---
title: "Choose a workflow"
description: "Understand how to select a workflow in the Interlinked onboarding wizard. Learn the difference between retail and service workflows and how your choice shapes the AI agent's conversation flow."
section: "Onboarding wizard"
url: https://interlinked-ai.com/en/resources/docs/choose-a-workflow
lang: en
lastUpdated: 2026-04-19
---

# Choose a workflow

## What this step does

The second step of the onboarding wizard is where you choose a **workflow** — the conversation flow that defines how your AI agent interacts with customers. Your workflow determines the entire structure of customer conversations: what the AI asks, what information it collects, and how it guides customers toward a purchase, appointment, or handoff.

This is the most important decision in the wizard because it directly controls the AI's behavior and determines which additional configuration steps appear after this point.

<div class="docs-media-placeholder">
  <p class="mono-label">Screenshot: Step 2 showing workflow cards grouped by Retail and Service with the flow summary panel below</p>
</div>

## Two workflow families

Workflows are divided into two families:

### Retail workflows

Retail workflows are designed for businesses that sell physical products. The AI guides customers through product discovery, cart management, order placement, and payment. There are three retail workflows:

| Workflow | What it does |
|----------|-------------|
| [Shipping & Pickup](/en/resources/docs/shipping-and-pickup) | The AI asks customers whether they prefer shipping or in-store pickup, then follows the appropriate flow for each |
| [Shipping Only](/en/resources/docs/shipping-only) | The AI handles delivery-based orders with shipping address collection, cost calculation, and payment processing |
| [Pickup Only](/en/resources/docs/pickup-only) | The AI offers in-store pickup at one or more physical locations with optional advance payment |

### Service workflows

Service workflows are designed for businesses that offer services — consultations, appointments, classes, or any interaction that requires scheduling or qualification. There are six service workflows:

| Workflow | What it does |
|----------|-------------|
| [Qualify & Schedule](/en/resources/docs/qualify-and-schedule) | The AI asks qualification questions, then books an appointment on Google Calendar |
| [Qualify & Transfer](/en/resources/docs/qualify-and-transfer) | The AI asks qualification questions, then hands off the conversation to a human agent |
| [Qualify, Pay & Schedule](/en/resources/docs/qualify-pay-and-schedule) | The AI qualifies the lead, collects a payment deposit, then books an appointment |
| [Free Appointment](/en/resources/docs/free-appointment) | The AI books a free appointment directly on Google Calendar without qualification |
| [Paid Appointment](/en/resources/docs/paid-appointment) | The AI collects a payment deposit, then books an appointment on Google Calendar |
| [Handoff to Human](/en/resources/docs/handoff-to-human) | The AI collects basic information, then transfers the conversation to a human agent |

<div class="docs-callout docs-callout-tip">
  <p><strong>Tip</strong></p>
  <p>Not sure which workflow to choose? Read the <a href="/en/resources/docs/workflows-overview">Workflows overview</a> for a detailed comparison that will help you decide.</p>
</div>

## How to select a workflow

Workflows are presented as visual cards grouped by family (Retail or Service). To select a workflow:

1. Browse the available workflow cards.
2. Click on the card that best matches your business model.
3. The selected card will show a blue border, a scale animation, and a checkmark icon.

Below the cards, a **Flow Summary** panel appears showing a visual pipeline of how the AI will handle conversations with this workflow. The pipeline shows stages like **Connect → Qualify → Payment → Schedule/Handoff/Complete**, making it easy to understand the conversation flow at a glance.

<div class="docs-media-placeholder">
  <p class="mono-label">Screenshot: A workflow card selected with blue border and checkmark, with the flow summary pipeline visible below</p>
</div>

## How your choice affects the remaining steps

When you select a workflow and click **Continue**, the wizard recalculates which steps come next. For example:

- Selecting **Shipping Only** adds configuration steps for delivery rules and bank accounts.
- Selecting **Qualify & Schedule** adds steps for qualification questions, Google Calendar connection, calendar settings, and calendar availability.
- Selecting **Handoff to Human** adds no extra steps — it is the simplest workflow.

This dynamic step adjustment happens automatically. You do not need to manually add or remove steps.

## Changing your workflow

You can change your workflow at any time during the wizard:

1. Click **Go Back** until you return to the workflow selection step.
2. Select a different workflow.
3. Click **Continue**.

The wizard will recalculate the remaining steps based on your new selection. Any data you entered for steps that are no longer relevant (for example, calendar settings if you switch from a service to a retail workflow) is saved in the draft but will not be used.

<div class="docs-callout docs-callout-note">
  <p><strong>Note</strong></p>
  <p>You can also change your workflow after completing the onboarding wizard by using the <a href="/en/resources/docs/edit-your-setup-from-ai-config">AI Config wizard</a>. Changing workflows is not permanent — you can switch as often as you need.</p>
</div>

## What to do next

After selecting your workflow, click **Continue**. The wizard will take you to the first workflow-specific configuration step. For a detailed guide to each workflow and its steps, see the [Workflows overview](/en/resources/docs/workflows-overview).