Two ways to collect data
Workflows have two dedicated mechanisms for collecting visitor information:
- Collect Data node: One field at a time, inline in the conversation. Best for a single important field (email, order number).
- Form node: Multiple fields in one step. Best for intake questionnaires (bug reports, support requests, lead qualification).
The Collect Data node
The Collect Data node asks for one piece of information per step. Supported field types:
- Email: Validates format automatically — the visitor can't proceed with an invalid email.
- Text: Free-form, any input accepted.
- Number: Digits only.
- Dropdown: A preset list of options. Good for "What's your plan?" or "What's your role?"
To add one: click the + handle in the editor, select Collect Data, choose the field type and label ("What's your email?"), and optionally mark it as required.
The collected value is stored on the visitor's profile and appears in the inbox sidebar when an agent views the conversation. If you collect an email, Yaplet links the conversation to any existing contact record with that address.
The Form node
A Form node presents a full form with multiple fields in a single message bubble. Supported field types in forms:
- Short text, long text
- Single choice, multi-choice
- Rating (1–5 stars)
- File upload
Forms also support conditional logic: show or hide specific fields based on the visitor's answer to an earlier field in the same form. Responses are stored and can be forwarded to a board (for bug reports or feature requests) or forwarded to your CRM via a webhook.
Storing data in custom visitor fields
When you configure a Collect Data or Form field, you can map it to a custom visitor field defined in your workspace. Custom fields appear in the visitor sidebar in the inbox, making collected data visible to every agent who works that conversation.
To define custom fields: go to Settings → Visitor data → Custom fields.
Using collected data downstream in the workflow
After a Collect Data step, the value is available as a variable in subsequent Message nodes and Condition nodes. For example, after collecting the visitor's name, you can use it in the next message: "Thanks, {{name}}! Let me find the right team for you."
CRM forwarding
To send collected form data to an external system, use an API Action node after the Form node. Configure it to POST the form responses to your CRM's webhook URL. The form field values are available as variables in the API Action body.
Next step
Once you've collected the visitor's data, you'll often want to hand them off to a human agent: Hand off from a workflow to a human agent.