Strategy Instructions

Strategy instructions are the core of guided mode workflows. They tell the AI how to think about a customer interaction — what data to check, what decisions to make, and how to craft the response. The better your instructions, the better the AI's output.

What the AI receives

When a workflow executes in guided mode, the AI receives:

1. Your strategy instructions — the guidelines you write
2. Ticket context — the customer's name, email, the full conversation history, ticket subject, channel, status, and tags
3. External data — order details, subscription info, or other data from your connected tools
4. Knowledge base articles — relevant articles from your selected knowledge bases
5. Brand settings — your company's voice and tone guidelines, response style, and any banned phrases

You only write the strategy instructions. Everything else is assembled and provided to the AI automatically.

Writing effective instructions

Be specific about what to check

Tell the AI exactly what data to look at and how to interpret it.

Good:

Check the order's fulfillment status. If it shows "shipped" with a tracking number, provide the tracking information. If it shows "unfulfilled," acknowledge the delay and provide an estimated timeline.

Too vague:

Check the order and respond appropriately.

Include decision logic

The power of guided mode is handling multiple scenarios with one workflow. Lay out the decision tree.

Good:

1. If the order was delivered less than 30 days ago, explain the refund process
2. If the order was delivered more than 30 days ago, explain the policy but offer store credit
3. If the order hasn't shipped yet, offer to cancel instead

Too simple:

Help the customer with their refund.

Specify what to include in the response

Tell the AI what information the customer needs to see.

Good:

Always include:

• The order number
• The current fulfillment status
• The next step the customer should expect
• A timeline if applicable

Set the tone

While your brand settings provide global voice and tone guidelines, you can add situation-specific tone guidance.

Good:

This is a frustrating situation for the customer. Lead with empathy — acknowledge the inconvenience before providing the solution. Avoid corporate language like "we apologize for any inconvenience."

Specify what NOT to do

Guardrails are as important as instructions.

Good:

Do not:

• Promise a specific refund amount (this depends on the payment method)
• Provide legal advice about chargebacks
• Mention internal processes or tooling
• Make up tracking numbers or delivery dates

Channel-aware responses

The AI automatically adapts the response format based on the channel:

You don't need to include channel-specific formatting instructions — this happens automatically. Your strategy instructions should focus on what to say, not how to format it.

Example: Order status workflow

Here's a complete set of strategy instructions for handling order status inquiries:

Strategy Instructions:

1. Look up the customer's most recent order using their email address
2. Check the fulfillment status:
   • Unfulfilled: Acknowledge the order is being prepared. If it's been more than 3 business days since the order was placed, apologize for the delay and provide an estimated shipping date if available.
   • Shipped / In transit: Provide the tracking number and carrier. If a delivery estimate is available, include it.
   • Delivered: Confirm delivery and ask if there's an issue with the order.
   • Cancelled / Refunded: Explain the current status and offer to help with a new order if they'd like.
3. Always include the order number in your response
4. If the customer mentions a specific item, reference it by name
5. Keep the tone helpful and reassuring — the customer just wants to know what's happening with their order

Tips

• Start simple, then iterate. Write basic instructions, test against a few tickets, and refine based on the output. You don't need to cover every edge case on day one.
• Use numbered steps for sequential logic. The AI follows numbered instructions more reliably than paragraph-form guidelines.
• Test with real tickets. The best way to improve your instructions is to run them against actual tickets and see where the AI goes wrong.
• Combine with escalation rules. Don't try to handle everything in instructions — use escalation rules to route complex cases to humans.

Related

• Response Modes
• Creating a Workflow