Ask for zip, city, or state
Add an Ask for location step and choose zip code, city, or state. A zip code fills in the city, state, and time zone for you.
Add an Ask for location step and choose Zip code, City, or State. Zip code is the best choice: one short reply fills in the person's city, state, and time zone too.
Steps
- Open your flow under Data Capture Flows.
- Click Add a step, or the + where you want it.
- Under Capture data, choose Ask for location.
- Under What should they send?, pick one:
- Zip code (marked Best): fills in their city and state for you.
- City: just the city name.
- State: just the state.
- Check the Question, such as "What's your zip code?"
- Click Add & save.
The step appears as Ask for zip code, Ask for city, or Ask for state. Each can be used once per flow.
How replies are checked
Zip code accepts five digits, or a ZIP+4 such as 55401-1234. Textiful looks it up and saves the zip, city, state, and time zone to the contact. A reply that isn't a zip, or a zip that doesn't exist, gets "Sorry, we couldn't read that." and the question again. After 3 replies it can't read, the flow closes (Why a flow closes).
If the lookup can't be reached at that moment, the zip is saved as typed so the person isn't held up. City and state are left blank for that contact.
City and State accept any reply and save it as typed, so "MN", "Minn.", and "Minnesota" can all appear.
Using the answers
City and state appear on the contact and in your CSV export. In later messages, Insert personalization offers City and State.
Frequently asked questions
- Does the zip question work for Canadian postal codes?
- No. It accepts US zip codes only, and Textiful's short codes work on US carriers only.
- What happens if someone sends a zip code that doesn't exist?
- It's treated as an unclear reply: they're asked again. After 3 unclear replies the flow closes.