# Response Workflows
URL: /response-workflows
Type: concept
Description: AI-powered response templates that generate contextual replies for your support team.
Keywords: response workflows, reply automation, templates
Response Workflows let you create AI-powered response templates that generate personalized replies based on your customer's ticket, their order data, your knowledge base, and your specific instructions for how to handle each situation.

How it works [#how-it-works]

A Response Workflow brings together everything the AI needs to write a great response:

1. **Your instructions** tell the AI how to handle the situation — what to check, what to say, what tone to use
2. **Customer context** is pulled automatically from the ticket — the customer's name, their messages, the channel they're on
3. **External data** is fetched from your connected tools — order details from Shopify, subscription info from Stripe
4. **Knowledge base articles** are searched to ground the response in your actual policies and documentation
5. **Escalation rules** prevent the AI from responding when a human needs to be involved

The result is a response that reads like it was written by an experienced agent who knows your policies, has the customer's data in front of them, and follows your team's best practices.

<Mermaid
  chart="flowchart TD
  Ticket[Incoming ticket] --> RW[Response Workflow]
  I1[Your instructions] --> RW
  I2[Customer context] --> RW
  I3[&#x22;External data<br/>Shopify, Stripe&#x22;] --> RW
  I4[Knowledge base] --> RW
  RW --> ESC{&#x22;Escalation rule<br/>triggered?&#x22;}
  ESC -->|Yes| Hold[Hold for a human]
  ESC -->|No| Resp[Generated response]
  Resp --> M{Execution mode}
  M -->|Manual| A1[Agent selects and sends]
  M -->|Assist suggestion| A2[Pre-generated, one-click send]
  M -->|Background automation| A3[Auto quality-checked and sent]"
/>

Three ways to use them [#three-ways-to-use-them]

Response Workflows work across three execution modes:

* **Manual** — An agent selects a workflow from the Stylo sidebar, reviews the generated response, and sends it
* **Assist suggestions** — Stylo automatically identifies the best workflow for each ticket and pre-generates a response that agents can review and send with one click
* **Background automation** — Stylo automatically generates, quality-checks, and sends responses without agent involvement

You choose the level of automation that's right for each workflow. A simple thank-you response might run fully automated, while a complex refund workflow might generate suggestions for agents to review. Over time, you can [progressively increase automation](/response-workflows/progressive-automation) as you build confidence in the AI's quality.

What's in a workflow [#whats-in-a-workflow]

Every workflow has these components:

| Component            | What it does                                                                                                                                          |
| -------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Response content** | Either a structured template with placeholders, or strategy instructions that guide the AI (see [Response Modes](/response-workflows/response-modes)) |
| **When to use**      | A description of what situations this workflow handles — used by Stylo to match workflows to tickets                                                  |
| **Tools**            | Which integrations to pull data from (Shopify orders, etc.)                                                                                           |
| **Knowledge bases**  | Which knowledge bases to search for grounding context                                                                                                 |
| **Escalation rules** | Conditions that should prevent the AI from responding (see [Escalation Rules](/response-workflows/escalation-rules))                                  |
| **Actions**          | What happens after sending — set ticket status, add tags, etc.                                                                                        |

Next steps [#next-steps]

* [Response Modes](/response-workflows/response-modes) — Understand the difference between template, guided, and hybrid modes
* [Creating a Workflow](/response-workflows/creating-a-workflow) — Step-by-step guide to building your first workflow
* [Assist suggestions](/response-workflows/assist-suggestions) — How pre-generated responses appear in the agent sidebar
* [Background Automation](/response-workflows/background-automation) — Set up fully automated responses
* [Progressive Automation](/response-workflows/progressive-automation) — A structured approach to increasing automation over time