Best practices for creating use cases for AI agents


Use cases are the mechanism by whichzero-training AI agentsandAI agents that use agentic AIunderstand what a customer is asking about and connect them with the rightdialogueorprocedure.


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Use cases are the mechanism by which zero-training AI agents and AI agents that use agentic AI understand what a customer is
asking about and connect them with the right dialogue or procedure.
A use case’s name and description provide the necessary context for an AI agent to
understand the customer’s messages and connect them with the right dialogues to help
them. As such, it’s important to write clear and specific use case names and
descriptions in order to get the best performance possible from your AI agent.
This article contains the following topics:

Best practices for use case descriptions
Best practices for use case names
Use case examples for different industries

Related articles:

Creating use cases for AI agents to identify what
customers are asking about
Managing use cases for AI agents



Best practices for use case descriptions

When creating use case descriptions, keep the following best practices in mind:

Write use case descriptions in English.
Start all of your use cases in a consistent way (for example, “Customer wants
to…”).
Avoid including keywords in the description.

Do this: Customer wants to schedule a collection for their return

Don’t do this: Customer wants to schedule a collection for their
return. Keywords: pick-up, collection


Write descriptions that are concise (around 120 characters, including spaces)
yet detailed enough to connect the customer to the right dialogue.
Avoid acronyms, or write the acronyms to provide additional context.

Do this: Customer requests do it yourself instructions

Don’t do this: Customer requests DIY instructions


Create distinct use cases and ensure they don’t overlap. Overlapping use cases
cause confusion and worse results in the AI model.
Don’t create use cases for small talk or for recognizing a specific
language.




Best practices for use case names

When creating use case names, keep the following best practices in mind:

Write use case names in English.
Keep names short, ideally 3-5 words.

Do this: Username or password change

Don’t do this: How do I change my username or password?


Choose names that are as clear as possible.
Avoid any punctuation except commas.

Do this: Issues with Klarna

Don’t do this: Issues - Klarna






Use case examples for different industries

The tables below collect well-performing use case names and descriptions for various
industries. Feel free to use these in your own AI agent.










Use case name
Description
Insights and tips


General industry


Refund status
Customer asks for an update on the status of their
refund



Login issues
Customer can’t log in due to incorrect password or
username
In this use case, “login issues” and “password reset” have
been merged together due to semantic similarities with customers
having trouble logging in.


Update account information
Customer asks how to update personal or account
information
Most often, customers want to update either their personal
details (name, phone) or account information (delivery, billing
address). Due to semantic similarities, these topics have been
merged.


Payment methods
Customer wants to know what payment methods are supported



Email confirmation
Customer didn’t receive an email confirmation for their
order
This use case can be adjusted according to your use case (for
example, order, booking, etc.).


E-commerce
industry


Order status
Customer wants to know the status of their order



Lost order
Customer hasn’t received their order despite delivery



Sizing enquiries
Customer asks about product sizing
This can be further iterated to be more
product-category-specific, like shoe or clothing sizing.


Incorrect item received
Customer claims they received an item they did not
order



Return request
Customer wants to return their order, or part of their
order



Travel industry


Cancel booking
Customer requests to cancel their booking
The use case name and description are unified and not overly
lengthy. It clearly expresses the user's desire to cancel their
booking.


Changes to booking
Customer wants to change the date, destination or departure
for their booking.
This use case covers three different changes: arrival,
departure, and date for travel. Customers can change these
details themselves depending on their ticket type, whereas a
name change would require agent attention, which is why that’s
covered in a different use case (below).


Change the name on booking
Customer needs to change the name on their booking
As mentioned above, this use case has been excluded from the
more general “Changes to booking” use case as they’re
semantically different enough, and we were able to write clear
names and descriptions without strong confusion.


Recommendations for activities
Customer wants to know what activities are available at their
location



Financial services
industry


Status of transfer
Customer needs information on the status of their money
transfer
Customer has concerns about whether the recipient has
received a money transfer, and wants to check the status of it.
This use case doesn't cover lost or unsuccessful transfers, as
these are covered in a separate use case (below).


Unsuccessful transfer
Customer is concerned about a money transfer that didn’t
reach the recipient
As mentioned above, this use case covers instances where a
money transfer has been made but never arrived at the
recipient account.


Card activation issues
Customer expresses issues with credit card activation



Failed payment
Customer wants to understand why their card payment
failed








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