AI Prompting & Conversation Design

Learn how to write effective system prompts and initial messages for your AI assistants. RepForce.ai uses a system prompt to guide how your assistant behaves with callers. Crafting a strong prompt leads to smoother, more accurate phone conversations.

Prompt Writing Basics

1) System Prompt vs. Initial Message

System Prompt: Overall instructions and context. Pretend you’re training a brand-new employee—explain exactly how you want them to act, sound, and resolve situations. The more precise the better.

Initial Message: The very first thing the AI says (especially for inbound). For outbound, it’s optional (many campaigns begin with a greeting template).

System Prompt (mini template) - Role: You are a friendly, concise {brand} phone assistant. - Goals: Qualify interest, book appointments, and transfer hot leads. - Style: Warm, confident, no jargon, short sentences (2–3 per turn). - Guardrails: Never guess pricing; check knowledge base or escalate. - Tools: Use "create_appointment" when date & time confirmed. - Unknowns: If off-topic, apologize, gather details, then offer transfer.

2) Clarity & Structure (with Examples)

Be specific. Treat the prompt like instructions to a new sales rep. Use explicit examples for common intents.

Example snippets to include If caller says: "I have a billing problem." Assistant should: - Empathize briefly ("I can help with that.") - Confirm account info (name, phone, last 4 digits) - Offer next step (explain policy, connect to billing, or create ticket) - Keep answers under ~2 sentences per turn

Inbound Initial Message (example) "Hi! You’ve reached {brand}. I’m {assistant_name}. I can help with scheduling, product info, and billing questions. How can I help today?"

3) Handling Unknown or Off-Topic

Decide the default path. Should the AI say “I’m not sure—let me transfer you,” gather more details, or both? Document the rule.

Unknowns Policy (example) - If question is unrelated to {brand} or unclear after 1 follow-up: 1) Apologize briefly, 2) offer transfer to human, 3) log summary.

4) Keep It Focused

Shorter prompts often work best. Very long prompts can slow responses or increase hallucinations. Put reference material in the knowledge base instead; or split long text with clear headings.

Pro Tip: Review transcripts regularly, identify rough spots, add explicit rules or examples to the system prompt, and re-test. Unlike humans, once the AI learns a rule, it applies it consistently.

Knowledge Bases

Give your assistant access to FAQs, docs, and website content so answers stay accurate and on-brand.

Approaches

Copy/Paste into Prompt: Fast to set up; good for short snippets (e.g., top 10 FAQs). Cons: Long text slows responses and can increase drift.
Knowledge Base Feature: Store and manage docs the AI can query on demand. Best for product docs, policies, and longer reference.

What You Can Add

Website Content: Crawl company sites, product docs, FAQs, resources, blogs.
Document Files: PDFs, manuals, guides, reports, Word docs, policies, procedures.
Plain Text: Notes, short checklists, pricing tables, campaign scripts.

Best practice - Keep prompts lean. - Put long material in KB. - In prompt: tell the assistant when/how to consult the KB.

Interruption & Speech Settings

Phone calls are messy. Configure VAD and speech behavior so your AI doesn’t talk over callers and responds naturally.

1) Voice Activity Detection (VAD)

VAD helps the AI wait for the caller to finish before responding. Tune in Assistant → Advanced.

Higher sensitivity: Interrupts less, may cause pauses.
Lower sensitivity: More responsive, but risks talking over people.

2) Speech Speed & Fillers

Speech Speed: Some voices let you slow or speed up delivery; slower for complex topics, faster for confirmations.
Filler/Acknowledgements: Decide if the AI uses light acknowledgements (“okay”, “got it”) to sound natural.

3) Interruptions

If a caller speaks while the AI is talking, the AI attempts to stop and listen. Due to phone audio overlap, it isn’t perfect—keep AI responses short to reduce collisions.

Pro Tip: Run quick test calls to find your ideal balance. Overly long monologues frustrate callers.

Languages & Accents

Supported Options

Languages: English (US/UK/AU, etc.), Spanish (LatAm/Spain), French, German, Italian, and 40+ more.
Accents: Choose variants per language; adjust speed/pitch for local flavor.
Requesting New: If you need a language/voice not listed, contact us—some cases may require a one-time setup or verification.
Testing: Always run sample calls; watch transcripts for repeated errors and adjust prompts/speed accordingly.

Prompt Tips for Multilingual

Multilingual Prompt Snippet - Primary language: {primary_language} - If caller speaks {secondary_language}, politely switch and confirm. - Keep sentences short; avoid slang unless caller uses it. - Confirm spellings for names, emails, and addresses.

Copy-Ready Templates

System Prompt — Sales Qualification

You are {assistant_name}, a friendly and efficient phone assistant for {brand}. Goals: 1) Qualify leads for {product}, 2) Book appointments for qualified prospects, 3) Transfer urgent cases. Style: - Warm, concise, professional; 2–3 short sentences per turn. - Confirm critical details; summarize only when helpful. Knowledge: - Consult the knowledge base for product specs, pricing rules, and FAQs. Tools: - Use "create_appointment" after date/time are confirmed. - Use "transfer_sales" if prospect requests a human or meets hot-lead criteria. Unknowns: - If off-topic or unclear after 1 follow-up, apologize and offer transfer. Compliance: - Never promise discounts; follow pricing policy. Do not collect full card numbers.

Initial Message — Inbound

"Hi! You’ve reached {brand}. I’m {assistant_name}. I can help with scheduling, billing questions, and product info. How can I help today?"

Initial Script — Outbound (Optional)

"Hi, this is {assistant_name} calling from {brand}. Is now a good time to quickly confirm your interest in {offer}? If so, I can answer questions and set up a time to talk."

Review, Iterate, Repeat

Transcript Review Loop

Run a few test calls for each scenario.
Skim transcripts; flag any awkward phrasing or missed intents.
Add crisp rules/examples to the system prompt.
Retest until the behavior is consistent.

Advantage: Once you teach the AI a rule, it applies it consistently—no “bad day” variance like a human rep.

When to Use KB vs. Prompt

Prompt: Behavior, style, guardrails, key examples.
Knowledge Base: Long reference: specs, policies, pricing tables, articles.

Rule of thumb: If a human rep would read it off a doc or FAQ, put it in the KB—not the prompt.