Just like a human agent, your AI Agents need information to help them help your customers. The good news is that eDesk makes it very easy to provide them with Training content that's easy to manage and maintain.

This help file explains what information you should provide to your AI Agents so that they can help your customers queries successfully and round-the-clock.

Before you start

 
  • You must have the AI Assist add-on. See here for information on pricing.
  • To add an AI Agent, you’ll need an Admin or Team lead account.
  • If you don't already use eDesk, our free trial includes a limited version of the AI Agent. Existing customers should contact support to trial the AI Agent.

01 Introduction 

eDesk enables you to create one or more Agent profiles, which will help with - or entirely handle - replying to your customers. Just like a human agent, the AI Agent needs information before it can reply to customers. The AI Agent will use past interactions and information from the ticket, such as order details, but you will need to add more content to ensure the AI Agent has as much information as possible. You'll provide this in the form of:
  • Training Content
    General product information and trouble shooting steps.
  • Policies
    The essential rules of your business such as returns, warranty, shipping, cancellations, replacements which have a clear yes/no decision (Am I eligible? What happens next?).
  • Instructions
    Tell the Agent what to do and how to speak in specific situations, using your policies as the guardrails.

We'll explain these in more detail in the rest of this help file.

02 Training Content explained

The AI Agent uses Training content to answer questions about your products and business. This is the most basic form as there is no size limit, and should be used for content such as FAQs, specs, setup, usage tips, known issues, error codes, diagnostics, and workarounds.

Best for

  • Product overviews, dimensions, compatibility
  • Step‑by‑step troubleshooting trees
  • Common Q&A (e.g., “Does Widget X support Bluetooth LE?”)

Not for

  • Business rules (eligibility, fees, returns windows)
  • Per‑channel/region exceptions

Writing tips

  • Use clear headings, bullets, and short steps.
  • Keep one page per topic. Add synonyms/keywords customers actually use.

Examples of questions the Training content should answer

  • Does the bike model BH56443 come in pink?
  • Do you deliver to Spain?
  • How do I secure my bike with this lock?

For more information on creating Training content and the different types, see here.

03 Policies explained

Policies should capture the essential rules of your business such as returns, warranty, shipping, cancellations, replacements. The AI Agent uses Policies to make clear yes/no decisions.

Writing tips

  • Use short sentences and bullets.
  • One rule per line.
  • Include the channel/brand/region in the title if it matters (for example, EU Returns for Shopify).

Avoid

  • Long paragraphs; hide nothing in dense text.
  • Mixing product how‑to with rules (put how‑to in Training Content).

Examples of questions the Policies should answer

  • Can I cancel my order if it has not shipped?
  • How long is the warranty cover for my bike?

Policy templates are available to help you get started.

03 Instructions explained

Instructions tell the agent what to do and how to speak in specific situations, using your policies as the guardrails.

  • They serve two roles:
    1. Guidance - helps the Agent choose an action, tone, and what to include.
    2. Specific triggers - allow a narrow, pre‑approved exception (e.g., a small goodwill refund) when certain conditions are met.

How to write instructions (natural language)

  • Write like you’re talking to a teammate.
  • Start with If/When… and Then…
  • Add Don’t… for things to avoid.
  • If it’s a special case/exception, make the limits crystal clear.

Avoid

  • Re‑stating the whole policy.
  • Vague phrasing like “handle appropriately”. Say exactly what to do.

Here are some examples of Instructions

  • Keep the tone friendly and concise. Greet the customer, confirm the order number, state the outcome, and list next steps with links. Avoid promising delivery dates you can’t verify.
  • If the order value is under $50, sentiment is neutral or better, and the category is not medical or hazardous, you may offer a 50% refund and the customer keeps the item. If there are more than 3 prior complaints or more than 5 returns on the account, do not offer this — ask an agent to review instead.

04 Policies vs. Instructions

Policies are the guardrails (what’s allowed/owed, by channel/brand/region), optimized for yes/no eligibility and fees. Instructions are the driving logic (how to decide and how to say it in a given scenario) and, when explicitly scoped, can authorize specific exceptions. Use a Policy to define rules you must enforce consistently and audit. Use Instructions to operationalize those rules, express tone and structure, add nuance for special cases, and where business‑approved, enable tightly bound exceptions (prefer Draft unless profile settings allow Auto reply).

05 Examples

“30‑day return window for apparel; customer pays return shipping except defects.” → Policy

“If within 30 days and unused → approve the return; if defect and no photo → request photos.”→ Instruction

“Kettle K200 shows ‘E2’ error; reset by holding power 10s.→ Training Content

“Orders under $50 may get a 50% refund and keep item.” → Instruction

Further reading

To learn about AI Agents, see here.
To learn about AI Agent Profiles, see here.