Estimated Read Time: 3 minutes

Overview

Recipes are pre-built workflow templates created by AskElephant for common business scenarios. Instead of building a workflow from scratch, Recipes give you a tested, proven starting point. Select a Recipe, customize it to your needs, and activate it. You'll have a working workflow in minutes—not hours.

Think of Recipes like cookbooks: they contain all the ingredients and instructions for a successful outcome. You just follow the template and adjust the flavors to match your preferences.

Key Terms

Recipe: A pre-built workflow template designed for a specific use case.

Template: The basic structure and logic of a Recipe that you'll customize for your workspace.

Activate: Turn a workflow on so it starts responding to triggers and performing its sequence.

Deactivate: Turn a workflow off temporarily. It won't respond to triggers until reactivated.

Why Use Recipes?

Building a workflow from scratch requires understanding triggers, conditions, and sequences. That takes time and expertise.

Recipes skip the guesswork. AskElephant has already designed workflows for common use cases like summarizing meetings, capturing action items, or logging customer data. By starting with a Recipe, you:

• Save time — No need to build from the ground up
• Avoid mistakes — Use proven, tested templates
• Get started fast — Customize and activate in minutes
• Learn by example — Recipes show you how workflows work

Accessing Recipes

To find and browse Recipes:

• Go to the Workflows page (navigate to it from the left-hand menu)
• Click the "Recipes" button in the top right corner
• Browse available recipes or use the search bar to find what you need

Example: Searching for "meeting summary" will show recipes designed to automatically summarize meetings.

Recipe vs. Existing Workflow: Know the Difference

This is critical: Clicking a Recipe creates a NEW workflow. It doesn't edit an existing one.

Here's how to tell the difference:

Existing Workflows (in your main Workflows list):

• Already created and configured
• Clicking them opens them for editing
• If active, they show a "Deactivate Workflow" option

Recipes (in the Recipes section):

• Pre-built templates
• Clicking them creates a duplicate workflow based on that template
• They start in an inactive state, ready for customization

Why this matters: If you click the same Recipe twice, you'll create two separate workflows—both based on the same template. This is useful if you want variations, but it can also lead to accidental duplicates if you're not intentional.

Creating a Workflow from a Recipe

Here's how to get started:

• Click the "Recipes" button on the Workflows page
• Browse the available templates or search for what you need
• Click the Recipe you want to use
• You'll see a new workflow created based on that template
• Customize the configuration to match your needs (naming, triggers, conditions, etc.)
• Activate the workflow when you're ready

The workflow is now live and ready to work for you.

Best Practices for Using Recipes

Start with Recipes instead of building from scratch — Even if you need customization, it's faster to modify a proven template than create one from zero.

Name your workflow descriptively — Instead of "Workflow 1," try "Auto-summarize customer calls" or "Log meeting action items." Clear names help you identify what each workflow does at a glance.

Test before activating — Review the configuration and conditions to make sure the workflow will work as intended before turning it on.

Create variations intentionally — If you need multiple workflows with slight differences, using Recipes to create variations is smart. Just give each one a clear, unique name.

Check the Recipes library regularly — AskElephant adds new templates over time. New Recipes might solve problems you've been managing manually.

Common Scenario: Creating Your First Workflow from a Recipe

Let's say your team spends 30 minutes after every customer call summarizing what was discussed. There's probably a Recipe for that.

• Go to Workflows → Recipes
• Search "call summary" or "meeting summary"
• Select the template that fits your needs
• Customize the name (e.g., "Auto-summarize customer calls")
• Review the trigger (e.g., "When a call ends")
• Adjust any settings specific to your team
• Click "Activate"

Done. Your workflow is now automatically summarizing calls. Your team regains those 30 minutes per call to focus on actual customer relationships.

Next Steps

Ready to create your first workflow? Start with a Recipe that matches your most repetitive task. Small wins build momentum—automate one workflow, then move to the next.

Need help deciding which Recipe to use? Connect with AskElephant Support!

Connect with AskElephant Support

If you have questions or need further assistance, the AskElephant support team is here to help!

You can reach our support team in several ways:

• click the chat button in the bottom right corner of your screen,
• email us at support@askelephant.ai
• or use @askelephant support in your dedicated Slack channel.

We're committed to getting you the answers you need as quickly as possible.