Question 1

How do I surface my Workflow into a floating widget?

Accepted Answer

It's quick and easy to surface your Workflow as a floating widget. You can find out more about Malcolm! widgets here.

In the Library screen of the Workflow section of MyMalcolm click the three dots on the right hand side of the screen and select "Embed" -

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/bk1dEegpoU/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.08.18-17_01_27.png (Quick link to Embed from the Workflow Library in MyMalcolm)

This will take you into the Share section of MyMalcolm! Here you can choose the type of embed you want to create.

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)

Choose "Widget" and work through the screens. You can configure various options here including whether in the pre-expand state the widget is a button or a drawer. You can also configure where on the screen you want the pre-expand to appear. Other options include colour schemes, the option to add your own logo to the widget and also whether you want the footer and search bar to appear. See this FAQ for more detail on this.

At the end of the process you will be supplied with the code that you should add to your webpage HTML - we recommend you add this to very page of your website. You can also embed via Google Tag Manager. See here for more details.

Question 2

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 3

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 4

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 5

Can I put videos in my FAQs?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the best way to do this is via an external host like YouTube or Vimeo. Find out more here.

Question 6

How do I set up my Hosted Hub?

Accepted Answer

Every instance of Malcolm! comes complete with a Hosted Hub that you can configure and customise.

You can find out more about the Hosted Hub here and if you want to turn if off you can find out how to do that here.

In MyMalcolm if you click "View Live" towards the top the screen you'll see what your Hosted Hub currently looks like.

The two things you are probably most likely to want to change are the URL the Hub is on and the Hub's look, feel and content. Here is how to configure each of those areas.

1. Configure the URL

In MyMalcolm, go to the Settings section, then select "Custom Domains" from the vertical left hand menu. In this area you can change the URL your Hosted Hub will use. It's possible (and no extra charge) to use your own external domain or sub-domain.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/VKQ7z1JBXW/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.08.12-17_01_54.png (Customise your domains in MyMalcolm)

2. Change your Hub's look, feel and content

You can extensively customise your Hosted Hub to suit your own requirements. To do this, go to the Brand section of MyMalcolm, clone an existing theme, then choose the edit icon on your cloned theme.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/cO3r3O1RbL/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.08.12-17_03_00.png (Theme management in MyMalcolm)

In the edit theme area use the left hand vertical navigation to see all the custom options you have.

Question 7

How do I turn off my hosted hub?

Accepted Answer

Every instance of Malcolm! comes complete with a hosted hub. But you might not want to use it and may prefer to turn it off. No problem!

To turn off your hosted hub go the settings section of MyMalcolm, then select "visibility" in the vertical left hand navigation. You can then select "Disable the instance Hosted Hub"

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/kzMmGw4DCl/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.08.12-16_35_15.png (Disable the instance Hosted Hub in MyMalcolm)

Once disabled, any traffic hitting your Hosted Hub URL will see a 403 error. If you'd prefer to redirect that traffic somewhere else you can do this by selecting "Advanced" in the vertical left hand navigation then entering your redirect URL.

Question 8

Could I use Malcolm! as a publishing platform?

Accepted Answer

Malcolm! has primarily been designed around service interactions with users (eg answering their questions and taking them through a process) but we do have users who use Malcolm! in a more "marketing" or "content" based way eg to host content and/or take their users through forms to download content or register for something.

If you want to use Malcolm! in this way it's worth remembering that you have full branding control (more info here) and can even rename things like FAQ's and Workflows (more info here). You can also change your base URL. See more information in this article.

By default we do mark up FAQs content using https://schema.org/FAQPage so if your content doesn't follow a question and answer format and you allow that content to be indexed by search engines you may wish to change the schema to https://schema.org/WebPage. You can see how to do this here.

The Examples section on our website may give you some further ideas on how you could use Malcolm!

If you want to go even further you might want to consider contacting us and having a chat. We do offer enterprise packages and bespoke development on top of the Malcolm! Platform.

Question 9

Can I change the terminology/rename FAQs and/or Workflows?

Accepted Answer

Within Malcolm! you can choose the title of your FAQs and Workflows, but you may want to use Malcolm! in a way where the terminology "FAQs" and "Workflows" doesn't make sense. For example you might want to rename FAQs "Policies" or "Help Articles". You might want to rename Workflows "Requests" or "Tasks".

This is no problem - you can rename both things in the Brand section of MyMalcolm.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/QlfRt4MTdW/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.08.06-17_22_37.png (Renaming FAQs in MyMalcolm)

Edit your chosen theme, then navigate to the "FAQ" and "Workflow" section in the vertical side navigation.

MyMalcolm will still refer to FAQs and Workflows but any references your users see will be updated to the value you set above.

Question 10

What is the Malcolm! widget and how do I implement it?

Accepted Answer

The Malcolm! widget is a great way to put your content in front of users. By using the widget you can float content over an existing website or application. Want to let your users find out answers to FAQs about a product or service you provide but don't want them to make them navigate from the screen they are on? The Malcolm! widget is what you need. Or perhaps you'd like to float a feedback or get in touch form over your website? Super easy to do with the Malcolm! widget. You can even make the content displayed contextual to the screen the widget is floating over. How cool is that?

We recommend you place the Malcolm! widget embed code on every page of your website. You can then configure whether the widget displays or not (and what it displays) from within MyMalcolm!

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/IdGAskGCq2/widget-fb%402x.png (The Malcolm! Widget)

Here is how to start using the Malcolm! widget.

Step 1: Create an embed

Go the Share section of MyMalcolm and select the Embed tab and then Create an embed. Select Widget as the type of embed you want to create.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/Ji7YZa6eF7/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.11.05-11_16_34.png (Create an embed in MyMalcolm)

Give your embed a name.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/zZgVvihFmE/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.11.05-13_14_38.png (Names your embed in MyMalcolm)

Step 2: Choose your content

From this area you can choose a single FAQ or Workflow to display in the widget, or you can choose collections of content. These collections can be a category, a tag or an author. You can also make a collection out of a search result including a search that is contextual to the meta content of the page that the widget is on - you can query content based on the page title, meta keywords, meta description or a meta search tag.

Users can navigate content within the widget via clicking on items in the user interface eg categories, tags or authors.

If you don't choose a specific FAQ, Workflow or collection of content the default content displayed will be the most popular content.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/jbX8ylorUd/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.11.05-13_16_07.png (Choose the content for your widget)

Step 3: Configure the visual style of your widget

You can configure various options about the visual appearance and behaviour of your widget. The options include what the widget looks like in it's pre-expand state (a button or a drawer), the text used on the pre-expand, the colours and logo plus the location of the widget on your screen. You can also configure whether you want the search and footer used on expanded widget and whether the transition from pre-expand to post-expand and vice versa are animated or not.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/UEdVkI4MOo/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.11.05-13_16_42.png (Configure the visual style of your widget)

Step 4: Set up URL rules and visibility settings

We recommend you put the Malcolm! widget embed code on every page of your website. But you might not want the widget to appear on every page. Using URL rules you can mangage and easily change which pages the widget does appear on from within MyMalcolm!

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/rVDvNjLQrJ/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.11.05-13_17_22.png (Manage URL rules for your widget)

You may not want the widget to display on mobile browsers, or you may want the widget to only appear at certain times (for example when your office is closed) - you can configure these options in visibility settings.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/GWsPKq5LZ4/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.11.05-13_19_13.png (Manage your widget visibility settings)

Step 5: Publish and place code on site

Finally when you are happy publish your widget.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/g4why3UaJ5/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.11.05-13_20_01.png (Publish your embed)

Finally collect your code - you can cut and paste this or have it emailed to you (or the person who is responsible for implementation).

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/KyYO8MKguT/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.11.05-13_47_41.png (Collect your widget embed code)

If you use Google Tag Manager you can also deploy the embed code via this system. See here for more details.