How to write a good instruction

The most common mistake is writing what the assistant should be: friendly, professional, welcoming. An assistant that only knows it should be friendly says hello and then loses its footing.

Instead, write the five to ten things people actually call about:

• book an appointment
• move or cancel an appointment
• ask about a price
• ask about opening hours
• something urgent

For each of them: what should it answer, and what should it do afterwards. That list is what decides whether the assistant is useful.

Also write what it should not do. "Never give an estimate for a repair" is just as important as the rest — and it is the kind of thing that otherwise gets invented.

Where to write it

Assistants → select the assistant → Instructions. The text can be changed at any time, and the change applies from the next call.

If you want to know whether it works, use Call me and try it on the assistant's page. You hear it exactly as a customer does — and you hear immediately where it loses its footing.