Chat Node
Send a message to a user via any channel (Slack, WhatsApp, Email, SMS), wait for their reply, and route the workflow based on AI-classified intent.
Supported Channels
The Chat node delivers messages through your organisation's integrated communication platforms:
Slack WhatsApp Email SMS Teams
Channel availability depends on which integrations are configured in your BizFirstAI environment. If the preferred channel is unavailable for the recipient, the node will attempt fallback to email.
Two-Phase Execution
Like all HIL nodes, the Chat node operates in two phases separated by an open-ended suspension. The workflow is completely dormant between phases — it does not poll, does not consume resources, and survives server restarts.
Message Delivery
- Resolves actor identity and preferred channel
- Delivers the message via the configured channel integration
- Registers a reply listener (webhook or polling) for incoming messages
- Suspends workflow; "waiting" port fires
- Timeout clock starts
AI Classification
- Incoming reply detected by the channel listener
- IChatReplyParser analyses the reply text
- Classification result: approved / rejected / unknown
- Workflow resumes on matching port
- Reply text and classification are available in node output
Key Capabilities
- Multi-channel delivery: route messages to Slack, WhatsApp, Email, SMS, or Microsoft Teams depending on the recipient's preference or your workflow's configuration.
- AI reply classification: free-text replies are automatically classified as approved or rejected using natural language understanding — no structured buttons or forms required.
- Full expression support on the message text — dynamically embed workflow variables, URLs, computed values, and record identifiers into the outgoing message.
- Five output ports — waiting, approved, rejected, success (unclassified), and error — for complete control over all response scenarios.
- Configurable timeout with automatic escalation to the error port if no reply is received within the specified window.
- The original reply text is preserved in the output regardless of classification — downstream nodes can log, display, or process the raw reply.
- Ideal for lightweight confirmations that should not disrupt the recipient's workflow — they reply directly from their existing communication tool without switching to the BizFirstAI portal.
Business Benefits
Many approval and confirmation scenarios do not warrant the friction of a formal approval portal. When a manager needs to quickly confirm a deployment, a field technician needs to report job completion, or a customer needs to confirm their order details, a simple chat message is far more accessible and actionable than a formal approval inbox.
The Chat node bridges this gap by meeting users where they already are — in Slack, WhatsApp, or their email client. The AI classifier removes the need for structured responses ("Reply YES or NO"), allowing natural communication. This dramatically improves response rates compared to form-based approvals, particularly for time-sensitive or mobile-first use cases.
For customer-facing workflows, the Chat node enables WhatsApp-based confirmations that are embedded directly in the automated process. A customer confirms their delivery time, validates their order, or accepts a quote without needing to log into a portal — their reply in WhatsApp is sufficient to drive the next step of the business workflow.
Use Cases
Quick Deployment Confirmation via Slack
Before deploying to production, send a Slack message to the on-call DevOps engineer: "Ready to deploy version 2.4.1 to production. Reply YES to proceed or NO to cancel." Their reply is classified and the workflow either triggers the CI/CD pipeline or halts and notifies the release manager.
Customer Order Confirmation via WhatsApp
After an order is placed, send a WhatsApp confirmation to the customer: "Hi {{name}}, your order #{{order_id}} for ${{total}} is ready to ship. Reply CONFIRM to proceed or CANCEL to stop. The customer's natural language reply is classified and triggers either shipping or order cancellation workflows.
Manager Quick Approval via Email Reply
For non-urgent approvals, email the manager a summary of the request and ask them to reply to the email. "Reply APPROVE or REJECT with any comments." The email reply is captured, classified by the AI, and the workflow continues accordingly — the manager never needs to leave their inbox.
Field Agent Status Update via SMS
After assigning a field service ticket, send the technician an SMS with job details: "Job #{{ticket_id}} assigned: fix router at {{address}}. Reply ACCEPT to confirm or UNAVAILABLE to reassign." The reply is classified and routes the ticket to the confirmed technician or triggers reassignment logic.
Executive Sign-Off via Teams Message
For board-level decisions that arise during off-hours, send a Teams message to the executive: "Urgent: vendor contract with {{vendor}} expires at midnight. Reply EXTEND to renew for 30 days or ESCALATE to initiate formal review." Extends or escalates based on the classified reply, with a full audit record.
In This Guide
Configuration
Actors, channel selection, message templates, timeout settings, and expression support reference.
Input & Output
Output port reference, reply data schema, classification values, and downstream access patterns.
Examples
Complete configurations for Slack deployments, WhatsApp customer flows, email approvals, and SMS field dispatch.