Continue onboarding with Guidance to control AI Agent’s behavior

Guidance is the main way to control the AI Agent’s behavior. Guidance outlines exactly how the AI Agent should interact with customers, resolve requests, and much more. Think of Guidance like the handbook for AI Agent; it should include all the training and instructions you would share with your human agent. 

Here’s an example of a Guidance:

AI Agent will prioritize Guidance above Help Center articles. And unlike Help Center articles, the content in your Guidance will not be customer-facing. 

Help Center articles should contain your brand’s basic knowledge (like return policies) whereas the Guidance contains your support policies (like the process to follow when a customer requests a return). 

We recommend publishing a Guidance on the five most common questions you receive from customers. To make it easy, we created templates for the most common types of support issues for ecommerce brands. 

➡️ Learn more about creating a Guidance. 

3 AI Agent use cases with Guidance templates

Below, we’ll share 10 common use cases for AI Agent with the Guidances used to guide AI Agent. 

The Guidance shown below match those in the product — use the in-product Guidance templates to achieve the AI-generated responses you see below. 

1. Where is my order? (WISMO) inquiries

90% of shoppers want to be able to track their orders, according to DispatchTrack. Easily fulfill those neverending WISMO requests with one comprehensive Guidance that detects a customer’s current order status to give them the best answer. 

Include these key elements in your where is my order? Guidance instructions:

• Detect if a tracking number is available: If the order has a tracking number, provide the link to the tracking page.
• Provide delivery time: Automatically calculate and share the expected delivery date based on the shipping method.
• Check order status: Inform the customer whether the order is processing, shipped, or delivered.
• Handle delivery delays: If the system detects a delay, apologize and offer an updated delivery estimate.
• Escalate complex issues: If the order is missing or has incorrect tracking info, escalate the ticket to a human agent for further review.

Here’s an example of a where is my order? Guidance setup, available as a template in Gorgias:

 Here’s how AI Agent uses that Guidance to assist a customer with their order inquiry:

💡 Pro Tip: Can’t find AI Agent? Double-check that you have an active Gorgias Automate subscription and connect Shopify to Gorgias. To do this, go to Settings > My Apps > Shopify > Update app permissions. You must be an Admin to complete this task.

2. Product-related questions

Shoppers ask product questions to get the clarity they need before buying. These pre-sales questions can make or break their decision to buy your product. Close the gap from browsing to checkout by using AI Agent to deliver quick, accurate answers that help them make confident decisions.

Here’s an example of a product-focused Guidance setup:

Here’s how AI Agent uses that Guidance to assist a customer with their product inquiry:

3. Returns

Answering ecommerce return requests can be time-consuming. Requests can range from a simple what is your return policy? question to customers wanting to go through the return process. Regardless, return inquiries can easily be handled by AI and handed off to a human agent if necessary.

Include these key elements in your returns Guidance instructions:

• Determine return eligibility: Check if the order is within the return window based on your policy.
• Identify non-returnable items: Inform customers if their item is non-returnable due to your specific policies.
• Guide through the return process: Provide instructions on how to initiate a return, including steps like entering an order number or using a return portal link.
• Inform about processing times: Share estimated times for processing returns and refunds.
• Escalate complex cases: If the return involves exceptions, like damaged goods or international returns, escalate the ticket to a human agent.

Here’s an example of a returns inquiry Guidance setup, available as a template in Gorgias:

Now, look at how AI Agent uses this Guidance to assist a customer with their return request:

💡 Pro Tip: If you’re using Loop Returns, set up AI Agent to automatically send a returns portal link to customers. This Action fully resolves returns inquiries by directing shoppers straight to their orders.

📚 Want more examples and templates? Check out our full list of 10 AI Agent use cases.

Keep these 5 Guidance best practices in mind

While AI Agent answers most customer inquiries, you’ll still need to be there to provide it with the barriers to keep its answers on-brand and accurate.

Here are five best practices to keep in mind when creating Guidance instructions.

1. Include Guidance for your top 5 most FAQs

Prime AI Agent with essential brand information by creating Guidance for the top five most common customer questions:

• Order status and tracking
• Returns, exchanges, and refunds
• Order cancellations and edits
• Discounts and promos
• Subscription/account management

You can automate a significant portion of customer support and save time for your team just by letting AI Agent answer these tickets.

While 5 is a great start, our data shows that brands see higher CSAT from AI Agent with at least 10 Guidance published.

2. Use a descriptive Guidance name

Always use clear and descriptive names for your Guidance. AI Agent relies on this information to identify whether the Guidance is relevant to the customer’s question. 

For example, instead of naming it “Shipping,” use something like “Shipping policy – domestic & international” to help AI Agent choose the right response.

3. Include examples in your instructions

It’s important to include detailed examples to help AI Agent detect the intent behind your incoming tickets. Clear examples let AI Agent match customer inquiries with the correct response more reliably.

For instance, instead of just saying, “Answer shipping questions,” give it an example: “For domestic orders, say: ‘Shipping takes 5-7 days. For international orders, it takes 10-15 days.’” This helps AI Agent detect when a question is about shipping timelines and respond appropriately.

4. Review and update your Guidance

Customer needs and products change over time, so it’s important to check back on your Guidance to make sure it’s relevant. AI Agent’s responses should reflect any changes to your policies, products, or processes to provide customers with up-to-date information.

5. Test new and updated Guidance in Test Mode

Before going live with new or updated Guidance, use Test Mode to make sure AI Agent is responding as expected.

Here are key things to check in Test Mode:

• Help Center articles: Verify that AI Agent is pulling from the correct Help Center resources.
• Guidance instructions: Test your updated Guidance to make sure AI Agent follows the protocols you have laid out.
• Excluded topics: Ask AI Agent questions about excluded topics to make sure it escalates the inquiry as needed.
• Tone of voice: Check that AI Agent’s responses are in your brand’s tone.