

  • Public access — Share flows publicly without requiring users to create accounts

  • Flexible step types — Combine registration forms, surveys, media content, and reminders

  • Participation tracking — Monitor how often individuals engage with frequency checks and alerts

  • Consistent experience — Everyone follows the same structured journey

Flow Step Types

Flows can include five different types of steps, combined in any order:

Registration

Collects personal information about the participant.

  • Uses your existing registration forms (Members, Volunteers, or Partners)

  • First step in most flows — identifies who is completing the flow

  • Can look up existing people or create new records

  • Optional: Prevent adding new people (only allow existing contacts)

Survey

Gathers responses using your survey forms.

  • Presents questions from a selected survey

  • Supports conditional questions (show/hide based on previous answers)

  • Creates survey interactions linked to the person

  • Can be used multiple times in a flow for different surveys

Media

Shares video, images, documents, or other content.

  • Embed YouTube, Vimeo, or other video links

  • Upload PDFs, images, or documents

  • Track who views the content

  • Optional: Automatically email a follow-up survey after viewing

Reminder

Sends a scheduled message after a delay.

  • Set timing: days, weeks, or months after registration

  • Customise the message content

  • Include a link to a follow-up survey

  • Notify an admin when reminders are sent

Frequency Check

Monitors participation frequency and enforces limits.

  • Count how many times someone completes the flow within a time period

  • Set warning thresholds (amber alerts)

  • Set blocking thresholds (red alerts) to prevent over-participation

  • Different limits for different participant groups (e.g., children vs adults)

Creating a Flow

Step 1: Start a New Flow

  1. Go to Flows in the main navigation

  2. Click Create flow

  3. Enter a Name for your flow (e.g., "Volunteer Onboarding" or "Session Feedback")

  4. Add a Description explaining what the flow is for

  5. Click Create

Step 2: Add Steps

Build your flow by adding steps in sequence:

  1. Click Add step

  2. Choose the step type (Registration, Survey, Media, Reminder, or Frequency Check)

  3. Configure the step (see detailed configuration below)

  4. Repeat to add more steps

  5. Drag steps to reorder if needed

Step 3: Configure Flow Settings

Set overall flow options:

  • Public access — Allow anyone with the link to access (no login required)

  • Prevent adding new people — Only allow existing contacts to complete the flow

  • Custom completion message — What participants see when they finish

Step 4: Save and Share

  1. Click Save to save your flow

  2. Copy the flow link to share it

  3. Choose between internal link (requires login) or public link (no login)

Configuring Each Step Type

Registration Step

  1. Select a Registration form from your existing forms

  2. The person type (Members, Volunteers, Partners) is determined by the form

  3. Optionally enable Prevent adding new people to only allow existing contacts

Tip: If participants might already be in your system, they can search for themselves rather than creating duplicates.

Survey Step

  1. Select a Survey from your existing surveys

  2. The survey questions will be presented to participants

  3. Responses are saved as interactions linked to the person

Tip: You can add multiple survey steps to collect different types of feedback in one flow.

Media Step

  1. Choose Link (for videos) or Upload (for files)

  2. For links: Paste the URL (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)

  3. For uploads: Upload your file (PDF, image, document)

  4. Add a Name and Description for the content

  5. Optional: Enable Email survey on view to automatically send a follow-up survey

Tip: Media views are tracked, so you can see who has viewed your content.

Reminder Step

  1. Set when to send: number of days, weeks, or months after registration

  2. Write your Message — use ##{{personId}} as a placeholder for personalisation

  3. Optional: Select a Follow-up survey to include a link in the reminder

  4. Select an Admin to notify when reminders are sent

Note: Reminders only work for internal flows, not public flows.

Frequency Check Step

  1. Set the Time period for counting (e.g., 12 months)

  2. Set Amber alert threshold — shows a warning when reached

  3. Set Red alert threshold — blocks further participation when reached

  4. Optional: Enable Advanced mode for different limits per participant group:

    • Define participant groups with conditions (e.g., "Under 18s", "Regular attendees")

    • Set different thresholds for each group

    • Groups are matched based on registration data

Example: A youth programme might allow children to attend 6 sessions per year, but adults can attend unlimited sessions.

Sharing Flows

Internal Flows

  • URL format: /flow/[flowId]

  • Requires users to be logged in

  • Full access to all step types including reminders

  • Best for: Staff data entry, internal processes

Public Flows

  • URL format: /public-flow/[flowId]

  • No login required — anyone can access

  • Enable by toggling Public access in flow settings

  • Best for: Event registration, feedback collection, public surveys

Sharing options:

  • Copy the link and email it directly

  • Add the link to your website

  • Share on social media

  • Create a QR code for physical materials

Frequency Checks in Detail

Frequency checks help you manage participation limits — useful when resources are limited or regulations require tracking.

How It Works

  1. When someone reaches the frequency check step, the system counts their previous completions

  2. If they're under the amber threshold, they continue normally

  3. If they've reached the amber threshold, they see a warning but can continue

  4. If they've reached the red threshold, they're blocked from continuing

Simple Mode

Set global thresholds that apply to everyone:

  • Time period: How far back to count (e.g., last 12 months)

  • Amber alert: Warning threshold (e.g., 3 sessions)

  • Red alert: Blocking threshold (e.g., 5 sessions)

Advanced Mode

Create different rules for different participant groups:

  1. Enable Advanced mode

  2. Click Add participant group

  3. Define Conditions to identify the group (e.g., age under 18)

  4. Set thresholds specific to that group

  5. Repeat for additional groups

People are matched to groups in order — they belong to the first group whose conditions they meet.

Best Practices

Keep flows focused

A flow should have a clear purpose. If you're collecting very different types of information, consider creating separate flows.

Test before sharing

Complete your flow yourself to check:

  • All steps work correctly

  • Questions make sense in order

  • The completion message is appropriate

Use meaningful names

"Flow 1" doesn't help anyone. "Summer Programme Registration" tells people exactly what to expect.

Consider the participant experience

  • Put registration first so you know who's completing the flow

  • Group related questions together

  • Keep it as short as practical

Monitor participation

Check flow responses regularly to:

  • See who's completed the flow

  • Identify any issues with completion rates

  • Follow up with people who started but didn't finish

Flows vs Other Features

Feature

Purpose

Use For

Flows

Multi-step data collection sequences

Public registration, event feedback, content delivery

Portals

Eligibility screening for funding

Grant applicant filtering

Surveys

Standalone questionnaires

Ad-hoc feedback, assessments

Case Management

Ongoing support tracking

1:1 support work, progress monitoring

Flows are ideal when you need to:

  • Combine registration with immediate survey completion

  • Share content and track who views it

  • Collect data from the public without requiring accounts

  • Enforce participation limits

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I edit a flow after creating it? Yes. Changes apply to new completions — existing responses aren't affected.

Can someone complete a flow multiple times? Yes, unless you add a frequency check step to limit participation.

Do public flows require people to create accounts? No. Public flows collect information without requiring login. For member forms, participants go straight to the form without account creation.

Can I see who has completed a flow? Yes. Responses create interactions linked to people, which appear in their profile and in your interaction lists.

What happens if someone doesn't finish a flow? Partial data may be saved depending on which steps they completed. Registration creates or finds a person record; surveys save responses as they're submitted.

Can I duplicate a flow? Yes. From the flows list, click the duplicate button to create a copy you can modify.

Do reminders work in public flows? No. Reminders require the internal flow URL and user authentication.

Can I use flows for case management? Flows are primarily for data collection, not ongoing case tracking. The data collected (surveys, registrations) can be used alongside case management, but flows don't create or link to cases directly.

How do I track media views? Media views are recorded as interactions. You can see who viewed content and when in the interactions list or on individual profiles.

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