Custom Instructions for AI
Quick Summary
Custom instructions let you provide specific guidance to the AI for each star rating level (1 through 5 stars). This allows you to fine-tune how the AI responds to different types of reviews, such as always mentioning a promotion for happy customers or offering a callback for unhappy ones.
What Are Custom Instructions?
Custom instructions are short text prompts you write that get included in the AI's context when generating a response. You can set different instructions for each star rating (1-star through 5-star), allowing the AI to behave differently depending on how positive or negative the review is.
For example, you might want the AI to mention your loyalty program when responding to 5-star reviews, but offer to connect the reviewer with a manager when responding to 1-star reviews. Custom instructions make this possible without manually editing each response.
Setting Up Custom Instructions
- Go to Settings from the left sidebar.
- Scroll to the "Custom AI Instructions" section.
- You will see five text fields, one for each star rating (1 through 5).
- Enter your instructions in the appropriate fields. Leave any field blank to use default AI behavior for that rating.
- Click Save to apply your instructions.
Examples of Effective Instructions
Good custom instructions are clear, specific, and actionable. Here are examples for each star rating:
| Rating | Example Instruction |
|---|---|
| 5 stars | Thank the customer warmly and mention that we'd love for them to join our rewards program at example.com/rewards. |
| 4 stars | Express gratitude and gently ask if there's anything we could have done to earn that fifth star. |
| 3 stars | Acknowledge both the positive and negative aspects. Invite the customer to email us at feedback@example.com so we can learn more. |
| 2 stars | Apologize sincerely for the experience falling short. Mention that our manager would like to speak with them and provide our phone number: (555) 123-4567. |
| 1 star | Lead with a genuine apology. Do not make excuses. Offer to make it right and ask them to contact us at support@example.com so we can resolve the issue directly. |
Tips for Writing Good Instructions
Pro Tip
Keep instructions to 1-3 sentences. Overly long or complex instructions can confuse the AI and produce less natural responses.
- Be specific: "Mention our free dessert offer" is better than "Be nice."
- Include actual URLs, email addresses, or phone numbers you want the AI to reference.
- Avoid contradicting your tone setting. If your tone is Professional, don't instruct the AI to use slang.
- Test your instructions by waiting for a few responses and reviewing the output. Adjust as needed.
- You do not need to fill in every star rating. Leave fields blank for ratings where default behavior is sufficient.
How Instructions Affect Output
Custom instructions are treated as high-priority guidance by the AI. They influence the content and direction of the response but do not override your tone and length settings. The AI weaves your instructions naturally into the response rather than inserting them verbatim. For example, if you instruct the AI to mention your rewards program, it might say "We'd love for you to join our rewards program" rather than copying your instruction word-for-word.
Important
Avoid including instructions that ask the AI to make promises you cannot keep, such as guaranteed refunds or specific compensation amounts, unless you are certain you can follow through on every instance.
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