Prepare Your SOP
A standard operating procedure (SOP) is the written description of how a process should work. It is the best thing you can give Agent Builder. A clear SOP produces a clear agent. A vague one produces guesses. This page shows you what to include and gives you a template to copy.
Why the SOP matters
Your SOP is the source of truth for what the agent is for, what it may do, and what it must never do. The business owner writes it. Others, such as IT and the testing team, add their own linked details, but they do not quietly change your intent. If two documents disagree, note it and resolve it before building.
Write for a smart new colleague
Imagine handing this to a capable person on their first day. They know nothing about your company. What would they need?
- Who is the customer, and what do they want?
- What may they look up, and where does the information live?
- What may they change or send, and when do they need permission?
- When should they stop and call a human?
Do and don't
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Name the main assistant that customers talk to. | Leave the entry point implied. |
| Separate channels you launch now from channels planned later. | List a future channel as if it is live. |
| Describe each ability on its own line, with what you give it and what you get back. | Bundle several abilities together or split one into fragments. |
| Say exactly what is needed to look something up, for example "policy number and date of birth". | Say "the usual details". |
| Say what is passed along when a customer is handed to a person or another specialist. | Assume the next step knows the story. |
| Include real example conversations, including failures. | Only describe the happy path. |
| State rules about consent, fraud, payments and irreversible actions. | Rely on the agent to "use good judgement". |
Copy-ready template
Copy this outline into a document and replace every item in square brackets. Delete rows that do not apply.
[Project name] Business SOP
1. Overview
- Project name:
- Customer-facing goal (one paragraph: the experience and outcome):
- Main assistant (the one voice customers talk to):
- Launch channels: [Web chat | Voice | Email | WhatsApp]
- Later channels (not live yet):
- Systems the agent uses: [policy system, claims system, CRM, or none]
2. Assistants and responsibilities
| Assistant | Role | Can look things up? | Collects what from customer? | Customer-facing? |
- Main assistant: greets, understands the request, routes.
- Specialist: [for example, renewals, claim status, KYC]
- Escalation: passes the customer to a person with a summary.
3. Information the agent needs
| Item | Why we need it | Where it comes from | Shown to customer? | How long kept |
- Example: policy number | to find the policy | customer | yes | this conversation only
4. Abilities
| Ability | What it does | Use when | Do not use when | What comes back |
- Look up renewal date | read only | customer asks about renewal | identity not confirmed | date, premium, status
- Send renewal reminder | sends a message | customer says yes | no consent given | confirmation number
5. Handoffs to people or specialists
| From | To | When | What we pass along | What comes back |
- Example: any specialist to human agent | customer complains | customer ID, reason, summary
6. Example conversations
| Situation | Channel | Customer says | Expected outcome |
- Happy path
- Missing information
- System is down
- Complaint or fraud concern
- Customer changes their mind and retries
7. Rules and safety
- Regulated, privacy, fraud, identity and payment rules
- Exactly when actions are allowed or blocked, and what approval is needed
- Channel rules, for example short answers on voice
8. Sign-off checklist
- [ ] Main assistant is named
- [ ] Every specialist has a clear role
- [ ] Every ability has one row
- [ ] Every handoff says what is passed and returned
- [ ] Examples cover happy path, missing data, failure, escalation and retry
Sign-off before you build
Get these confirmations, in order:
- Business owner agrees on the goal, scope, policies and outcomes.
- IT confirms the data lookups and actions can really be done. See Connect your data.
- Compliance or risk reviews the rules and approval points. See Safety overview.
- Testing turns your examples into test cases. See Test your agent.
Short is fine. A two-page SOP with sharp examples beats a twenty-page one full of general statements.
Next step
Upload your SOP in Agent Builder.