Your prompt is the primary way you configure how your agent behaves. This guide covers how to structure it, what to include, and what makes voice prompts different from text prompts.
Start here if you’re writing a prompt from scratch.
1
Who is your agent?
Give your agent a clear identity and personality.
You are [Name], a [role] at [Company].Your personality is [trait 1], [trait 2], and [trait 3].
2
What is the goal?
Define the specific, measurable outcome.
Your objective is to [specific measurable outcome].
3
How does the conversation flow?
Map out the key steps in order.
Conversation Flow:1. Greeting — confirm identity and thank them for calling2. Permission — ask if they have a few minutes3. Discovery — understand their needs with open-ended questions4. Action — book, answer, or transfer using the appropriate tool5. Closing — confirm next steps and say goodbye
4
What are the guardrails?
Define what your agent should never do and when to escalate.
Never:- Discuss pricing (transfer to sales team)- Make promises about features or timelines- Continue if the caller is hostile (end call politely)Transfer to a human when:- Caller requests a manager- Technical issue is beyond your knowledge- Caller is frustrated after two attempts to help
5
How should it handle objections?
Prepare for common responses with exact wording.
Objection Handling:- "Not interested" → "I understand. Can I ask what changed since you requested info?"- "Too expensive" → "I hear you. Let's discuss what features matter most."- "Need to think about it" → "Of course. What specific concerns should I address?"
The most common voice AI mistake is responses that are too long. A response that reads fine as text can take 15+ seconds to speak — callers lose attention, interrupt, or hang up.
Keep responses to 1-3 sentences for most answers.Only give detail when the caller explicitly asks for more.When listing options, offer a maximum of 3 at a time, then ask if they'd like to hear more.
❌ "Provide comprehensive, detailed responses to all questions."❌ "List all available options when asked."❌ "Include disclaimers and legal language in your responses."
Guide the agent to use natural acknowledgment phrases that match how a person would speak:
- "Let me check that for you" (before tool calls)- "Got it" or "Understood" (acknowledging input)- "Just to make sure I have this right..." (before confirming details)- "One moment while I look that up" (during knowledge retrieval)
Phone numbers: group in pairs — "forty-three, seven-twenty, one-two-three"Dates: use natural format — "Tuesday, March fifth" not "2026-03-05"Prices: say the currency — "forty-five euros" not "45.00"Email addresses: spell clearly — "john at example dot com"
Keep it short. The caller wants to get to their reason for calling.
Good: "Hi, this is [Name] at [Company]. How can I help you?"Bad: "Hello and welcome to [Company]. My name is [Name] and I'm here to assist you with any questions, concerns, or requests you may have today."
After giving information, ask a follow-up question to keep the conversation moving.Don't give a monologue — pause after each key point and check if the caller has questions.If the caller interrupts, stop and listen — their input takes priority.
1. Confirm the caller's needs are met: "Is there anything else I can help with?"2. If not: "Great, thanks for calling [Company]. Have a good day!"3. Don't recap everything — just the key action items.
If you don't have the information to answer:- Say: "I don't have that, but let me connect you with someone who does."- Never guess or make up answers.- Never say "As an AI, I cannot..."
If the caller seems upset:- Acknowledge: "I understand this is frustrating."- Don't be defensive or overly apologetic.- Focus on solving their problem.- Offer to transfer to a human if needed.
If the conversation goes off-topic:- Redirect: "I'd love to help with that, but I'm set up to help with [scope]. Can I help you with anything related to [scope]?"
When collecting phone numbers, email addresses, or account numbers:- Ask for each piece of information separately.- Repeat back what you heard and ask for confirmation.- If the caller provides a number too quickly, ask them to repeat it slowly.
Voice agents need conversational language, not corporate speak.Avoid:
"I am contacting you regarding...""Per our previous correspondence..."
Better:
"I'm calling about...""Following up on..."
Test: read it aloud. If it sounds stiff, simplify it.
Be specific, not vague
Vague instructions leave too much room for inconsistency. Give enough detail that the agent knows what you mean — without scripting every word verbatim.Avoid:
"Introduce yourself professionally""Explain the benefits"
Better:
"Greet the caller by name, introduce yourself as [Agent Name], and state the purpose of the call""Mention that the product reduces manual reporting time"
Scripting exact sentences can help for critical moments like greetings or legal disclosures. For the rest, describe the intent and let the agent find natural phrasing.
Use if/then branching
Handle different scenarios with conditional logic.
If customer says yes → continue to step 2If customer says no → ask: "When would be better?"If customer is hostile → say: "Let me transfer you to someone who can help."
Plan for success, objections, and edge cases.
Natural transitions
Help the agent move smoothly between conversation stages.
"Now that we've covered X, let me share Y...""Great question. Before I answer that, can I ask...""That makes sense. Based on what you've told me..."
Confirmation protocols
Always verify critical information before taking action.
Before booking:"Let me confirm — that's Tuesday, March 15th at 2 PM. Is that correct?"Before transferring:"Just to make sure, you need help with [issue]. Correct?"
When the caller confirms they want to schedule, call the `Schedule Dental Checkup` booking tool with:- `date` and `time` gathered during the conversation- Ask for email if `contact.email` is missing; otherwise use contact emailIf the tool returns an error:1. Apologize: "I'm sorry, I'm having trouble booking that time slot"2. Offer two alternative slots from the same day3. Retry once with the alternative4. If the second attempt fails, trigger the `Transfer to Front Desk` tool
Use the `Transfer to Tier 2 Support` tool when:- Issue requires escalation beyond your capabilities- Caller explicitly requests a human agent- Legal or billing questions ariseBefore transferring:1. Explain why: "I'd like to connect you with a specialist who can help with this"2. Ask permission: "May I transfer you now?"3. If they agree, trigger the transfer tool
Use Jinja templating to personalize your prompt with dynamic values from contacts and context.
{% if contact.first_name %}Greet them by name: "Hi {{ contact.first_name }}, thanks for calling!"{% else %}Use a general greeting: "Hi there, thanks for calling!"{% endif %}{% if contact.email %}You have the customer's email on file: {{ contact.email }}{% else %}Ask for their email address before proceeding with the booking.{% endif %}
