Learn About Salesforce Flow and RecordActions

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:

Describe a RecordAction.
Explain how Salesforce Flow for Service relates to Salesforce Flow.
Describe how you use automation tools with Salesforce Flow for Service.

Follow Along with Trail Together

Want to follow along with an expert as you work through this step? Take a look at this video, part of the Trail Together series.

(This clip starts at the 4:53 minute mark, in case you want to rewind and watch the beginning of the step again.)

How RecordActions Help Service Agents

When an agent opens a record that’s configured with the Actions & Recommendations component, they see... um, well... a list of actions and recommendations. Under the covers, each step in the list is a RecordAction junction object. While that sounds technical, a RecordAction is simply an action, such as a flow or quick action, that’s associated with a record. For example, if an agent clicks a step called Verify Information on a Contact record, a screen flow walks the agent through the task of confirming the customer’s identity. In this example, the RecordAction associates the Verify Information flow with the Contact record.

A RecordAction associates a flow or quick action with a record.

Salesforce Flow for Service Is Built on Salesforce Flow

Salesforce Flow for Service brings together guidance and automation tools. It’s built on Salesforce Flow, the product that provides point-and-click automation tools like Flow Builder.

Maria reviews the prerequisites to make sure that Salesforce Flow for Service is right for Ursa Major Solar. She also checks that she has the right skills to set it up.

Lightning Experience
An understanding of business processes, user tasks, and procedures
The ability to use Flow Builder

Maria has used process automation tools in the past, but she decides it’s a good idea to brush up. She revisits the Flow Basics Trailhead module, which reminds her that you use Flow Builder to build flows.

Use the Flow Builder tool to build flows.

Create Flows and Quick Actions First

Before you can create RecordActions, create the flows and quick actions that you can associate with records.

Use Flow Builder to create flows, such as screen flows, field service mobile flows, or autolaunched flows.
Create custom quick actions, or use predefined quick actions like Email and Log a Call. Add the quick actions that you want to use to record page layouts.

On a record page, the component can also surface recommendations that result from applying Einstein Next Best Action strategies. First create the flows that represent offers and actions, and define recommendations that reference these flows. Then build action strategies that contain business rules and filter criteria.

Now that you have actions to populate steps in your list, you’re ready to create RecordActions.

When to Use Deployment or Flow Builder?

There are two ways to create RecordActions (not counting APIs). You can configure them in an Actions & Recommendations deployment, or create a flow process with RecordActions in Flow Builder. Both methods can invoke screen flows, field service mobile flows, and quick actions.

Use a Deployment When...	Use Flow Builder When...
You have a straightforward use case. A deployment lets you quickly configure a to-do list for your agents.	Your use case is more complex. For example, you want control over which steps appear in the list and when they’re shown.
You want to display the same list of steps on record pages.	A condition determines when you want to show the list. For example, you want to guide agents through a procedure when a trigger condition is met. The trigger can be an event such as creating a record or updating a record. For example, you want a list to display when there’s an escalation.
You want to show default actions in the list for each channel, such as phone or chat.	You want to override default actions. The component displays channel defaults when there aren’t RecordActions to show from Flow Builder or APIs.
You want to control the actions that users can start from the component. When users click Add on the component, they can find and launch another action from a subset that you configure.	When users click Add, they see flows and quick actions configured in the selected deployment. If you don’t select a deployment in component properties, users see an empty list when they click Add.
You prefer to use Setup and a point-and-click interface to configure list settings and channel defaults.	You’re comfortable using Flow Builder and configuring more complex logic.

Salesforce also creates a RecordAction when a user accepts a Next Best Action recommendation from the component. Each recommendation references a flow that starts when the recommendation is accepted. We create a RecordAction between that flow and the current record.

Maria meets with Roberto to share what she’s learned. He likes how Salesforce Flow for Service guides agents through day-to-day tasks. A checklist can help new hires be productive quickly, improve consistency, and boost quality.

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