Ask a question and save the answer

For agents

Guide: Ask a question and save the answer

This page: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/flow-steps/ask-a-question-and-save-the-answer

Topic: Flow steps

Time: about 5 minutes

Who can do it: Owner, Administrator or Manager

Author: https://anantgupta.xyz (Anant Gupta, founder of CommentWatchDog)

Start in the app: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox

Result when done: An answer of the right type saved on the person, with checks, retries and a skip.

Context: Ask a question sends a question and waits. The answer is checked for its type (an email, a phone number, a date, a choice), saved on the contact or kept for this conversation, and the flow goes on by Answered or by No answer. People write the way they write: "maria at gmail dot com", "1,500", "tomorrow", "the large one" all read correctly.

Before you start

1. It needs an open chat: in a comment flow it goes after the private reply's tap.

2. Saved answers show on the person in People, and a Condition can check them.

3. The wait for an answer counts toward Meta's 24-hour window.

Steps

Step 1 of 5: Add Ask a question to your flow.

Where: Open the flow (Automation, then the flow's row). In the Steps panel on the left, under Ask and wait, drag Ask a question onto the canvas, or select the step it should follow and click Ask a question. On a phone: Add step at the top left of the canvas, then Ask a question under Ask and wait.

Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox (Open the app)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-flow-palette.en.webp (The Steps panel: Ask a question, under Ask and wait.)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-flow-palette-phone.en.webp (On a phone, Add step lists the same steps: Ask a question, under Ask and wait.)

You should see: The Ask a question card is on the canvas and its settings panel is open (a sheet on a phone).

Step 2 of 5: Pick the answer type and write the question.

Where: Panel, Answer type at the top: Open answer, Multiple choice, Yes or no, Email, Phone number, then Number, Date, Website, Rating 1 to 5 and Matches a pattern (behind More answer types on a new question; a pattern is an order number, a US ZIP code, an Indian PIN code, a UK postcode, an Instagram handle, letters only, digits only, or your own regex). Write the question in the box under the types. For an answer they type, Try an answer in the panel shows whether a sample fits (Fits, saved as …, or Doesn't fit: they would be asked again), with the same check the flow uses.

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-node-ask.en.webp (Answer type: the ten kinds of answer.)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-node-ask-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)

You should see: The type's own settings appear: options for a choice, a range for a number, Only today or later for a date.

Step 3 of 5: Say where the answer goes.

Where: Panel, Remember it as: an email or phone goes on the contact itself; a text answer can fill the Contact's Name; anything else gets a short name you choose (a custom field). Switch on Only for this conversation to keep it for this run only, not on the contact.

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-node-ask-more.en.webp (Remember it as: where the answer is saved.)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-node-ask-more-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)

You should see: The card says where the answer goes, such as Saved as “party_size”, or Saves their email.

Step 4 of 5: Set the retries, the skip and the wait.

Where: Panel, More options: If the answer doesn't fit (the line they get, and how many times they are asked again: Once, Twice or 3 times, then the No answer way), Skip button (a Skip chip under the question that goes the No answer way), and Wait for an answer (1 to 23 hours; silence goes the No answer way).

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-node-ask-end.en.webp (More options, at the end of the panel: how many times to ask again, the Skip button and Wait for an answer.)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-node-ask-end-phone.en.webp (The same three on a phone, at the end of the sheet.)

You should see: The No answer way reads skipped, or none in the hours you set.

Step 5 of 5: Wire the two ways.

Where: Answered (or one way per option, when Each option leads its own way is on) goes to the next step; No answer (skipped, missed, or quiet for the wait) to its own step, or the flow stops.

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-node-ask.en.webp (The ways out: Answered and No answer.)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-node-ask-ways-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)

You should see: Both ways lead somewhere.

If something is off

Problem: Someone gave an email with a typo

Fix: A likely typo (gmial.com) is checked with them before it is kept; the wording of that check is under If the email looks mistyped.

Problem: Instagram shows no one-tap email chip

Fix: Meta refuses the email and phone one-tap replies on Instagram. Messenger offers the person's own address when their profile has one.

Problem: A phone number without a country code

Fix: It is read with the page's country; obvious fakes such as 0000000 are refused.

Common questions

Question: How many options can a multiple choice question have?

Answer: Up to 13, sent as quick replies (one fewer with a Skip button). People can tap one or type it.

Question: Can the answer to a yes or no question be typed?

Answer: Yes. Yes and no are understood when typed in five languages (yeah, nope, sí, oui, não …) and as 👍 and 👎.

Question: Where do saved answers show?

Answer: On the person in People, and every Condition can check them under An answer they gave.

Related guides

Set a field: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/flow-steps/set-a-field

How a condition works: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/flow-conditions/how-a-condition-works

Check what you know about them: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/flow-conditions/check-what-you-know-about-them

Plain text of this guide: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/flow-steps/ask-a-question-and-save-the-answer.md

All guides for assistants: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/llms.txt