Creating instructions for agents in auto assist procedures

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<p id="docs-ai-summary-content">Create direct instructions for agents in auto assist procedures to guide them through manual steps when needed. This helps agents handle tasks like checking inventory or creating accounts when automation isn't possible. Admins write these instructions, ensuring agents have clear guidance for customer issues. Use the feature to improve support workflows and provide consistent customer service.</p>
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<div class="body">
<p class="p">Procedures are the sets of written steps that <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/7051314237466" target="_blank">auto assist</a> should follow when making suggestions to agents. </p>
<p class="p">You can create direct instructions for agents in your procedures so that auto assist can
provide them when manual steps are necessary. For example, you might write instructions
for checking your internal stock management system if auto assist can't access it.</p>
<p class="p">Watch the video below to learn more about instructions for agents in auto assist
procedures:</p>
<p class="p"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" controls="controls" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wnEM08bEhME?list=PLb00xo9zloI654cyq0ej5WBXS8irHlezz" width="640"></iframe></p>
<p class="p">Auto Assist Instructions: Guide agents with AI-powered instructions (3:35)</p>
<div class="p">This article contains the following topics:<ul class="ul" id="topic_sjx_ns2_m2c__ul_vjt_zs2_m2c">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_lky_zs2_m2c">Understanding direct agent
instructions in auto assist procedures</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_jqy_st2_m2c">Writing direct agent
instructions</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="p">Related articles:<ul class="ul" id="topic_sjx_ns2_m2c__ul_zlb_x2s_1fc">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8013454025114" target="_blank">Turning on and configuring auto
assist</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/7924047699738" target="_blank">​​Creating procedures for auto
assist</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/7051314237466" target="_blank">Using auto assist to help agents solve
tickets</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title2" class="topic nested1" id="topic_lky_zs2_m2c">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title2">Understanding direct agent instructions in auto assist procedures</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">A procedure is a set of written steps that describe how an agent should solve a
specific customer problem. Think of procedures as instructions you would give to a
new team member when teaching them how to handle a particular case in your
organization. Auto assist leverages these procedures, combining them with its
built-in language model, your public help center articles, and solved tickets, to
present agents with suggested replies and actions as they work on customer
tickets.</p>
<p class="p">Direct agent instructions are an important part of effective auto assist procedures.
When you create procedures with agent instructions for your support workflows,
you’re helping agents with clear, manual steps to follow when auto assist can't
complete an action.</p>
<p class="p">Direct agent instructions differ from auto assist suggested replies or actions, which
agents must approve. Instructions require the agent’s manual input. For instance, if
auto assist doesn’t have access to your internal stock management system, you can
write instructions guiding the agent to sign in, check inventory, or update item
statuses.</p>
<p class="p">Examples of direct agent instructions include:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_lky_zs2_m2c__ul_wr3_4q3_5fc">
<li class="li">Advising agents to verify product availability in a proprietary inventory system
after issuing a refund</li>
<li class="li">Guiding agents through manual account creation and validation steps in your HR
system when automation isn't possible</li>
</ul>
<p class="p">Instructions in your procedures are always written by admins and not generated by AI.
When auto assist recognizes a point in the conversation where a predefined manual
step is necessary, it presents these instructions to agents. The agent isn’t asked
to approve the instruction, as they would with a suggested reply or action. Instead,
they manually perform the steps and mark them as complete.</p>
<p class="p">This approach ensures that agents have clear, company-specific guidance to
consistently solve customer issues when auto assist can't perform certain
actions.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title3" class="topic nested1" id="topic_jqy_st2_m2c">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title3">Writing direct agent instructions</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">You must be an admin to write instructions for agents in auto assist procedures.</p>
<div class="p">
<strong class="ph b">To write direct agent instructions in an auto assist procedure</strong><ol class="ol" id="topic_jqy_st2_m2c__ol_kwb_my2_1gc">
<li class="li"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9041943683354#topic_b5q_nwn_s2c" target="_blank">Knowledge admin</a>, click <strong class="ph b">Manage articles</strong>
(<img class="image" id="topic_jqy_st2_m2c__d8e109" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/guide_icon_manage_articles.png">) in the sidebar, then select <strong class="ph b">Procedures</strong>.</span></li>
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/7924047699738" target="_blank">Create</a> a new procedure or <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9012170900890#topic_pd3_k44_xcc" target="_blank">edit</a> an existing procedure.</li>
<li class="li">In your procedure, enter a step for presenting the instructions to an agent.
<p class="p">For example, "Present the instructions below to the
agent:"</p>
<p class="p">Optionally, you can enter text that suggests replies,
actions, and instructions at the same time. For example, add a step with
text such as, "After the customer has answered, tell them you'll get
back to them in 10 minutes, change the ticket status to Pending, and
present the instructions below to the agent:"</p>
<div class="note note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> Review the <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9174548349978#topic_uz5_zl1_nhc" target="_blank">auto assist action limits</a> when
combining actions and agent instructions in a step of a
procedure.</div>
</li>
<li class="li">Click the <strong class="ph b">Insert agent instructions</strong> (<img class="image" id="topic_jqy_st2_m2c__image_xfb_vyh_5fc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/ai_procedures_instructions_icon.png">) icon to add the instruction block.</li>
<li class="li">In the <strong class="ph b">Agent instructions</strong> text block, enter the steps the agent
should follow. <p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_jqy_st2_m2c__image_mbs_lc3_5fc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/ai_procedures_agent_instructions_text_box.png" width="500"></p>
</li>
<li class="li">Add a step after the instruction block in your procedure that defines what
should happen after the agent completes or doesn't complete the steps. For
example, add a step with text such as:<div class="p">
<ul class="ul" id="topic_jqy_st2_m2c__ul_kcm_ccf_1gc">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">If the instructions were completed successfully,
inform the customer and execute action Y</li>
<li class="li">If the instructions were not completed successfully, inform the
customer and execute action X</li>
</ul>
</div>
</li>
<li class="li">Continue to edit your procedure as needed, then click the drop-down arrow
next to <strong class="ph b">Save draft</strong> and select <strong class="ph b">Publish</strong>.</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title4" class="topic nested2" id="topic_wck_rcf_1gc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title4">Example procedure with direct agent instructions</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">The example procedure below tells auto assist how to help a customer with a
return. It also provides instructions for an agent to perform steps
manually.</p>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title5" class="topic nested3" id="topic_mf5_wcf_1gc">
<h4 class="title topictitle4" id="ariaid-title5">Title</h4>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Advising customer how to return an item</p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title6" class="topic nested3" id="topic_l4d_ycf_1gc">
<h4 class="title topictitle4" id="ariaid-title6">Procedure steps</h4>
<div class="body">
<ul class="ul" id="topic_l4d_ycf_1gc__ul_wdn_zcf_1gc">
<li class="li">Ask the customer for their order ID and email</li>
<li class="li">Ask if the customer wants to return the whole order or just a part of
it</li>
<li class="li">After the customer answers, tell the customer you'll get back to them in
a minute and present the instructions below to the agent:</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title7" class="topic nested4" id="topic_cpf_1df_1gc">
<h5 class="title topictitle5" id="ariaid-title7">Instructions for agent</h5>
<div class="body">
<ol class="ol" id="topic_cpf_1df_1gc__ol_xzr_bdf_1gc">
<li class="li">Sign in to our ERP system</li>
<li class="li">Search for the order ID</li>
<li class="li">Verify it's the correct order</li>
<li class="li">Generate a return label</li>
<li class="li">Attach the return label to the suggestion generated by auto assist
after you mark the instructions as completed</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title8" class="topic nested3" id="topic_uqw_fdf_1gc">
<h4 class="title topictitle4" id="ariaid-title8">Procedure steps</h4>
<div class="body">
<ul class="ul" id="topic_uqw_fdf_1gc__ul_bly_gdf_1gc">
<li class="li">If the instructions were completed successfully, inform the customer
that they have to fill in the attached return label, attach the label to
the package with the return order, and deliver the package to any FedEx
office</li>
<li class="li">If the instructions were not completed successfully, inform the customer
that you'll get back to them in 10 minutes</li>
</ul>
<p class="p">If the customer asks how to fill in the attached return label, tell them to
fill it with their order data that they can find in the email confirmation.
Then, present the following instructions to the agent:</p>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title9" class="topic nested4" id="topic_og2_ldf_1gc">
<h5 class="title topictitle5" id="ariaid-title9">Instructions for agent</h5>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Sign in to our feedback portal and add the customer's email under the
"Problems with filling in the return label" section </p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title10" class="topic nested3" id="topic_vgk_ndf_1gc">
<h4 class="title topictitle4" id="ariaid-title10">Procedure steps</h4>
<div class="body">
<ul class="ul" id="topic_vgk_ndf_1gc__ul_svn_4df_1gc">
<li class="li">If the instructions were completed successfully, inform the customer
that their feedback has been noted and we'll work on improving their
experience</li>
<li class="li">If the instructions were not completed successfully, inform the customer
that you're sorry</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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