Voice agent

Instructions

Write effective instructions for the voice agent

Instructions guide the agent's behaviour in every situation. Clear, well-structured instructions deliver consistent and appropriate responses.

Three core principles

Clarity. Write simple, direct sentences. Avoid ambiguity, technical jargon, and circumlocutions. The agent must understand exactly what to do.
Specificity. Don't say 'be polite': explain how and when. For example, 'if the customer asks about hours, reply with the exact time and add: we want to make sure everything is perfect for you'.
Completeness. Anticipate edge cases and exceptions. Specify what to do if the agent doesn't know the answer or if the customer becomes rude.

Role and purpose: Who you are and what your main mission is (e.g. booking support, service information).
Available information: Data the agent can provide: rates, hours, available services, business rules.
Actions you can take: What you can do: accept bookings, change dates, give information about packages.
Situations requiring an operator: Which requests must be transferred to a human operator (complaints, complex requests).
Security protocols: How to handle sensitive data: never ask for passwords, never share confidential information.
Behaviour when misunderstanding occurs: How to react when you don't understand: ask the customer to repeat, suggest alternatives, offer human support.

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Voice agent

Write effective instructions for the voice agent

Instructions guide the agent's behaviour in every situation. Clear, well-structured instructions deliver consistent and appropriate responses.

Clarity. Write simple, direct sentences. Avoid ambiguity, technical jargon, and circumlocutions. The agent must understand exactly what to do.
Specificity. Don't say 'be polite': explain how and when. For example, 'if the customer asks about hours, reply with the exact time and add: we want to make sure everything is perfect for you'.
Completeness. Anticipate edge cases and exceptions. Specify what to do if the agent doesn't know the answer or if the customer becomes rude.

Role and purpose: Who you are and what your main mission is (e.g. booking support, service information).
Available information: Data the agent can provide: rates, hours, available services, business rules.
Actions you can take: What you can do: accept bookings, change dates, give information about packages.
Situations requiring an operator: Which requests must be transferred to a human operator (complaints, complex requests).
Security protocols: How to handle sensitive data: never ask for passwords, never share confidential information.
Behaviour when misunderstanding occurs: How to react when you don't understand: ask the customer to repeat, suggest alternatives, offer human support.

Was this page helpful?