1. Define one job and its completion rule
Choose a familiar request: capture a new enquiry, answer a service question or arrange an appointment. Describe the exact point at which the workflow is complete. A booking request and a confirmed calendar entry are different outcomes and should be labelled clearly.
Write down what is outside the agent’s scope. Decide which topics require a person and how that person receives the request. Keep the first release focused enough that your team can test the important situations.
2. Prepare approved business information
Collect current opening hours, service descriptions, location or service-area rules, prices that may be quoted, FAQs and relevant policies. Give conflicting documents a clear owner and identify the version the assistant should use.
Avoid using an unreviewed collection of files as the only source of truth. The team should be able to explain where an answer came from and submit corrections. Check sensitive topics separately and define a safe response when the information is unavailable.
3. Confirm access and connection requirements
List the phone provider, website platform, messaging accounts, calendar and customer systems involved. Decide which permissions the workflow actually needs. Confirm that your account and subscription support the proposed integration before promising the final action.
Use an appropriate access process when implementation begins; do not include passwords or sensitive customer records in a project enquiry. Agree who controls each account, who can revoke access and what happens when a connection is unavailable.
4. Design the human handoff
Specify who receives transfers or messages during business hours and after hours. Include a callback method, the information needed to continue the conversation, and what the customer should hear if nobody is available.
Test a customer explicitly asking for a person. Also test uncertainty, a complaint, an urgent request and a situation outside the approved workflow. A clear handoff is part of the service, rather than an exception to plan after launch.
5. Run an acceptance test matrix
Create short scenarios with an expected outcome: a normal enquiry, missing contact details, an unavailable appointment, an ambiguous question, a repeated request and a failed integration. Test the actual phone number or website experience, including a small mobile screen where relevant.
Check both sides of each scenario. The customer should receive an accurate answer, and the team or connected system should receive the correct information. Record failures, correct the workflow and repeat the affected scenarios before approval.
6. Launch with an owner and a review plan
Agree who signs off, who monitors the first period of operation and who can pause or change the workflow. Start with a defined route or a limited use case when that makes review easier. Keep an alternative way for customers to reach your business.
Review completed requests, failed handoffs, unanswered questions and avoidable staff follow-up. Update approved information as the business changes. Use the SwitchToAuto setup process, service directory and support request page to connect the checklist to an ongoing working process.
Plan your first workflow
Share the customer question, the channel and the next action you need. We will use that information to scope the work and its test plan.
Discuss your project →