Question 1

How do I create a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ)?

Accepted Answer

Within MyMalcolm go the FAQ Section and click "Create a FAQ" towards to the top right of the screen.

This will bring up the "compose your question and answer" dialogue. Here you can input the question, an optional brief summary answer (used in search and browse results) and your full answer. For tips on how to write a good FAQ click here.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/FrnZFuskaf/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.07.29-21_44_58.png (Compose FAQ in MyMalcolm)

When composing your FAQ you can use the formating controls in the "full answer" box or directly enter Markdown. Markdown is a great way of quickly adding formatting to textual content. If you've not used it before it can take a minute or two to get used to it but it's very fast to work with once you have got the hang of it. You can click the "Need help with Markdown?" button bottom left anytime for a quick reference Markdown guide.

You can see what your FAQ will look like to your users by pressing the "Preview" button top right. When you have written your content press "Next: Configure" to move onto the configuration options for your FAQ.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/vDpsP666Gj/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.07.29-22_20_03.png (Configure FAQ in MyMalcolm)

In this area you can control various things about your FAQ such as whether an author is shown, what the URL is, your choice of tags, whether the feedback form is enabled and the category or categories the FAQ lives in. You also have various options around whether the FAQ can be seen by search engines, is password protected or not and can be found or not via the Malcolm! search/browse capability. You can even set the FAQ (or versions of it) to publish and un-publish automatically at certain dates and time in the future.

Watch a video guide to creating an FAQ below.

Question 2

How do I change my rating elements from percentages (%) to stars?

Accepted Answer

In addition to the default "Did this help you? Yes/No" percentages style of rating you can now alternatively switch to a star rating system where your users can rate content from 1 to 5 stars.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/13xLIdBegJ/screenshot-homelender.malcolm.support-2021.01.15-16_19_22-2.png (Star ratings in Malcolm!)

The system used is set in the Settings section of MyMalcolm under FAQ or Workflows - look for the "Feedback ratings" area. You can switch between the two methods of rating whenever you wish and you can also use different rating systems for FAQs and Workflows.

Because rating content 1 to 5 stars is a bit more linear than a simple yes/no in response to "Did this help you?" we apply some logic behind the scenes when switching between rating styles. A "Did this help you? - No" is equivilent to 2 stars and a "Did this help you? - Yes" is equivilent to 5 stars, which slightly upweights positive feedback.

Don't forget you can change the colours of your rating elements too. See here for more details on how to do this.

Question 3

Can I collect the email address of a user when they leave feedback on an FAQ or Workflow?

Accepted Answer

It can be very useful to offer the ability for a user to leave their email when giving feedback on an FAQ or Workflows so you can follow up with them.

You can turn this feature on for FAQ's and/or Workflows via Settings --> FAQ --> General or Settings --> Workflow --> General respectively.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/Z202OQgYA3/Screenshot%202021-03-11%20at%2008.25.02.png (Leave Feedback email address option in MyMalcolm)

You can enable it for all feedback or just for negative feedback. The default wording shown to the user is "If you'd like a follow up to this comment please leave your email address" but you can change this wording via the language file - see here for more details.

If the user has left an email address, there will be a "click to email" icon displayed next to the feedback in MyMalcolm.

If you'd prefer a user to complete a Workflow when they rate content see this FAQ.

Question 4

Can I link to a Workflow when a user rates content?

Accepted Answer

When a user rates your FAQ or Workflow you may wish to link to a Workflow from the rating area to collect more detailed, specific information. That Workflow could in turn pass data to your other systems (eg ticketing systems or CRM) via an Integration or Webhook.

This feature can be used in combination with, or as an alternative to, the feedback comments feature.

You can enable this functionality for FAQs and/or Workflows via Settings --> FAQ --> General or Settings --> Workflow --> General respectively.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/VMGzMXACpu/Screenshot%202021-03-11%20at%2008.25.31.png (Post feedback Workflow configuration in MyMalcolm)

Here you can choose the Workflow linked to when the user gives feedback.

The default copy for the link text is "Submit additional feedback" but you can change that via the language file - details on how to do this here.

If you are going to enable this feature it may make sense to turn feedback comments off so all comments are captured in your Workflow. We also recommend you turn off the feedback on the individual Workflow you use for the post Workflow feedback (via the configure tag of the individual Workflow in question). This will avoid the user being asked for feedback on the feedback!

Question 5

How can I use Stripe with Malcolm! to collect payment from my customers?

Accepted Answer

Malcolm! now integrates with Stripe. Stripe is a payment service provider that enables business owners to collect payment from their customers.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/UDbFKeLChy/stripe%402x.png (Stripe and Malcolm!)

With our Stripe integration you can create Workflows in Malcolm! that include fields for your customers to enter their card details and pay for things like products, services, memberships etc or perhaps make a donation towards something.

Here is how to set things up:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/aioqQzmd4C/screenshot-connect.stripe.com-2021.05.28-17_36_24.png (Connecting Stripe to Malcolm!)

Once you have linked your Stripe account you can create Workflows via the Workflow section as usual and place payment related elements onto those Workflows. Two particular elements to pay attention to are Currency and Payments

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/SlnkSg4slf/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2021.05.28-18_08_18.png (Currency and Payment elements in MyMalcolm)

Payments is the element where your customer will provider their card details. You can configure the amount your customer is charged via the Payment element settings, or you can optionally ask the customer to enter their own amount via the Currency field - this can be useful in scenarios like donations or account payments where you may wish to offer the customer the choice of the amount to pay.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/tJtuV3NgUY/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2021.05.28-18_12_35.png (Settings for the Payment element in MyMalcolm)

If you also collect your customers email (and Name) in the Workflow you can optionally use that information to send them a payment confirmation email. You can configre and customise this via the Payment element settings.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/sZjKbFViLz/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2021.05.28-18_11_48.png (Configuring payment confirmation emails in MyMalcolm)

You can place the Payment element on any page of your Workflow, but the actual payment transaction will not be attempted until the final submit of your Workflow. If there is a problem with the payment details your customer will be returned to the page with Payment element on it and given a chance to update their details and proceed back through the Workflow.

You can see a video walkthrough below.

And there you have it! Taking payments via Stripe is a really powerful and quick to implement feature of Malcolm! Workflows. Taking payments will also work when the Workflow is surfaced via our embeds, widgets and overlays too! If you have questions or need a hand setting things up just contact us and we'll be happy to help.

Question 6

What are Integrations?

Accepted Answer

Integrations are a way of passing data you collect in a Malcolm! Workflow into other third party software or systems.

We currently offer integrations with:

Plus over 1,500 over apps via Zapier (more info here) and Make (formerly Integromat) (more info here).

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/v5lAa3NjkY/zapier-fb%402x.png (Malcolm! Integrations)

Configuring Integrations

Once you have created your Workflow, go to the Configure section and select Integrations. There you can link your third party accounts at our integration partners to your Malcolm! Instance by providing your credentials. Once your accounts are linked you can configure integrations with that partner and choose the data from your Workflow that is passed across. You can configure whether data is passed on every Workflow completion or only when certain conditions are met. It is possible to have multiple integrations so, for example, you could create a form which collected details from a new customer including a copy of their ID. You could then subscribe that new customer to a Mailchimp mailing list and store their uploaded ID documents in your Dropbox account by creating two integrations.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/5KmZGb3Q9Q/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.08.06-19_50_53.png (Integrations in MyMalcolm)

Customer Consent

A reminder that it is good practice - and in certain territories a legal requirement - to ensure that your customers actively consent to their data being passed to third party companies who, like Malcolm!, act as data processors on your behalf. You act as the data controller. Most companies handle this consent via provisions in their Privacy Policy which their customers agree to. It is good practice therefore to include a check box in your Workflows that reminds customers of your Privacy Policy and their continuing agreement of it.

Integration Failures

Sometimes integrations may fail. This could be for a variety of reasons, for example the integration partner's API's may be down and/or there may be a problem with your account at the third party provider (for example your Dropbox account may be over quota).

Firstly don't worry re losing customer data - Malcolm! will always store any user submitted data so if there is a problem with an integration

When a problem occurs we'll create a notification to let you know and periodically retry the integration. You can review the Integration logs and retry a failed integration event manually via MyMalcolm (navigate to the Workflow via Library then select Integration logs).

More Integrations coming soon!

We will be adding more and more integrations to Malcolm! in the coming months. If there is a particular integration you'd like us to add please let us know.

Question 7

How can I use Square with Malcolm! to collect payment from my customers?

Accepted Answer

Malcolm! now integrates with Square. Square is a payment service provider that enables business owners to collect payment from their customers.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/d8ZLyi8A95/Square%402x.jpg (Square and Malcolm!)

With our Square integration you can create Workflows in Malcolm! that include fields for your customers to enter their card details and pay for things like products, services, memberships etc or perhaps make a donation towards something.

Here is how to set things up:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/QBvWDgrtAV/Screenshot%202022-01-06%20at%2012.48.11.png (Connecting Square to Malcolm!)

Once you have linked your Square account you can create Workflows via the Workflow section as usual and place payment related elements onto those Workflows. Two particular elements to pay attention to are Currency and Payments.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/SlnkSg4slf/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2021.05.28-18_08_18.png (Currency and Payment elements in MyMalcolm)

Payments is the element where your customer will provider their card details. You can configure the amount your customer is charged via the Payment element settings, or you can optionally ask the customer to enter their own amount via the Currency field - this can be useful in scenarios like donations or account payments where you may wish to offer the customer the choice of the amount to pay.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/Yaj6slF0EX/Screenshot%202022-01-06%20at%2012.52.37.png (Settings for the Payment element in MyMalcolm)

If you also collect your customers email (and Name) in the Workflow you can optionally use that information to send them a payment confirmation email. You can configre and customise this via the Payment element settings.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/sZjKbFViLz/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2021.05.28-18_11_48.png (Configuring payment confirmation emails in MyMalcolm)

You can place the Payment element on any page of your Workflow, but the actual payment transaction will not be attempted until the final submit of your Workflow. If there is a problem with the payment details your customer will be returned to the page with Payment element on it and given a chance to update their details and proceed back through the Workflow.

You can see a video walkthrough below.

And there you have it! Taking payments via Square is a really powerful and quick to implement feature of Malcolm! Workflows. Taking payments will also work when the Workflow is surfaced via our embeds, widgets and overlays too! If you have questions or need a hand setting things up just contact us and we'll be happy to help.

Question 8

What are Webhooks and how do I use them to receive notifications when Workflows are completed?

Accepted Answer

Webhooks allow you to set up your own integrations to Malcolm! Workflow.

Webhooks are endpoints on web servers you own. Whenever a Workflow is completed the configured Webhooks will be notified. The Payload will contain the completed Workflow Session, related Workflow and (optionally) the submitted Workflow Values.

Configuration

Webhooks are are configured in "Workflows > Edit > Configure > Webhooks" section of MyMalcolm.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/IWqLLH7kgn/Screenshot%202021-01-26%20at%2016.17.46.png (Screenshot 2021-01-26 at 16.17.46.png)

Webhook URL

The only requirement is to provide the URL of your Webhook. This is the URL Malcolm! will send the Payload to.

The URL should be a secure endpoint which means it should start with https://, although we do support http:// too. The endpoint should also be accessible which means hosted on a remote machine, not behind a firewall and not requiring Authentication.

Include the Workflow Values

There is an additional option to include the submitted Workflow Values in the Payload. This option is disabled by default for security reasons but available to use should you wish to enable it. By enabling the option you agree to the following terms -

(a) I would like the Workflow Values included in the Webhook Payload (b) the recieving web server is private and properly secured (c) I am aware the use of Webhooks can facilitate the transfer of end-user personal data to third party Data Processors and my use of Webhooks adheres to my responsibilities as Data Controller under applicable Data Protection Laws.

Secure your Webhook with a secret token

Webhook URLs can be called by anyone and are therefore insecure.

To ensure a request to your Webhook URL comes from Malcolm! a secret token known only by yourself and Malcolm! can be used to generate a Signature.

Malcolm! will take the Payload and the secret and create a Signature. This will be passed to your App as the request header X-Signature. Your App will use the same secret and the received Payload to generate a second Signature. If the Signatures match you know the request came from Malcolm! and not another source.

The secret token can be any string you like, but Malcolm! recommends using a random string of at least 36 characters. For example in a Terminal window run -

To validate the Payload from Malcolm! use the HMAC SHA-256 algorithm to create a hash using the Payload as the data and your secret as the key.

For example in PHP use the hash_hmac function to generate a binary hash.

Next encode the binary hash using a Base 64 encoder, in PHP this is the base64_encode function.

Finally prefix the encoded hash with "sha256=" and compare with the value of X-Signature. In PHP you can use the $_SERVER variable to access the headers.

Conditional settings

There are conditional controls available too. If you have a condition configured the Webhook will only be notified if the conditions at the end of the Workflow are satisfied.

Headers

The HTTP POST will contain the following Headers.

Payload

The Payload will be a JSON Body containing the Workflow Session.

Workflows are defined as -

Workflow Values are defined as -

Workflow Fields are defined as -

Example

Question 9

How to integrate with Mews using Workflow integrations

Accepted Answer

At Malcolm! HQ we continue to roll-out our built-in Workflow integrations, our most recent being the Mews Property Managamenet System.

Use a Malcolm! Workflow to capture information or record choices from your guest then have that data added to the guest notes in Mews. All you need from your guest is their Surname and Confirmation Number or a Reservation ID.

Connect to Mews

Get started in MyMalcolm by connecting to your Mews account via Settings > Workflows > Integrations using your Mews Client token and Access token.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/nV6HefCjKn/Screenshot%202022-03-28%20at%2009.59.27.png (Screenshot 2022-03-28 at 09.59.27.png)

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/31zLOc5PSh/Screenshot%202022-03-28%20at%2009.59.46.png (Screenshot 2022-03-28 at 09.59.46.png)

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/W5MGLxYUvx/Screenshot%202022-03-28%20at%2010.00.51.png (Screenshot 2022-03-28 at 10.00.51.png)

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/igxpR5jiUq/Screenshot%202022-03-28%20at%2010.01.04.png (Screenshot 2022-03-28 at 10.01.04.png)

Build the Workflow

Start a new Malcolm! Workflow and capture the guest Surname and Confirmation Number.

If you prefer a hidden Reservation ID could be passed in via the URL, for example using a link in a direct email to the guest. URL values can also be tokenised to hide their true value. Read more on Setting Workflow values in a URL and Securing Workflow values.

Finish by adding the fields you'd like to capture in guest profile notes.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/EzbeRogC4Y/Screenshot%202022-03-28%20at%2010.05.53.png (Screenshot 2022-03-28 at 10.05.53.png)

Configure the integration

From the builder head to Configure > Integrations and choose the Mews integration.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/itYnbSd00O/Screenshot%202022-03-28%20at%2010.06.31.png (Screenshot 2022-03-28 at 10.06.31.png)

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/l8M5UTXKsH/Screenshot%202022-03-28%20at%2010.06.45.png (Screenshot 2022-03-28 at 10.06.45.png)

Choose the "Add notes to a guest profile" action and your Mews booking service.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/fy8HASkjMf/Screenshot%202022-03-28%20at%2010.07.03.png (Screenshot 2022-03-28 at 10.07.03.png)

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/QD16dElxZr/Screenshot%202022-03-28%20at%2010.07.09.png (Screenshot 2022-03-28 at 10.07.09.png)

Connect up your Malcolm! Workflow fields.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/QPrIZSUn6F/Screenshot%202022-03-28%20at%2010.07.39.png (Screenshot 2022-03-28 at 10.07.39.png)

Finish by enabling the integration and saving.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/zfnYbaPohW/Screenshot%202022-03-28%20at%2010.56.56.png (Screenshot 2022-03-28 at 10.56.56.png)

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/vISxJiGvRj/Screenshot%202022-03-28%20at%2010.07.53.png (Screenshot 2022-03-28 at 10.07.53.png)

We hope you enjoy using this new integration. If you have any feedback or questions please get in touch below or via support@malcolm.app.

Question 10

Can I pass secure values into Malcolm! Workflows via the URL?

Accepted Answer

Passing data into a Workflow via the URL is a feature we've had for a while - read more - but what if the data you want to pass is confidential?

Understandably, you wouldn't want to pass that straight in. Luckily Malcolm! understands how important protecting your data is so we've come up with a solution that allows values to travel safe and secure with minimal effort!

A beginners guide to encryption

Suppose you have a value, such as an account number, that you don't want anyone else to read. Encryption provides a way to scramble this value so only you and the people you share the password or secret key with can read it.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/FR8yDloV2d/encryption-diagram.png (encryption-diagram.png)

The sender uses the secret key to scramble the original value and the encrypted value is sent to the receiver. On receipt of the encrypted value the receiver uses the same secret key to unscramble the value back to the original.

And that's encryption in a nutshell!

Step 1: Generate a secret key

The secret key can be any string you like, but Malcolm! recommends using a random string of at least 36 characters. A simple ruby command can quickly generate one for you.

Keep your secret key safe - you'll need it later!

Step 2: Share your secret key with Malcolm!

We do this via the Workflow Builder. Any question field that supports URL query values can now be secured with your secret key - e.g. text fields, hidden fields, number fields, email address fields, etc.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/g6hGpX1dvl/Screenshot%202021-11-10%20at%2013.43.37.png (Screenshot 2021-11-10 at 13.43.37.png)

Here's a simple example which starts with a text field renamed to "Account number".

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/b4uJV41azB/Screenshot%202021-11-10%20at%2013.51.53.png (Screenshot 2021-11-10 at 13.51.53.png)

To enable URL values open up the edit window, scroll to the bottom and turn on "Allow a value to be set in URL query". Malcolm! will automatically generate a query name for you but you can change it to something different if you prefer.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/7OhxX21Mdq/Screenshot%202021-11-10%20at%2013.52.01.png (Screenshot 2021-11-10 at 13.52.01.png)

Next turn on the "Secure the query value" and paste in your secret key.

Hit save and that completes the configuration!

Step 3: Encrypting values

Malcolm! uses OpenSSL and the "aes-128-gcm" cipher to decrypt values.

Passed values need to be encoded and made up of three parts -

The Initialisation Vector used during the encryption
The Authentication Tag resulting from AEAD ciphers
The encrypted string

Initialisation Vectors are generated using the OpenSSL rand function. For our chosen cipher these need to be exactly 12 bytes long. If using PHP you can use the openssl_random_pseudo_bytes function.

Why 12 bytes? This just happens to be the required length for our chosen cipher. In PHP you can verify this by using the openssl_cipher_iv_length function.

This will output -

Next use the OpenSSL enc function to create the encrypted string. Here's an example using the PHP openssl_encrypt function.

This will assign an Authentication Tag to the $tag variable (passed by reference) and an encrypted string to the $ciphertext variable.

Note - in PHP we pass OPENSSL_RAW_DATA to generate binary data.

Complete the process by concatenating $iv, $tag and $cipertext into a single string - Malcolm! needs all three for the decryption process!

As we're passing this value via the URL we need to first encode it. Use a Base 64 encoder followed by a URL encoder to ensure all the characters are sent correctly. In PHP this is the base64_encode function and urlencode functions respectively.

This is the final encoded string!

For simplicity all the steps from above can be put in a single function.

And that's all there is to it ;)