Creating procedures for auto assist

Auto assistis an AI-powered assistant that understands the contents of submitted tickets and makes suggestions to your agents on how to solve them.


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Summary: ◀▼
Create clear, step-by-step procedures to guide the AI assistant in suggesting solutions for tickets. Use specific actions, macros, and agent instructions to tailor responses. Test procedures by simulating tickets and refine for accuracy. Follow best practices like using consistent terminology, including feedback steps, and addressing agents directly to improve support efficiency and ensure relevant, actionable AI suggestions.




Auto assist is an AI-powered assistant that understands the
contents of submitted tickets and makes suggestions to your agents on how to solve
them.
Procedures are the sets of written steps that auto assist should follow when making
suggestions. You can think of defining procedures as similar to explaining to a new
agent how a specific problem should be solved within your company.
This article describes how to write procedures for auto assist so that it makes the right
suggestions to agents in a ticket.
This article contains the following topics:

About procedures
Creating a procedure
Testing a procedure
Best practices for creating effective procedures
Example procedure

Related articles:

Turning on and configuring auto
assist
Viewing and managing procedures for auto
assist



About procedures

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. To learn more, see Understanding procedures for auto
assist.
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. See OpenAI’s best practices on prompt engineering.
Keep in mind that procedures define what auto assist should do. If you want to define
how auto assist suggestions should sound, you can create communication guidelines
that are specific to your business. Communication guidelines help auto assist adapt
its suggestions to the tone and writing style of the ongoing ticket conversation and
apply to all auto assist suggestions for a given brand. To learn more, see About communication guidelines and communication guidelines best practices.
Procedures can be written in all Zendesk Support languages. You can write
procedures in a single language and auto assist will adapt its suggestions to the
language in the ticket conversation.



Creating a procedure

Admins can create procedures for auto assist. Alternatively, you can review, edit,
and publish AI-generated procedures when they're
available.


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

In Knowledge admin, click Manage articles
( ) in the sidebar, then select Procedures.
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.

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 Knowledge admin, not
in the Agent Workspace for the agent.

To associate the procedure with specific brands, open the right-hand
Settings panel, click Selected brands, then choose the brands
you want to associate the procedure with.
By default, your
procedure is automatically associated with all of your brands.

Click below the name field and enter the content for your procedure. You can
do the following:

Add specific custom actions or action flows


Click Insert action ( ) in the toolbar or enter a forward slash (/),
then select a standard action, a custom action, or an action flow.

Note: Auto assist can suggest up to four actions at a time in most cases.
See Auto assist action limits to
learn more.

If you insert a standard action, specify the value you want auto
assist to update the ticket or field to. See Standard actions for auto
assist to learn more.
If you insert a custom action or action flow, click the menu icon
next to its name then select either Agent-approved action or
Pre-approved action. If the same custom action is
inserted in a procedure more than once, then that action can use
only one execution mode in the procedure: agent approved or
pre-approved. If you mark it as both agent-approved and
pre-approved, then the action defaults to the agent-approved
execution type.
See Understanding pre-approved
actions for auto assist to learn more.


If no actions or action flows exist, click Manage actions to
create an action or action flow.

The action or action flow is inserted into the procedure. You can hover
to view what tasks it will perform.



Add a macro


Type a forward slash (/) and select Macros from the
menu.

Click a macro to insert it into the procedure. Macros must be active
and available to all agents to be inserted into a procedure.
If no active macros exist, you can click Manage macros to
create or update a
macro.
Note: Auto assist can only perform certain standard and custom
actions. If the macro you insert includes an action
auto assist can't perform, such as starting a side conversation,
then the action won't be completed.


The macro is inserted into the procedure. You can hover over the macro to
preview it.


Add steps for agents to follow manually


Click the Insert agent instructions ( ) icon.

In the Instructions for agent text block, enter the steps the
agent should follow.
See Creating instructions for
agents in auto assist procedures.




Add help center content


Type a forward slash (/) and select Help center content
from the menu.

Select an article from the Published articles list, or click
the Published procedures tab and select a procedure.


Click Insert to add the published procedure or
article.
See About help center content in
procedures.




(Optional) 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.
To publish your procedure, click the drop-down arrow next to Save draft
and select Publish.
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


Limit the agents who can interact with auto
assist to only those groups or agents who are performing the testing.

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.

Try to solve the ticket with auto assist’s
help.

If you’re testing an integration between auto assist and
Shopify, you can place test orders on your Shopify
store.


If auto assist isn’t offering the suggestions you want, update the procedure to
be clearer and more concrete.
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.




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: &lt;link&gt;" 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 to the next step. For example: "Ask the customer if &lt;an
action> worked."

Include actions where possible. Add a standard or custom action that auto
assist can execute if the agent approves. For example: "Add book to cart."

Include existing macros. Add macros that are available to all agents so
that auto assist can suggest macros. You can add one macro per procedure step.
Avoid adding other actions in the same step as a macro.

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. &lt;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. &lt;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. &lt;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. &lt;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. &lt;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. &lt;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.
&lt;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.
&lt;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.
&lt;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.
&lt;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. &lt;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. &lt;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.



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