Question 1

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 2

Can I remove the Malcolm! branding?

Accepted Answer

It is quick and easy to remove the Malcolm! branding and - if you want - replace it with your own. Here is how:

Hosted Hub

By default your Hosted Hub is Malcolm! branded. To change that:

In MyMalcolm go to the Brand section.
Click "Themes" on the black sub navigation.
The default Malcolm! theme will be selected. Click the "duplicate" icon (two squares overlapping). This will create a copy of the default theme called "Default copy".
Select the Default copy theme by clicking on it. Then click the "edit" icon (a pencil).
This brings up the edit theme interface. There are a huge amount of things you can change here. Use the left hand vertical navigation to browse all the possibilities.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/6ACEG5RrGl/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.08.05-10_46_38.png (MyMalcolm Theme Editing Options)

Footer

Be default a "powered by Malcolm!" badge appears at the bottom of content. You can turn this off (and also add other footer content such as copyright notices etc) in the "Footer" section of the edit theme interface referenced above.

Embeds

You can turn off the "powered by Malcolm!" badge in your embeds by turning off the footer. You do this via the style section of your embed configuration.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/m6Pb8R7IbC/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2020.05.26-11_42_48.png (Style controls in an Embed in MyMalcolm)

Emails

Malcolm! can send emails to your customers/users in the following situations:

Email this answer functionality on an FAQ
Sending the resume later Workflow link
Payment confirmation email

To change the branding of these emails see this article.

To change the sender name and email address see this article.

Domain

Finally don't forget you can easily configure Malcolm! to use your own domain or sub-domain. For further details see this article.

Question 3

What is the Share section in MyMalcolm for / how does it work?

Accepted Answer

The Share section of MyMalcolm gives you tools to embed and share content from Malcolm! into your existing websites, applications and social spaces.

You can bring content from Malcolm! directly into your current website via embeds. Choose the content you want to embed and how you want it displayed and we'll give you some code. Inserting that code into your current website will load in your content from Malcolm!

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/N17DhjfW2Z/Screenshot%202021-12-30%20at%2013.57.57.png ("Choose your embed type in MyMalcolm)

You can embed individual FAQs or Workflows, create custom widgets that can pull in things like search results, category listings, all content by a particular author, recent content, tagged content, most popular content and much more.

If you don't have a website or you want to group all your Malcolm! content together you can use our Hosted Hub.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/77KnCbIxOb/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.11.05-11_21_58.png (About our Hosted Hub)

We also have a plugin for Wordpress.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/3xBONmPNuf/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.11.05-11_06_58.png (The Share section of MyMalcolm)

In addition to the above customers on our Enterprise plans have full access to our API which means they can pull from and push content to Malcolm! in a variety of ways - please speak to your account manager for more details.

Question 4

How do I switch between Instances?

Accepted Answer

If you are a user on more than one instance you'll see a "My Instances" screen when you login to MyMalcolm.

Once you are in one instance you can also easily switch to another via the drop down that appears at the top of the MyMalcolm interface.

Question 5

How do I build a Workflow?

Accepted Answer

You can build a Workflow quickly via the Workflow Builder in MyMalcolm.

To get started, first go to the Workflow section of MyMalcolm and then click "Create a Workflow" towards the top right of the screen.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/RksXtrNmao/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.07.30-18_58_28.png (Workflows: How would you like to start?)

You can then choose whether to build a Workflow from scratch, start with one of our templates or - if you have already created some Workflows previously - clone one of those previously created Workflows.

You can then use our drag and drop builder to create your Workflow.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/NqeNJgmaNe/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.07.30-18_54_43.png (Workflow Builder)

Our Workflow builder enables you to:

Drag and drop question elements onto your form
Customise those question elements
Configure Filters, Validators and Rules
Split forms over multiple pages
Customise page titles and progress bars
Customise thank you page

Once you have created the content of your form, you can to the Configure tab and configure various options including setting up email notifications or Integrations.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/6t3XACYIqr/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.07.30-19_14_25.png (Configure your Workflow)

By default your Workflow is created as a web form that you access via a URL. But you can also surface that Workflow in a variety of other ways (including float it over page in a widget, via a modal/overlay launched by a button you place on a site, or via embeds or plugins) - take a look at the Share section of MyMalcolm to do this.

Watch a video guide to building a Workflow below.

Question 6

What can I change or customise in the Brand Section?

Accepted Answer

The Brand section of MyMalcolm has many powerful options to help you change the look and feel, layout and content of your Malcolm! Hosted Hub in order to reflect your own brand.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/juvGMA0a3E/brand-facebook%402x.png (Use your own brand with Malcolm!)

Get started by going to the Brand section in MyMalcolm, copying your current theme, then editing things on the copied version.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/xsC67Mdwy8/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.08.06-17_50_20.png (Edit your brand settings in MyMalcolm)

Watch a video guide to customising your look and feel below.

Question 7

How do I create routing via rules / logic flows in a Workflow?

Accepted Answer

When creating a Workflow (you might prefer to call it a form or a user journey) you may want to vary what is presented to the user based on their earlier inputs. For example if you sell different types of product and want to build a returns form the information you ask for might vary from product to product. So you'd ideally ask the user to choose the type of product they want to return, then show them further relevant questions that related to that type of product only.

Rules and routing in Malcolm! Workflows let you do just this - you can create complex and adaptive multi-step user journeys / forms easily via this feature.

Below is a simple example of how rules and routing work. In this example we create a simple form that asks a user for some basic details (their name, email address and "further details"). If they select "yes" to the question "Do you have documents or files to upload?" we'll include a screen for them to upload those files before they complete the form. If the user selects "no" we won't show them this screen and they will go direct to the Thank You screen.

Here is the setup in the Workflow builder in MyMalcolm:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/LFuUvRSKYT/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.08.18-12_06_04.png (Building a Workflow with conditional routing in MyMalcolm)

Conceptually it is important to understand that rules and routing works at a page level (not at a question level). So where you have questions that will only be shown to the user in certain scenarios you should put those questions on their own page. You then use rules to show or hide those pages.

In our example we have set the "Include page by default" setting on page 2 to be off. By doing this page 2 is "hidden" and can only be seen by routing to it via a rule.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/sAdJrWv6tR/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.08.18-12_10_51.png (Include page by default setting in Workflow builder in MyMalcolm)

You configure rules at a question/element level.

So in our example we now need to set up a rule on the "Do you have files or documents to upload?" question/element. To do this click on that question/element.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/xQvhNmZZk4/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.08.18-12_09_39.png (Question elements in Malcolm! Workflow Builder)

In the overlay that appears select "rules". Then add the rule that if the value is equal to yes to include page 2.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/iVFe0tmYNZ/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.08.18-12_09_10.png (Configuring rules in the Workflow Builder of MyMalcolm!)

The available options in values will vary according to the type of question/element you are editing. In "Then...." you have the option of including a page, hiding a page or moving to it. If you move to a page the Workflow will then continue from that page and jump over any pages before.

You can see the full range of options for this element type below.

Question 8

Can I set Workflow values in a URL?

Accepted Answer

A very powerful feature of Malcolm! is the ability to populate one or more values within a Workflow via the URL to the Workflow itself.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/4pDguyLGuN/Set%20Workflow%20Values%20via%20URL.png (Set Workflow Values via URL)

This is extremely powerful if - for example - you want to pass into a Workflow information that lets you identify who has completed it - such as a customer ID or perhaps some other form of unique reference that lets you know what the information relates to (eg an order or transaction id)

For example, let's say a customer has created an order with order ID 12345 and you need some further information to fulfil the order. Rather than send them a Workflow which asks them for their order ID as one of the questions (or relies on you manually linking the submitted Workflow with a completed order your side) you could send them a link in the format https://url.com/workflows/order-info-needed?orderid=12345

You can put values for multiple fields in the URL too eg https://url.com/workflows/order-info-needed?orderid=12345&anotherfield=abcde

You can choose whether the user filling in the Workflow will see the Order ID repeated on their Workflow or not. If they can see it you can choose whether they can edit it or not. You can also choose what the descriptors in the URL (in the example above the "orderid" part) actually are. All these configurations are made by clicking on the individual element in the Workflow builder in MyMalcolm and scrolling to the "Settings" area.

When the Workflow is submitted you will receive the Order ID (and any other fields you have completed via the URL) as part of the submitted information.

When you combine the ability to populate fields by variables in the URL with the integration functionality of Malcolm! it becomes even more powerful as you could programmatically send out Workflows for completion (with some identifying information inserted via an auto generated URL) and then combine them with your other systems on submission via an integration or a webhook using the identifying information to link things together.

This becomes a great way to send out surveys, create follow ups to marketing campaigns, extend the functionality you offer to "logged in" users etc etc - the possibilities are endless!

Question 9

Can users save Workflow progress and complete later?

Accepted Answer

It can be very useful to give your users the option to save progress on a Workflow and come back to complete the rest later. It's especially helpful if a you have built a long multi-stage Workflow like an application form.

You turn this feature on in MyMalcolm - go to the Configure screen of each individual Workflow.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/r3sEcA2Ugh/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.08.18-16_09_11.png (Turn Resume Workflow on in MyMalcolm)

When turned on users will see an option to "Finish Later" at the bottom of each Workflow screen. When clicked this will bring up an overlay asking them to enter their email address. A unique link will then be emailed that when clicked will take the user back to the same stage of the Workflow they were previously at.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/R3FxUMpkNL/screenshot-support.malcolm.support-2019.08.18-16_41_46.png (Finish Later option on a Workflow)

If you need to retrieve these links (for example someone completing the form didn't receive or has lost the email with the resume link in) you can also get to the link via the Completions area of the Workflow section of MyMalcolm - click the link under "Resume link" to copy the URL your clipboard.

Question 10

What is an Instance?

Accepted Answer

An instance is a collection of related FAQ’s and/or Workflows that your users will see and interact with plus a set of management tools that you and other members of your staff or team will use.

Each instance also includes an optional hosted hub that you can customise and brand.

If you decide to use Malcolm! in two distinct areas of your business it can make sense to have two different instances. For example you could use one instance of Malcolm! to support customers of your product or service and another instance as an internal HR portal.

You can see some examples of how Malcolm! instances can be used here

Instance Billing

Our billing is based around instances. You can start an instance any time and enjoy a 14 day trial. This can be great for trying ideas out. If you want to keep using the instance beyond 14 days you'll need to choose a plan and give us your card details, or agree an enterprise plan with us.

Instance Owners

Each instance will have an owner. This is the master user who is ultimately responsible for the instance. If you are on a Team or Enterprise plan you can invite other users to the instance too. If you need to transfer ownership of the instance to another user (for instance if you are leaving a company or organisation) you can do that as long as the proposed new owner agrees.