Creating and managing procedures for auto assist

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Procedures are the instructions that auto assist, part of agent copilot, should follow when suggesting replies or actions to an agent in a ticket.

This article contains the following topics:

• About procedures for auto assist
• Creating a procedure
• Testing a procedure
• Editing a procedure
• Unpublishing a procedure
• Deleting a procedure
• Best practices for creating effective procedures
• Example procedure

Related articles:

• Turning on and configuring auto assist
• Creating and managing actions for auto assist
• Using auto assist to solve tickets

About procedures for auto assist

A procedure is a set of instructions that tells auto assist how to advise an agent in solving a customer request. Auto assist can suggest replies on any topic, but to achieve best performance, creating procedures is essential. If you want auto assist to suggest actions, these are currently limited to marking a ticket as Solved, custom API actions, and certain Shopify actions.

Auto assist knows which procedures to follow for a given customer request as a result of its LLM training. You don’t need to map specific procedures to specific intents or other ticket metadata in order for auto assist to suggest replies. Instead, auto assist understands the content of a customer’s request out of the box and can map it to an existing procedure, if an admin has created one that addresses the topic the customer is asking about.

If a relevant procedure doesn’t exist, auto assist provides suggestions based on its LLM training (not your Zendesk help center content). These suggestions might be less grounded in your business context, so it’s advised to always create procedures for ticket types where auto assist will be helping agents.

Auto assist has access to read the following ticket fields. This means you can write procedures in plain language referencing these ticket fields and auto assist will use this information to suggest the best responses.

• Assignee email
• Assignee name
• Brand
• Priority
• Requester email
• Requester name
• Status
• Subject
• Type

For example, you can leverage ticket fields in auto assist procedures in the following ways:

• Brand-aware procedures
  • Select the correct refund duration from an existing procedure based on the ticket brand (for example, Brand X is 20 days, but Brand Y is 30 days).
  • Use the account verification procedure for Brand X because the ticket brand is X.
• Email confirmation
  • If the requester’s email address is [e-mail], proceed with the refund process.

Creating a procedure

Admins can create new procedures in Guide.

Tip: If you already have internal documentation that explains how your agents should solve certain customer requests, use that content as a starting point for auto assist procedures.

To create a new procedure

1. In Guide Admin, click the Manage articles () icon in the sidebar and select Procedures.
2. Click Create procedure.

   Alternatively, click the drop-down arrow next to Create procedure and select Use example. This populates the procedure Name and content fields with text that you can update as needed.

3. In the Name field, enter a descriptive name for the procedure.

   This name is used by auto assist to help connect the customer’s conversation to the right procedure. The procedure name appears only in Guide for admins, not in the Agent Workspace for the agent.

4. Click below the name field and enter the content for your procedure.

   Procedures should be written as though you’re telling an agent how to perform an internal process. Format your procedure as a simple step-by-step breakdown of how to solve the customer’s request. Be specific and use consistent terminology throughout your procedure. For an example, see Example procedure below.

   Alternatively, you can write a procedure as though you’re engineering a prompt to be used with a large language model (LLM) chatbot, such as ChatGPT. For more, see OpenAI’s best practices on prompt engineering.

   Use the editing toolbar at the top of the page to add headings, bold and italic text, and bulleted and numbered lists. Currently, you can’t include images in procedures.

   For additional help, see Best practices for creating effective procedures.
5. (Optional) To save your progress, click Save draft.
6. To publish your procedure, click the drop-down arrow next to Save draft and select Publish.
7. In the window that appears, click Publish.

Published procedures are automatically available for auto assist to use.

Testing a procedure

You should always test your procedure before letting auto assist suggest replies or actions in a real-world setting.

To test a procedure

1. Limit the agents who can interact with auto assist to only those groups or agents who are performing the testing.
2. Create a messaging or email ticket with the agent_copilot_enabled tag. Email tickets must be created from an email that's not associated with any agents in your Zendesk account, as auto assist doesn't respond to agent comments.
3. Try to solve the ticket with auto assist’s help.
   • The fastest way to test this is by using the Test bot option. See Testing a conversation bot before publication.
   • If you’re testing an integration between auto assist and Shopify, you can place test orders on your Shopify store.
4. If auto assist isn’t offering the suggestions you want, update the procedure to be clearer and more concrete.
5. Repeat steps 1–4 as needed until auto assist is offering the suggestions you want. Creating good procedures is an iterative process and might take a few rewrites.

Editing a procedure

If you need to update the instructions that auto assist should follow, you can edit any of the procedures you created for it.

To edit an existing procedure

1. In Guide Admin, click the Manage articles () icon in the sidebar and select Procedures.
2. Click the name of the procedure you want to update.
3. Update the procedure’s name or content as needed.
4. Click Publish.

Unpublishing a procedure

Unpublishing a procedure allows you to retain the content (nothing is deleted), but auto assist won’t offer agents suggestions based on that procedure until you publish the procedure or mark it as live again.

To unpublish a procedure

1. In Guide Admin, click the Manage articles () icon in the sidebar and select Procedures.
2. For the procedure you want to unpublish, click the options menu () and select Unpublish.

Deleting a procedure

If you no longer need a procedure, you can delete it. As with unpublishing a procedure, deleting a procedure ensures that auto assist will no longer advise agents based on the instructions within the procedure. Deleting a procedure is permanent, and its contents cannot be recovered.

To delete a procedure

1. In Guide Admin, click the Manage articles () icon in the sidebar and select Procedures.
2. For the procedure you want to delete, click the options menu () and select Delete.

Best practices for creating effective procedures

When creating procedures, follow these best practices:

• Write short, easy-to-follow steps. Phrase your steps as straightforward commands that an agent would take. For example: "Ask the customer to watch this video: <link>" Avoid prompts such as "Find the item the customer asked for and share the link with the customer" (auto assist can’t autonomously search your help center or website).
• Address the agent perspective. Procedures should be written as if you’re talking to an agent. If you copy existing content from customer-facing help center articles, update them to reflect agent-focused considerations and actions.
• Include feedback steps. Help auto assist gather necessary customer input to move on with the next step. For example: "Ask the customer if <an action> worked."
• Be consistent with terminology. Always use the same terms for your products and services. That is, avoid using different words to refer to a single product or service.
• Include conditions if necessary. If you have different procedures based on some condition (for example, subscribers vs. non-subscribers), include that information in the procedure. For example: “Greet the customer, ask if they’re a subscriber, and wait for their answer before proceeding.”
• Test and learn. If auto assist isn’t offering the suggestions you want, update the procedure to be clearer and more concrete. See Testing a procedure.

Example procedure

The example procedure below tells agent copilot how to help a customer select the right car for them.

Title

Advising customer how to select a car

Content

Step 1: Understand the customer's needs

Begin by asking questions to understand the customer's requirements:

• What is the primary use for the car (commuting, family vehicle, off-roading, etc.)?
• What is their budget for purchasing a car?
• Do they have any brand or model preferences?

Step 2: Present suitable options from the list below

Based on the information gathered, present a selection of cars that match their criteria and are on the list below. If the desired car is not here, you don’t have it. Never list cars that are not on the list below.

For commuters:

• Commuter car A: Known for its reliability, fuel efficiency, and advanced safety features. <Include real pricing, fuel efficiency, insurance costs, engine type, and any other important details.>
• Commuter car B: Celebrated for its great fuel economy, comfortable interior, and durability. <Include real pricing, fuel efficiency, insurance costs, engine type, and any other important details.>
• Commuter car C: Offers a balance of comfort, efficiency, and technology features. <Include real pricing, fuel efficiency, insurance costs, engine type, and any other important details.>

For families:

• Family car A: A family favorite due to its spacious interior, high safety ratings, and good fuel economy. <Include real pricing, fuel efficiency, insurance costs, engine type, and any other important details.>
• Family car B: Known for its third-row seating, robust safety features, and comfortable ride. <Include real pricing, fuel efficiency, insurance costs, engine type, and any other important details.>
• Family car C: A larger SUV that offers ample space, towing capacity, and advanced tech options. <Include real pricing, fuel efficiency, insurance costs, engine type, and any other important details.>

For off-road enthusiasts:

• Off-road car A: Renowned for its off-road capabilities and ruggedness. <Include real pricing, fuel efficiency, insurance costs, engine type, and any other important details.>
• Off-road car B: A reliable pickup with strong off-road credentials. <Include real pricing, fuel efficiency, insurance costs, engine type, and any other important details.>
• Off-road car C: Versatile and powerful, suitable for both work and play. <Include real pricing, fuel efficiency, insurance costs, engine type, and any other important details.>

For luxury seekers:

• Luxury car A: Combines luxury with performance and advanced technology. <Include real pricing, fuel efficiency, insurance costs, engine type, and any other important details.>
• Luxury car B: Offers a plush interior, smooth ride, and cutting-edge features. <Include real pricing, fuel efficiency, insurance costs, engine type, and any other important details.>
• Luxury car C: Known for its elegant design, all-wheel-drive system, and high-quality cabin. <Include real pricing, fuel efficiency, insurance costs, engine type, and any other important details.>

Step 3: Discuss financing options

After the customer has selected a car, ask the customer if they would rather pay in cash or credit.

Step 4: Close the deal or offer a test drive

If the customer is ready to close the deal:

• Thank them, ask for their name and phone number, and inform them that they will be contacted by another agent in 2 hours.

If the customer is not ready to make a choice:

• Encourage the customer to take a test drive in the cars they are most interested in. If they agree, ask them for their name and phone number. Then tell them that someone will reach out within 1 hour to confirm whether the timing they suggested is available.

Extra information that you know of:

Our dealership offers a 7-day return policy, flexible financing options (pay in monthly or semesterly installments), and a complimentary loaner vehicle during service appointments. For every other question regarding financing or promotions, you cannot help.