Update External Contact action

AI-generated summary

Genesys Cloud's Update External Contact action enables real-time partial updates to external contact records during conversations by modifying only explicitly configured fields while preserving unchanged data across call, email, messaging, and survey invite flows. This capability allows organizations to capture and synchronize corrected or new customer information—such as phone numbers or email addresses—back to contact profiles without overwriting existing data. Configuration requires three primary elements: a descriptive action name, the External Contact ID (which can reference the built-in variable associated with the current conversation or accept literal values and expressions), and update statements defining field changes. The action supports up to 15 update statements per instance, with each statement consisting of a field selection from a searchable list, a condition governing the update rule, and the new value to apply. Four condition types control update behavior: Update (completely replaces current field value), Update If Empty (modifies only empty fields), Update If Exists (modifies only populated fields), and Remove (unconditionally deletes current values). The action generates Success and Failure paths to direct workflow routing based on update outcomes. External contacts represent individuals such as business partner employees or direct customers. The platform supports two input modes—Standard mode for basic updates and JSON mode for complex nested structures such as arrays and objects. Standard mode cannot handle properties like external IDs, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram data. When managing external IDs, both source and value must be provided; Instagram and Facebook updates require a scoped ID alongside display names for new entries, while WhatsApp updates require phone numbers with display names. Custom fields should be configured using JSON literal values in separate action instances to prevent cascading failures. Top-level object field updates clear any blank subfields unless individual subfields are targeted for preservation of existing data. Genesys Cloud provides collection management operations including "Append to Collection" for adding items without removing existing entries and "Remove from Collection" for deleting specified items, both available exclusively for collection fields. Current limitations include lack of support in Architect voice bot and digital bot flows.

Use the Update External Contact action to partially update an existing external contact record during a conversation. The action updates only the fields that you explicitly configure in the action. Fields not included in the action remain unchanged on the contact record.

This action is useful in scenarios where a flow collects new or corrected information from a customer and the flow must write that information back to their external contact profile in real time. For example, an inbound call flow that captures a new phone number or email address during an interaction can use this action to update the contact without overwriting other existing data.

External contacts are individuals, such as employees of companies that you do business with or direct customers. For more information about External Contacts, see About External Contacts and About creating a repository of customer data.

Note: Architect voice bot and digital bot flows do not support the Update External Contact action currently.

Configure the Update External Contact action

Field	Description
Name	Type a name for the action. The label you enter here becomes the action’s name displayed in the task sequence.
External Contact ID	Enter the ID of the external contact that you want to update. You can reference the built-in External Contact ID variable to target the contact already associated with the current conversation, or supply any valid literal value or expression.
Update Statements	Define which fields on the contact record to change and how to change them. You can add up to 15 update statements in a single action instance.
Success path	This path indicates that the system successfully updated the external contact. To follow the route you want the interaction to take, drag the appropriate action below the Success path.
Failure path	This path indicates that the system was unable to update the external contact. To direct the route you want the interaction to take, drag the appropriate action below the Failure path.

Define update statements

Each update statement consists of:

Field selection: the contact field to update, which you select from a searchable list.
Condition: the rule that governs how the update is applied.
Value: the new value to apply.

Form update conditions

The condition determines the rule applied when writing the value to the contact.

Condition	Usage description
Update	Completely replaces the current field value with the provided value.
Update If Empty	Updates the field only if it currently has no value. It leaves the field unchanged if a value exists.
Update If Exists	Updates the field only if it currently has a value. It has no impact on fields that are already empty.
Remove	Removes the current value unconditionally. No value input is required.
Append to Collection	Adds new items to a collection without removing the existing items. Note: Append to Collection is only available for collection fields.
Remove from Collection	Removes the specified items from a collection. Note: Remove from Collection is only available for collection fields.

Switch input mode

You can define the update statements either in Standard or JSON mode. Standard mode does not support editing properties with complex JSON structures such as arrays or nested objects. To update contact data with nested objects, such as external IDs, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram, switch to JSON mode.

Notes:

When adding or removing external IDs, you must provide both the external source and the value.
For Instagram and Facebook fields, the display name cannot be updated independently unless a scoped ID exists on the contact. When adding a new entry, you must supply the scoped ID along with the display name.
For WhatsApp fields, the display name cannot be updated independently unless a phone number exists on the contact. When adding a new entry, you must supply the phone number along with the display name.
Configure custom fields using a JSON literal value. It is recommended that you update custom fields in a separate action instance so that a failure does not affect other field updates in the same action.
When updating a top-level object field (such as an address), any subfields left blank in the update statement are cleared on the contact. To update a single subfield while preserving the rest, select the individual subfield (for example, address.state) instead of the parent object.

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