Delivered is not the same as acknowledged
Urgent notifications are typically sent and then overlooked. The system logs the sending as successful. The message stays in the channel. Nobody notices it was not read until the consequences arrive.
An acknowledgment is a different event from a delivery. Only acknowledgment means a human is handling it. An escalation chain watches acknowledgment, not delivery.
Intervals must be short enough to matter and long enough to be manageable. An escalation that takes thirty seconds reaches about five people for something the first person was already handling. A thirty-minute escalation is not an escalation.
The end of the chain also needs a definition. A chain that loops forever notifies no one in particular. A chain that ends at a named group is a decision about who owns the failure case.
How the ActionFlow runs on the canvas
The entire setup is based on the acknowledgment state, so the flow is determined by reading this state rather than by sending it.
A Webhook trigger receives the alert. A Google Sheets or PostgreSQL node holds the chain: who comes first, who comes next, and the interval between levels.
A Generate Text node writes the notification so the recipient can tell at a glance whether it is theirs, and can acknowledge quickly.
The Loop node walks the chain and notifies the current level through Slack, Telegram, SMS with Twilio, or through a phone-related channel according to the hour. An If node determines whether the hour requires a more prominent channel.
The Wait node waits for that interval. A second If node then reads the acknowledgment state, which a Webhook that receives replies has written.
If the message is acknowledged, the loop stops. If it is not acknowledged, the flow moves to the next level. The message includes that the previous person did not respond, because that is background the next person needs.
At the end of the chain, a Slack node sends a message to a named group channel. An HTTP Request node logs an unacknowledged escalation, which is the event to examine later.
Nodes this ActionFlow uses
- Webhook (Trigger): receives the alert and, separately, the acknowledgment replies.
- Google Sheets (Integration): holds the chain order and intervals. PostgreSQL fits the same slot.
- Generate Text (AI Core): writes a notification a recipient can judge in one line.
- Loop (Control): walks the chain level by level.
- If (Control): selects a louder channel outside working hours. A second If node reads acknowledgment state.
- Wait (Control): holds for the interval between levels.
- Twilio (Integration): sends SMS for the levels that need it. Slack and Telegram cover the rest.
- Slack (Communication): posts to the named group when the chain is exhausted.
Frequently asked questions
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