You can trigger any workflow directly through the Virtual Assistant by registering it as a tool. This allows end-users to initiate complex automated processes simply by chatting with the assistant.

Prerequisites

• A published workflow that you want to make available through the Virtual Assistant.
• Access to AI Colleagues > Tools in the admin console.
• Access to the Virtual Assistant interface.

Step 1: Enable Workflow Initiation via Web-hook

Before a workflow can be triggered from the Virtual Assistant, it must be configured to accept initiation via a web-hook. This exposes the workflow as an externally callable endpoint that the Virtual Assistant can invoke on behalf of the user.
Read more on the configuration here.
Once the web-hook is enabled, your workflow is ready to be registered as a tool.

Step 2: Register the Workflow as a Tool

Next, you need to register the webhook-enabled workflow as a Tool so that the Virtual Assistant knows how and when to trigger it.

1. Navigate to AI Colleagues > Tools in the admin console.
2. Create a new tool and link it to the webhook-enabled workflow you configured in Step 1.
3. Define the tool's name, description and positive examples. The description is especially important — the Virtual Assistant uses it to understand when this tool should be invoked based on the user's query.
4. Save and publish the tool.
   Read more on the configuration here.

Step 3: Trigger the Tool via the Virtual Assistant

With the web-hook enabled and the tool registered, end-users can now initiate the workflow through a natural language conversation with the Virtual Assistant.

1. Open the Virtual Assistant chat interface.
2. Type a query that matches the intent of the registered tool. For example, if you registered a tool called "Submit Leave Request," a user might type:

   "I want to submit a leave request"

3. The Virtual Assistant identifies the matching tool, collects any required input parameters through the conversation, and triggers the underlying workflow.
4. The workflow executes, and the assistant can relay the result or confirmation back to the user in the chat.

Troubleshooting

• The Virtual Assistant doesn't recognize my query. Make sure the tool description clearly describes the intent it should match. The assistant relies on this description for tool matching.
• The workflow doesn't trigger. Verify that the web-hook is enabled and the workflow is published. Check that the tool is correctly linked to the workflow.