Playbooks
Create conversation scripts that guide your agent through specific scenarios.
What Is a Playbook?
A playbook is a set of instructions that tells your agent how to handle a specific type of conversation. Think of it this way: If your agent is a new employee, a playbook is the training manual for a specific task.
Examples of When to Use Playbooks:
- ●A customer wants to book an appointment
- ●A customer asks about pricing
- ●A customer wants to leave feedback
- ●A customer asks about your return policy
- ●A customer wants to cancel or reschedule
| Knowledge Base | Playbooks |
|---|---|
| General information about your business | Step-by-step conversation flows |
| Answers "what" questions | Guides customers through a process |
| Static documents | Interactive conversations |
Playbook Structure
1. Triggers
Triggers tell your agent when to use this playbook. These are the words or phrases that activate it.
Booking Playbook Triggers:
- "book an appointment"
- "schedule a visit"
- "make a reservation"
- "I'd like to come in"
- "are you available"
2. Responses
Responses are what your agent says during the conversation. You can set up multiple responses that flow together.
Response 1: "I'd be happy to help you book an appointment! What day works best for you?"
Response 2: "Great! We have availability on [day] at [times]. Which time would you prefer?"
Response 3: "Perfect! I just need your name and phone number to confirm."
Response 4: "Thank you! Your appointment is confirmed for [day] at [time]."
3. Actions
Actions are things your agent does during the conversation.
- ●Send a confirmation email to the customer
- ●Add the appointment to your calendar
- ●Send an SMS reminder to the customer
- ●Notify your team via email
How to Create a Playbook
- Go to Playbooks - From your dashboard, click "Playbooks" in the left sidebar, then "Create Playbook"
- Name Your Playbook - Give it a clear name: "Appointment Booking", "FAQ Response", "Customer Feedback Collection"
- Set Triggers - Type the words or phrases that should activate this playbook. Press Enter after each trigger.
- Write Responses - Click "Add Response" and type the message your agent should say. Add follow-up responses for each step.
- Add Actions (Optional) - Choose the action type (send email, book calendar, send SMS, etc.)
- Save and Test - Click "Save Playbook" and test in your agent's Preview window
Playbook Examples
Appointment Booking (Dental Clinic)
Triggers:
book appointment, schedule a visit, make an appointment, when are you available
Responses:
- "I'd be happy to help you book an appointment at Smile Bright Dental! Are you a new patient or have you visited us before?"
- "Great! What day of the week works best for you? We're open Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM."
- "Let me check our availability. We have openings on [day] at [time slots]. Which works best for you?"
- "Perfect! I just need your full name, phone number, and reason for visit."
- "Thank you! Your appointment is confirmed for [day] at [time]. We'll send you a text reminder 24 hours before."
Actions:
- Add appointment to Google Calendar
- Send confirmation email to customer
- Send SMS reminder 24 hours before appointment
Delivery FAQ (Pizza Shop)
Triggers:
delivery area, do you deliver, how far do you deliver, delivery fee
Responses:
- "Yes, we deliver! Our delivery area covers everything within 5 miles of our location on Main Street."
- "Our delivery fee is $3.99 for orders under $30, and FREE for orders over $30."
- "Delivery usually takes 30-45 minutes. Would you like to place an order now?"
Customer Feedback Collection (Hair Salon)
Triggers:
leave feedback, I want to review, how was my service, customer satisfaction
Responses:
- "We'd love to hear about your experience at Serenity Salon! On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate your visit today?"
- "Thank you for that rating! Is there anything specific you'd like to share about your experience?"
- "We really appreciate your feedback! Here's a 10% discount code for your next visit: THANKYOU10."
Actions:
- Send feedback summary to salon manager via email
- If rating is 3 or below, send alert to manager for follow-up
Best Practices
1. Keep It Conversational
Write responses the way you'd actually talk to a customer. Good: "Sure! I can help you with that." Bad: "Acknowledged. Please specify the desired date."
2. Ask One Question at a Time
Don't overwhelm customers with multiple questions in one message.
3. Always Offer Next Steps
End each playbook with a clear next step or an offer to help further.
4. Handle Dead Ends
Add a fallback response: "I'm not sure I understood. Could you rephrase that? Or would you like to speak with a team member instead?"
5. Keep Playbooks Focused
One playbook per scenario. Don't try to handle bookings, complaints, and pricing in the same playbook.
Testing Playbooks
Before Going Live
- Open your agent's Preview window
- Type each trigger you set up
- Walk through the entire conversation flow
- Check that responses sound natural, the conversation flows logically, and actions trigger correctly
Common Issues and Fixes
| Issue | Fix |
|---|---|
| Playbook doesn't activate | Add more trigger variations |
| Responses feel robotic | Rewrite in a more conversational tone |
| Conversation gets stuck | Add fallback responses |
| Actions don't trigger | Check that the tool is properly connected |
| Playbook activates when it shouldn't | Make triggers more specific |
How Many Playbooks Do You Need?
Start with 2-3 playbooks for your most common scenarios.
Recommended starting playbooks:
- ●Appointment/Booking - If you take appointments
- ●FAQ - For your most common questions
- ●Feedback - To collect customer reviews
Ready to Create Playbooks?
Explore Tools to give your agent the ability to take real actions, or set up Voice for phone calls.