Writing a procedure

Writing one that works. The structure is simple; the discipline is in the conditions and the refusals.

Writing one that works. The structure is simple; the discipline is in the conditions and the refusals.

Write it

1. Open the procedures in the AI settings.
2. Add one and name it for the case.
3. Say when it applies.
4. Write the steps in order, one action each.
5. Add the conditions and the exceptions.
6. Say what must never happen.
7. Test it on real tickets.

Say when it applies, precisely

"A customer wants to return an item they have received" is usable. "Returns" is not, because half your return tickets are questions about the policy and should be handled differently.

One action per step

"Check the order date and confirm eligibility and tell the customer" is three steps pretending to be one. Split them, because the agent approves step by step and a compound step cannot be approved in part.

Write the conditions out

"If the order is within thirty days, offer a return label. If it is older, explain the policy and offer a repair." Both branches, explicitly. A condition with only one branch written is where the AI improvises.

Say what must never happen

No refund without a manager. No delivery date that has not been checked. No exception to the policy.

Prohibitions carry more weight than instructions here, and they are the part most often left out because everybody knows them.

Handle the missing information

What to do when there is no order number, when the customer will not answer, when the system does not respond. Those cases are common and unwritten, and they are where a procedure stalls.

Get the person who does it to read it

Not the manager. The agent who handles these daily will find the step you left out in about ninety seconds.

See also

• Testing a procedure
• Writing a good procedure: where it usually goes wrong
• Writing direct instructions to the agent