Rule-based decisions overview

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Genesys Cloud's rule-based decisions feature enables users to define, manage, and execute business rules through decision tables that map multiple if-then scenarios, eliminating the need for complex coding. Key benefits include flexible and scalable rules to control business logic; consistent decision-making with structured, repeatable rules; easily adapting to changing needs by modifying centralized rules; efficiently managing growing rule sets for increasing complexity; and an intuitive interface for creating rule structures. Users define input and output attributes via a rules schema, such as a Boolean field in an insurance routing schema to check if a customer is new or existing. The decision table then uses the inputs to determine appropriate queue routing and other actions through automated decisions. To implement rule-based decisions in Genesys Cloud, users should identify scenarios and decisions to automate, define required conditions and results, set permissions, create a rules schema, build decision tables, publish them, and add them to Architect flows. At runtime, Genesys Cloud executes the decision tables when input conditions are met, defined rules. A key technical detail is that an execution schema is generated from the rules schema to handle data and constraints when executing decision tables. The execution schema may differ from the rules schema. The Genesys public API indicates whether to use the rules schema or execution schema for authoring and execution

Rule-based decisions enable you to define, manage, and execute business rules through structured conditions and corresponding outcomes. Define multiple conditions to build decision tables that generate actions that align with your business goals. Decision tables eliminate the need for complex coding or system workarounds. Rule-based decisions streamlines your decision-making process in the following ways:

Allows for creation of conditions that help you have better control over your business logic
Ensures consistent decision-making by applying structured, repeatable, and scalable rules
Adapts to changing business needs by modifying rules in a central location
Efficiently manages growing sets of rules for evolving levels of business complexity
Creates decision-making structures using a clean, intuitive interface
Uses APIs and developer tools to connect the rules engine to your existing systems

What are rule-based decisions?

Rule-based decisions are a collection of steps that contain a set of conditions and the resultant output. Rule-based decisions depend on clearly and tightly constructed conditions that guide the decision making process. The conditions make the process repeatable, predictable, and scalable to stay in line with business requirements. The decision making process broadly contains three phases: defining a rules schema, building decision tables using the rules schema, and creating Architect flows that use the decision table to execute the decision.

What is a rule schema?

Rule-based decisions depend on inputs and output rules to arrive at a decision. A rule schema helps define the input and output attributes to which the decision tables must refer. Rule-based decisions currently offers the following attributes: Boolean, Date, Date & Time, Enum, Integer, Number, String, and String List.

For example, a decision table designed to route insurance queries checks if the customer is new or existing. The rules author defines the attribute to be of type Boolean to check if the existing customer field is true or false. Based on the response, the decision table determines the appropriate queue for the query. However, if the decision table requires the value of insurance limit to determine the appropriate queue for the query, the rules author can define another attribute of type integer. The decision table can now receive only integer values as input. Using the input value, it can check if the value exceeds or falls below a certain limit to determine the appropriate queue for the query.

Based on the attributes used from rule schema and comparators used in decision table structure, Genesys Cloud defines two schemas: one for rule authoring and one for rule execution. These two schemas may or may not be identical to the original rule schema. To make decisions on rule authoring, it is important to refer to both the schemas to know how decisions are executed in real time.

What is a rule-based decision table?

Rule-based decision table is a sequence of rows of rules containing conditions and results. The table contains a series of inputs and their corresponding outputs when the input condition is met. For example, a simple rule-based decision table can check that if an incoming interaction is an email and if the customer is a credit card user. If the incoming interaction is an email from a credit card user, it must be routed to the queue Credit Card customer care.

Where can I use rule-based decision tables?

Rule-based decision tables can be used in scenarios that require multiple conditions to be weighed in before a decision can be made. It is particularly useful for contact center managers to create routing rules, prioritize interactions based on their performance, select agents and identify queues based on agent skill, categorize interactions such as email or SMS to route to the right agent, and route workitem to handle standard incoming tasks.

How to get started with rule-based decision table?

After you have identified your business scenarios and the decisions you want to automate using a rule-based decision table, you must begin creating the list of required conditions or inputs and the corresponding results or outputs. Ensure that the necessary user permissions are in place. The conditions and the results you define helps you identify the types of rules schema you need. Create the required rules schema. When the rules schema is ready, create decision tables. Creation of a decision table is a two-step process: first create the conditions and the results of your decision table and then build the decision table to incorporate the conditions and the results. After the decision table is ready for use, publish the decision table, and add the decision table to an Architect flow to execute the decision table. When the conditions of the decision table are true, Genesys Cloud executes the decision you defined.

How are rules executed in real time?

After you create a decision table, Genesys Cloud generates an execution schema based on the rules schema that you set. The execution schema describes the data and constraints imposed on data used to execute decision tables. The attributes in the rules schema and the execution schema can be the same, but they can also differ. For example, if you created an enum data type in the rules schema, the attribute stays enum for decision table row authoring purposes, but is promoted to string type for the purpose of decision table execution.

As the rules schema may evolve to a different schema at the time of execution, Genesys recommends that you do not consider just the rules schema for decision table authoring purpose. Use the Genesys public API to determine if the rules schema or the execution schema needs to be used for row authoring and for decision table execution.

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