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. In Knowledge, click Manage articles in the sidebar and select Procedures.
2. Click Create procedure. The arrow beside it offers Use example, which is the quicker way to see the shape of one.
3. Enter the Name. This is what auto assist matches a conversation against, so name it for the case. It appears in Knowledge only, never to the customer.
4. Write the procedure below the name. Insert action, or a forward slash, adds standard actions, custom actions and action flows; a slash also inserts macros, which have to be active and available to all agents, and help centre content, up to four articles or procedures in total. The Insert agent instructions icon is for the steps a person does by hand.
5. To limit it to certain brands, open the Settings panel on the right and click Selected brands. Without that, a procedure applies to every brand.
6. Click the arrow next to Save, select Publish and confirm. A published procedure is available to auto assist straight away.

Headings, bold, italics and lists are available in the toolbar. Images are not.

Name it for 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. Keep it as a draft with Save until they have.

See also

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