> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.ixhello.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.ixhello.com/ixhc2/flows/flow-editor/flow-summary-node-user-guide.md).

# Flow Summary Node - User Guide

### Overview

The Flow Summary Node enables designers to automatically generate a concise summary of the conversation that has occurred up to that point in a flow. The generated summary is stored in a session variable and can be used later within the flow, displayed to users, or sent to external systems for reporting, analytics, or handoff purposes.

This feature is particularly useful for:

* Capturing conversation context before transfer or escalation
* Generating interaction summaries for CRM or external systems
* Storing conversation insights for analytics
* Reducing the need to process entire conversation transcripts downstream

***

### How It Works

Behind the scenes, the Flow Summary Node:

1. Collects the conversation transcript accumulated up to the node.
2. Sends the transcript along with the configured summary prompt to a Large Language Model (LLM).
3. Receives a generated summary from the model.
4. Stores the summary in a session variable for later use within the flow.

Optionally, the conversation transcript can be processed through PII Redaction before being sent for summarization.

***

### Configuring the Flow Summary Node

Navigate to flows and choose an existing application and you see a node called "Flow Summary"

<figure><img src="https://4187494610-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FFe4cpY1jy0FJ4kgC7wSx%2Fuploads%2FVE3I51mHqXApi2U5NpRt%2Fimage.png?alt=media&amp;token=15397a57-f547-45e2-b559-5bc0c8878326" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

#### 1. Summary Variable

Use the Flow Summary Node to generate a concise summary of the conversation based on a configured summary prompt. The generated summary is automatically stored in a session variable, making it available for use throughout the flow, integrations, or downstream processes.

Configuration: Specify the session variable where the generated conversation summary will be saved. This variable can later be referenced in other nodes, API calls, agent handoffs, or reporting workflows.

<figure><img src="https://4187494610-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FFe4cpY1jy0FJ4kgC7wSx%2Fuploads%2FdBqgvi0vzBsq13OhFYrB%2Fimage.png?alt=media&amp;token=da47bbee-500c-47bd-b553-5309ef7a747c" alt="" width="563"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

***

#### 2. Output Format

Choose the format in which the summary will be generated and stored.

The selected format determines how the summary content is structured for downstream usage.

<figure><img src="https://4187494610-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FFe4cpY1jy0FJ4kgC7wSx%2Fuploads%2Fwzd0i2OhIdbtbEEJcmbg%2Fimage.png?alt=media&amp;token=0ab7ac83-f399-4f3d-bc22-f22d6a7671e2" alt="" width="530"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

***

#### 3. Language Selection

The summary language is controlled by the languages configured in the Global Flow Configuration.

Options include:

* Same as Conversation
* Specific configured flow language

{% hint style="info" %}
Note: Only languages configured for the flow are available for selection.
{% endhint %}

<figure><img src="https://4187494610-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FFe4cpY1jy0FJ4kgC7wSx%2Fuploads%2FE8Ky2WlDDi3wTPKmE0Lo%2Fimage.png?alt=media&amp;token=73f65fb9-9465-4fd2-992a-941751355ba1" alt="" width="476"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

***

#### 4. Redact PII

Redact PII provides an additional privacy and compliance layer.

When enabled:

* The conversation transcript is first sent to the Presidio Analyzer.
* Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is detected.
* Identified PII elements are redacted before summarization.
* The redacted transcript is then sent to the LLM for summary generation.

Supported PII may include:

* Customer names
* Phone numbers
* E-Mail addresses
* Credit card numbers
* Account identifiers
* Other configured sensitive information

**Benefits**

* Protects customer privacy
* Reduces exposure of sensitive information
* Helps support compliance and governance requirements

***

#### 5. Conversation Insights

When enabled, additional conversational intelligence is generated and included in the output.

Available insights include:

* Intent
* Entities
* Sentiment
* Sentiment Source
* Summary

These insights are stored alongside the generated summary and can be used in reporting, integrations, or workflow automation.

***

### Accessing the Output

The generated data is available through the configured output variable.

#### Available Output Keys

| Key             | Description                              |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| summary         | Generated conversation summary           |
| intent          | Detected customer intent                 |
| entities        | Extracted entities from the conversation |
| sentiment       | Overall conversation sentiment           |
| sentimentsource | Source used for sentiment analysis       |

***

### Using the Summary Within a Flow

The stored summary can be consumed in multiple ways:

Use a Say Node to present the generated summary.

<figure><img src="https://4187494610-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FFe4cpY1jy0FJ4kgC7wSx%2Fuploads%2FBGbZ1LZXtILSDxCRYzjJ%2Fimage.png?alt=media&amp;token=7500e3a9-7027-4db4-9181-f51ec06af5a8" alt="" width="563"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

***

#### External API-Integration

The summary can also be passed to an API Call Node and sent to external platforms such as:

* CRM systems
* Analytics platforms
* Ticketing systems
* Knowledge management solutions
* iX Wisdom or other integrated services

The API can consume:

* Summary
* Intent
* Entities
* Sentiment
* Other conversation insights

***

### Example Use Case

#### Customer Support Handoff

1. Customer interacts with a virtual assistant.
2. Flow Summary Node generates a concise conversation summary.
3. Summary is stored in a session variable.
4. The summary is sent to a ticketing or agent-assist system.
5. Human agents receive conversation context without reviewing the full transcript.

Result: Faster handoffs and improved agent efficiency.

***

### Bot Testing

<figure><img src="https://4187494610-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FFe4cpY1jy0FJ4kgC7wSx%2Fuploads%2FhUv6CRNJ2DrsOohX6KUW%2Fflow%20summary.png?alt=media&amp;token=8628b8b8-ad61-4df5-b73d-69fd5d5e98bc" alt="" width="308"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### Best Practices

* Enable PII Redaction when customer data may contain sensitive information.
* Use Conversation Insights when analytics, reporting, or routing decisions are required.
* Store summaries in a clearly named session variable for easy maintenance.
* Pass summaries to downstream systems instead of entire transcripts whenever possible.
* Validate generated summaries during testing to ensure they meet business requirements.

***

### Key Benefits

* Automatically summarizes conversation history
* Stores summaries in reusable session variables
* Supports privacy protection through PII redaction
* Generates conversation insights such as intent and sentiment
* Integrates easily with API calls and external systems
* Reduces dependency on full conversation transcripts
* Improves agent handoff and reporting workflows

***

#### Conclusion

The Flow Summary Node provides an efficient way to capture and reuse conversation context within a flow. By combining AI-powered summarization, optional PII redaction, and conversation insights, it helps organizations streamline integrations, improve customer support workflows, and enhance operational reporting while maintaining privacy and compliance standards.


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