Tips and recommendations for creating effective AI agents in Popcorn
Follow these best practices to create AI agents that provide excellent customer experiences and efficiently handle conversations.
Your agent’s instructions are crucial for its performance. Here are best practices for writing clear, effective instructions:
Provide comprehensive information about your business, products, and services
Explain your brand voice and communication style in detail
Include specific examples of good responses for common scenarios
Define boundaries clearly (what the agent should and shouldn’t do)
Use clear sections with headings for different topics
Start with the most important information
Include a brief “about the company” section
Add specific handling instructions for different customer situations
Basic Instruction:
Better Instruction:
Optimize how your agent uses its capabilities:
Organize information in logical collections
Keep documents focused on single topics
Update your knowledge base regularly
Test queries to ensure your agent finds relevant information
Create clear criteria for when handovers should occur
Provide detailed handover instructions to your agent
Ensure your agent collects necessary information before handover
Configure proper notifications for your human agents
Ensure product data is up-to-date and complete
Configure recommendation preferences based on business goals
Test the checkout flow for a smooth customer experience
Set up order tracking to provide accurate, timely information
Have your agent ask clarifying questions when needed
Configure the agent to confirm understanding before proceeding
Use structured responses for complex information
Ensure the agent confirms all issues are resolved
Configure appropriate follow-up questions
Set up a professional closing message
Continuously improve your agent’s performance:
Test your agent with different conversation scenarios
Simulate common customer inquiries
Check how capabilities work in real conversations
Test edge cases and complex situations
Review conversation transcripts regularly
Look for patterns in successful and unsuccessful interactions
Identify opportunities for improvement
Update instructions and capabilities based on insights
Make incremental changes to your agent’s configuration
Test each change before making additional adjustments
Gather user feedback to guide improvements
Monitor key metrics like resolution rate and customer satisfaction
Maintain security and privacy in agent interactions:
Configure your agent to avoid requesting sensitive information
Set up proper data handling procedures
Ensure compliance with relevant regulations
Test security measures regularly