Passing custom variables via Set Participant Data action in IVR flow

Architect & Flows
1

Looking for advice on how to correctly structure the payload for the Set Participant Data action within a Genesys Cloud Architect flow to ensure custom variables persist through the IVR journey.

I am building a complex IVR flow where I need to capture user inputs at various stages and make them available to downstream Data Actions and external API calls. Specifically, I want to pass a customer_segment variable and a priority_level integer through the conversation context.

Here is the current configuration I am using in the Architect flow:

  1. Get Input Action: Captures the segment from the user.
  2. Set Participant Data Action:
  • Action Type: Set Participant Data
  • Key: customer_segment
  • Value: {Get_Input_Result}
  • Key: priority_level
  • Value: 5

Later in the flow, I attempt to retrieve these values in a Data Action using the following expression:

{
 "customerSegment": "{{Conversation.ParticipantData.customer_segment}}",
 "priority": "{{Conversation.ParticipantData.priority_level}}"
}

The issue is that while customer_segment appears correctly in the transcript and the Data Action payload, priority_level is often missing or null when the flow branches quickly after the Set action. I have verified that the Get Input action completes successfully. I am wondering if there is a timing issue or a specific syntax requirement for integer types versus strings in the Set Participant Data action.

Additionally, does the Conversation.ParticipantData object require a specific refresh trigger, or should it be available immediately after the Set action completes? Any insights on best practices for ensuring variable persistence across rapid flow transitions would be appreciated.

2

I think the Set Participant Data action requires a specific JSON structure that often trips up developers expecting standard key-value pairs. The documentation explicitly states, “Participant data must be structured as a map of strings to values.” This means your priority_level integer must be converted to a string before injection.

  • Convert integers to strings in the preceding Collect Input block. The API payload expects "priority_level": "high" rather than "priority_level": 1.
  • Use the following JSON payload structure in the Set Participant Data action:
{
"data": {
"customer_segment": "{{input.segment}}",
"priority_level": "{{input.priority_str}}"
}
}
  • Ensure you are using the correct scope conversation:participant:write for the API user if you are validating this via external calls, though within Architect, the flow token handles authentication.
  • Verify the variable names match the downstream Data Action inputs exactly. Case sensitivity matters here. The documentation notes, “Variable names are case-sensitive and must match the definition in the Data Action schema.”
3

If I remember correctly, type casting is critical. The suggestion above mentions string conversion, but verify via the Audit API that the payload persists correctly. Use this expression to force string output:

"priority_level": string(priorityLevel)

This prevents silent failures in downstream API calls.