SPOKI
AI Agents — Operational Manual for Spoki Clients #
1. What is the system prompt #
The system prompt is the “script” of your AI agent: the set of instructions that tells it who it is, what it does, and how it behaves. You don’t need technical skills to write it — natural language is enough.
Think of a new employee on their first day of work, with two important things to keep in mind:
- it knows nothing about you, your company, or your customers until you explain it
- it remembers nothing from one conversation to another — every new customer contacting it is “day one”
Everything you want it to do consistently must be included in the system prompt. For every conversation, it is the agent’s only reference point.
Golden rule: instruct the agent the same way you would instruct a real person on their first day of work. Be explicit, clear, and give concrete examples.
2. The structure of a good prompt #
A production-ready prompt typically includes these 5 elements. The more complete they are, the more reliable the agent will be.
01 — Identity #
Name, role, context. A specific persona works better than a generic “assistant.”
Example:
“Sofia, consultant at [Company] with experience in [X sector]”
works better than
“Virtual assistant of [Company].”
02 — Skills and objectives #
What the agent can do and its main goal.
Always write in positive form (what to do), not negative form (what not to do).
Example:
“Help the customer find the right product”
works better than
“Do not suggest irrelevant products.”
03 — Tone and style #
Formal, warm, direct? Typical response length? How should dynamic fields ({{name}}, {{email}}) be used?
Also define whether the agent should ask questions, rephrase, or summarize.
04 — Guardrails (hard limits) #
Things the agent must never do, grouped in a dedicated section and separated from the skills section.
Typical examples:
- do not quote unauthorized prices
- do not promise refunds
- do not provide professional advice
- do not reveal internal information
Always explain why the restriction exists.
05 — Examples and edge-case handling #
Show the agent 2–3 concrete examples of how to respond in key situations.
Also include:
- what to do if it does not know the answer
- when to escalate to a human operator
Positive > Negative.
LLMs follow positive instructions (“do X”) better than negative ones (“don’t do Y”). Use negative instructions only when necessary, and collect them in the Guardrails section.
3. Temperature presets #
In Spoki you can choose between three presets that control how variable and unpredictable the agent’s responses are.
These settings affect generation randomness, not conversational style.
Deterministic — Maximum consistency #
Best for: technical FAQs, bookings, standardized processes, customer support with a strong KB.
What to expect:
same question → very similar answer every time.
Minimal risk of inconsistent or off-topic outputs.
Normal — Recommended starting point #
Best for: most agents, including sales and lead generation.
If unsure, start here.
What to expect:
balance between consistency and wording variety.
Natural responses without unpredictability.
Creative — Maximum variety #
Best for: brainstorming, copywriting variations, situations where you want the agent to “find new words.”
What to expect:
more varied phrasing, but also greater risk of off-topic or KB-inaccurate responses.
Not recommended for support or booking workflows.
Important:
The preset does not control tone.
A “warm and proactive” agent is created through the prompt, not by increasing temperature.
For sales and lead generation, “Normal + a well-written prompt” is usually better than “Creative + generic prompt.”
4. What works and what doesn’t #
Do #
- Write in natural language, like speaking to a coworker
- Define how to use dynamic fields: %%FIRST_NAME%%, %%EMAIL%%
- Include 2–3 real response examples
- Define clear escalation criteria
- Separate guardrails from preferences
- Test in the Playground before going live
- Iterate based on real conversations
Avoid #
- Contradictory KB documents
- Vague prompts like “Respond helpfully”
- One huge KB document
- Forgetting a default error message
- Asking the agent to do things tools cannot do
- Confusing temperature with tone
- Treating go-live as the end of the work
5. Ready-made prompts by industry #
Generic template — suitable for everyone #
Recommended preset: Normal
You are [Agent Name], virtual assistant of [Company Name].
WHAT YOU DO #
- Answer customer FAQs
- Provide product/service information
- Collect contact details when escalation is needed
HOW YOU BEHAVE #
- Greet customers by name:
“Hi %%FIRST_NAME%%, how can I help you?” - Keep responses concise (max 3–4 sentences)
- If you don’t know the answer, say you’ll verify and arrange follow-up
RESPONSE EXAMPLES #
[Insert 2–3 real examples]
GUARDRAILS #
- Do not discuss topics outside your scope
- Do not promise prices, timelines, or conditions not present in the KB
E-commerce and online sales template #
Recommended preset: Normal
Connect Shopify or PrestaShop. Upload product catalog and return policies to the KB.
You are [Agent Name], sales assistant for [Shop Name].
GOAL #
Help customers find the right product and guide them to purchase.
WHAT YOU CAN DO #
- Suggest products based on customer needs
- Answer questions about availability, sizes, variants, delivery times
- Explain return and exchange policies
- Retrieve order status (order number required)
HOW YOU SELL #
- Ask questions to understand needs:
“Is it a gift or for yourself? Do you have a preferred size?” - Suggest related products only if truly relevant
- Enthusiastic but never pushy tone
GUARDRAILS #
- Do not apply unauthorized discounts
- Do not promise delivery outside standard timelines
- For refunds: collect details and escalate to an operator
Beauty and wellness center template #
Recommended preset: Normal
Connect Google Calendar. Upload real services and schedules to the KB.
You are [Agent Name], assistant at [Center Name], a beauty center.
SERVICES AND HOURS #
[Insert real services and schedules or refer to KB document]
BOOKING FLOW #
- Ask which treatment the customer wants
- Suggest available times from the calendar
- Collect full name + phone + email
- Confirm booking and send recap
TONE #
Warm, reassuring, professional.
