Guidance rules tell your AI agent how to handle customer scenarios.
Go to AI Agent → Guidance
You can use one of our templates or create a new guidance from scratch by clicking Add guidance
Each rule has four parts:
- Intent — Short name (e.g., "WISMO: Regional delivery timeframes")
- Trigger — WHEN to trigger: the topic or customer situation
- Agent Instructions — HOW to handle it: specific scenarios and conditions
- Status — disabled, testing (playground only), or enabled (live)
- Apply to channels — You can make them channel-specific (only for social media, etc.)
Writing descriptions
The description defines WHEN this guidance triggers. It can be broad — specific scenarios go in the instructions.
Examples:
- "Customer inquiries about order location, delivery status, shipping updates, tracking information, or asking 'where is my order'"
- "Customer wants to return an order or item"
- "Customer reports product arrived damaged, broken, or defective"
Writing instructions
Instructions tell the AI HOW to handle the situation. Break them into scenarios with clear conditions.
Example: WISMO with regional timeframes
Title: WISMO: Regional delivery timeframes
Description: Customer inquiries about order location, delivery status, shipping updates, tracking information, or asking variations of 'where is my order/package/shipment.' Includes questions about delivery timing, order progress, or shipping delays.
Instructions:
Scenario 1: No tracking available yet
Trigger: Customer asks for tracking and no tracking number is available
IF order created less than 2 business days ago:
- Inform customer that tracking will be available once dispatched, usually within 24 hours
- Note that processing can take up to 3 business days during busy periods
- Advise customer to check back later
IF order created more than 2 business days ago:
- Apologize for the shipping delay
- Escalate to an agent
Scenario 2: Tracking available, not delivered
Trigger: Order has tracking but has not yet been delivered
Delivery timeframes by region:
- USA: 5–9 business days
- Canada: 5–9 business days
- UK: 5–7 business days
- Australia: 5–9 business days
- Other countries: 10–15 business days
Calculate expected delivery using the order date plus the regional timeframe above.
IF order is on time:
- Share tracking information
- Reassure the customer: "We're closely monitoring every shipment to make sure it arrives safely."
IF order is behind by less than 2 business days:
- Advise customer to wait an additional 2 days due to possible delays
IF order is delayed by more than 2 business days:
- Escalate to an agent
Scenario 3: Marked delivered, not received
Trigger: Customer reports order marked as delivered but not received
Ask the customer to verify:
- Whether a neighbor, roommate, or doorman accepted the package
- That the shipping address on file is correct
- Whether they've contacted the carrier for delivery details
- Whether the package may have been left in a discreet location
Next steps:
- Ask customer to wait 2 business days after the posted delivery date
- Share tracking info and the shipping address used
- If all verification steps are done and it has been 2+ days since the package was marked delivered, escalate to an agent
Example: Damaged item reports
Title: Damaged or defective item reports
Description: Customer reports product arrived damaged, broken, defective, or not as described
Instructions:
- Check whether the customer has an order on file
- If the order contains multiple items, ask which specific item was damaged
- Request one or more photos of the damaged item(s) for assessment
- Review the damage policy and explain the available options to the customer:
- Replacements ship within 1–2 business days at no cost
- Full refunds are available if the customer prefers not to receive a replacement
- Items must be reported within 7 days of delivery for fastest resolution
- The customer does not need to return the damaged item unless specifically requested
Example: Influencer collaboration
Title: Influencer collaboration requests
Description: Customer inquires about partnerships, collaborations, sponsorships, influencer opportunities, or brand partnerships
Instructions:
Step 1: Initial response
- Thank the customer for their interest in partnering
- Express enthusiasm about the potential partnership
- Ask for collaboration details: rates, content requirements, and deliverables
Step 2: Assess the partnership type
IF the customer proposes a paid partnership:
- Explain the current partnership model available
- Outline the affiliate program terms:
- Commission rate: [INSERT PERCENTAGE]
- Product allocation: [INSERT DETAILS]
- Content requirements: [INSERT DELIVERABLES]
Step 3A: Customer agrees to affiliate terms
IF customer agrees:
- Collect: name, email, phone, and shipping address
- Label the conversation: [INSERT LABEL]
Step 3B: Customer declines
IF customer declines:
- Thank them for their time
- Express openness to future partnerships
- Label the conversation: [INSERT LABEL]
Key principles
1. Use scenarios for different situations
Don't handle everything in one block. Break into Scenario 1, Scenario 2, etc.
2. Include specific timeframes and thresholds
"2 business days", "5-9 business days", "within 7 days" — not "soon" or "quickly"
3. Define clear escalation rules
Be specific: "delayed by more than 2 business days" not just "if there's a problem"
4. Tell the AI what to DO, not what to SAY
- Good: "Apologize for the delay and share tracking"
- Bad: "Say: Dear customer, we sincerely apologize..."
5. Reference actions naturally
- "Escalate to an agent"
- "Resolve the conversation"
- "Leave private note about shipping damage"
- "Label conversation: [tag name]"
You can also trigger custom actions to send data to external systems like Zapier, n8n, or Google Sheets.
Common mistakes
Missing scenarios
Not covering different situations (tracking available vs not). Fix: Break into separate scenarios with triggers.
Vague thresholds
Using "if delayed" instead of specific timeframes. Fix: "Delayed by more than 2 business days"
No escalation rules
AI doesn't know when to hand over to a human. Fix: Define specific conditions for escalation.
Over-scripting
Writing full customer messages instead of instructions. Fix: Write instructions, not scripts.
Overriding defaults
Trying to change automatic behaviors like pending status. These can't be changed via guidance. See AI agent capabilities and actions for details.
Using quotes
Instruction to use specific sentences using quotes. The agent will prioritize using these quotes without really checking the context like the customer's last orders, conversations, etc.
Instructions for behavior or tone of voice
While the AI agent supports instructions for specific behavior or tone of voice, guidances are not the appropriate place to put it. Use the AI agent > General rules section for behavior and AI agent > Tone of voice.
Troubleshooting
Wrong guidance triggering
Your guidance is enabled but a different rule is matching instead — sometimes even a disabled one.
Fix: Check if another guidance has overlapping or broader triggers. Either:
- Adjust the triggers to be more specific
- Remove or disable the guidance that's incorrectly matching
For example, if you have both a general "shipping inquiries" guidance and a specific "WISMO" guidance, the broader one may match first. Consider consolidating related scenarios into one guidance rule or making triggers mutually exclusive.
Testing guidance
- Set status to "testing" (active only in playground)
- Simulate real conversations in playground
- Test each scenario path
- Adjust and re-test
- Set to "enabled" when ready