How to start Workflows situationally with Hugo AI routing

This article explains how Hugo can start workflows automatically when a conversation matches a situation you define.

Situational routing is often the cleanest way to combine Hugo and Workflows. Hugo handles the conversation naturally, then starts a workflow only when the user reaches a topic, intent, or situation that needs a structured process.

Starting Workflows situationally with Hugo

If you went through our Getting started with Hugo guide, you might recall the mention of "Routing rules".

These allow you to describe a situation or topic to Hugo, and select the action Hugo should perform, such as moving the conversation to a certain inbox, or starting a workflow.

Let's say for example that we wish for Hugo to handle all of our conversations, but trigger a workflow collecting information from the user if they request a demo of our product.

First, we need to enable Hugo on all conversations, by navigating to AI Agent → Agent → Activation and:

Toggling Enable agent activation for new conversations
Selecting the default target Answer with AI Agent

Then inside of Guidance → Routing, we can simply:

Create a new Routing rule and name it. E.g. "Demo requests"
Describe the situation which Hugo should look out for. E.g. "The user is requesting a demo call to discover our product"
And finally, in "route to", select the workflow you have prepared

Note that when routing all conversations towards a workflow with that method, your workflow should always start with either an action or condition block.

While handling conversations, Hugo will now passively be watching for such situations, and trigger your workflow whenever it occurs.

You can also hand the conversation back to Hugo after your workflow has been completed, by using the "Answer with Hugo" action block.

Starting Workflows situationally with Hugo screenshot

Your routing descriptions should only describe the situation you want Hugo to look for. They shouldn't contain instructions, behavioral tips or information. Simply paint the situation you wish Hugo to trigger your workflow for.

To learn more about how to craft efficient prompts and describe Hugo the situations you want him to detect, check out this dedicated article. You will also find more usages and tips about Hugo routing!

Hugo can also trigger a workflow whenever the conversation must be escalated to a human agent, to perform additional checks or perform actions before your agents take it over. In the "routing" section, you will find a dedicated native "Escalation rule" which can be enabled for that purpose. You can learn more about Hugo's escalation system in this article.

Why can't I select my workflow in Routing?

If your workflow does not appear as selectable in AI Agent → Guidance → Routing, it is most likely not enabled yet.

Only activated workflows can be selected in Hugo routing.

Open AI Agent → Workflow Builder, find your workflow, and enable it so it moves out of the disabled list. Once activated, it will become available in your routing rules.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions which were not covered in this article? Here is a collection of the most frequently asked questions on this topic.

What else can Hugo routing rules do?

Starting workflows is just one of Hugo's ability.

Hugo routing rules can also be used to escalate the conversation automatically, or move it to the inbox of your choice. To do, simply open below your routing description and select the corresponding "route to" action. You can find more information in this article.

Updated on: 04/05/2026

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