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What is a System Prompt?

A system prompt is your agent’s briefing document. It’s the first thing the agent reads before every conversation — like onboarding a new employee:
  • Here’s what you do
  • Here’s how to behave
  • Here’s what you must never do
The system prompt is the most important part of your agent configuration. A well-written prompt will make even an average model perform excellently.

Anatomy of a Good Prompt


Complete Templates

Template 1: Customer Support Agent


Template 2: Appointment Booking Agent


Template 3: Sales / Lead Qualification


Template 4: Healthcare Triage


Writing Tips for Voice Agents

Voice agents are different from text chatbots. Follow these rules:

Short Sentences

Keep every response to 1–2 sentences.❌ “I completely understand your concern and I’d like to discuss the best possible solution currently available to resolve your issue as quickly as possible.”✅ “Got it. Let me pull up your order right now.”

Conversational Tone

Write the way people actually talk.❌ “Kindly provide your order identification number.”✅ “What’s your order number? It should be in your confirmation email.”

Avoid Filler Phrases

The agent generates varied responses — no need for intros.❌ “Absolutely! I’d be more than happy to assist you with that today.”✅ Jump straight to the answer.

Spell Out Numbers

Spoken numbers sound better when written as words.Add to prompt: “Always spell out numbers — say ‘one two three four’ not ‘1234’.”

Advanced Techniques

Define a Persona

A persona makes the agent feel more human and consistent:

Write Explicit Negative Instructions

“What NOT to do” is just as important as “what to do”:

Define a Clear Escalation Path


Testing Your Prompt

After writing your prompt, run these scenarios:
Update your prompt, test it, fix it, and test again. Three to five iterations is completely normal. The perfect prompt almost never comes on the first try.

Next Steps

Create an Agent

Now that you have your prompt, build the agent.

Test Your Agent

Learn how to properly test before going live.

Custom Functions

Connect the agent to your own systems and APIs.