Custom journey

Use a custom journey when a prebuilt journey playbook does not match the flow you need.

A custom journey gives you an empty canvas. You choose the trigger, add the steps, define the timing, and decide when customers should continue, branch, receive a message, or leave the journey.

Select a trigger

The trigger is the customer action that starts the journey.

To select it:

Open the beginning of the flow.
Choose the action that should start the journey.
Confirm the trigger.

The trigger can be a standard event, such as a subscription, cart update, product view, purchase, or message. It can also be a custom event if your account tracks one.

Journey Begins panel with Viewed a product selected and the Confirm and Cancel buttons. — The panel shows Viewed a product selected before clicking Confirm.

Add steps

Journeys move in sequence from one step to the next.

To add a step, drag it into the flow where it should happen.

Saved fictional journey fragment: Viewed a product, a 2-hour wait and a condition with Age above 18 and else branches. — Saved fictional example: Viewed a product connects to a two-hour wait and a condition with Age above 18 and else branches.

Common step types include:

Send a message

Use this step to send a message to the customer.

Messages can include short links, tags, coupons, and product information when the trigger includes product context.

Send a message editor with a fictitious Vista Studio greeting and SMS selected among the channel options. — Fictitious Vista Studio message with SMS selected.

Condition

Use a condition when the flow should split based on customer data or behavior.

For example, you can send one path to customers who purchased and another path to customers who did not.

The following example uses age as the condition for a branch.

Wait

Use a wait step to pause the flow before the next action.

For example, you can wait two hours before sending an abandoned cart reminder.

Wait panel with the value 2 and the Hours unit. — Example Wait configuration with an interval of 2 hours.

Human handoff

Configure an assignment step when a person or team should take over the conversation. Assignment does not stop the journey by itself: it continues to the next step. If the flow should end after handoff, review its connection to the end and the end configuration. Return to AI routing controls what happens when the journey ends; it does not select a person or team.

This is especially important for support questions, refunds, complex product questions, or unhappy customers.

Assignment panel configured to assign the conversation to Sofía, a fictional team member. — Example conversation assignment to Sofía, a fictional team member.

Fictional example fragment with the message connected to assignment to Sofía and then to Journey Ends; the else branch also reaches the end. — The message connects to the assignment to Sofía and then to Journey Ends; the else branch also reaches the end.

The end is configured separately in Journey Ends.

Journey Ends panel with Return to AI routing turned off. — In this example, Return to AI routing is turned off in Journey Ends.

Save and publish

Click Save changes while you work (Save on mobile). Saving a new journey without publishing creates a draft. Saving changes to an active journey does not make it inactive.

Journey list with Draft selected and the saved fictional journey with the Viewed a product trigger. — The saved fictional journey appears under Draft.

When you are ready, click Publish.

Journey list with Active selected and the fictional journey with its Viewed a product trigger. — The fictional journey appears under Active after publishing.

To make an active journey inactive, click Make inactive.

Journey list with Inactive selected and the fictional journey with its Viewed a product trigger. — The same fictional journey appears under Inactive after choosing Make inactive.