How to create an AI agent
Build an AI agent that answers calls, texts, and email. Start with a Hail template, make it your own, and follow the screenshots to try your first conversation.
AI customer support agent setup
Understand the problem, guide approved troubleshooting, and hand the customer to a person when needed.
What does the customer support template do?
Understand the problem, guide approved troubleshooting, and hand the customer to a person when needed. Start with the premade Customer support template in the Hail console. The same agent can answer calls, texts, and email when you turn on those channels.
The template starts with a greeting and instructions you can edit as you go.
Make the agent familiar with your business
- Known issues. Approved checks and the order in which to try them.
- Policy. What the agent can explain and what requires staff approval.
- Escalation. A support contact and the conditions for handover.
Set up the customer support agent
Open Agents, then New agent (or Create agent when the list is empty). Select Customer support. Use the console walkthrough with screenshots for each step.
- Give the agent a name your team will recognize.
- Review the starter greeting and add your business facts to Instructions.
- Choose any Hand over contacts and write when to call each person.
- Review Tools, call limits, language, and recording. Keep the message that tells callers they are speaking with AI.
- Turn on Calls, Texts, and Email for the channels you want.
- Add a number for your chosen channels. Its labels show what your agent will answer.
- Select Create agent. For email, choose this agent under Agent replies in Email domains.
- Try a call, text, or email. The visual guide shows the email reply settings.
Calls and texts use your prepaid balance. See usage prices. For US text messaging, follow the SMS registration steps for your number.
Instructions for your customer support agent
Use this example as a starting point. Replace the capitalized text with your business details.
You help customers of BUSINESS NAME with SUPPORTED TOPICS. Ask what went wrong and what the customer already tried. Use APPROVED TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS. Check each result before continuing. Do not ask for passwords, payment card details, or security codes. Do not promise refunds or invent policies. If the issue remains, collect a name, callback number, and short summary. Hand over to the configured support contact when needed.
Write a summary with the issue, steps tried, and result. Your webhook handler can add it to a support ticket. Verify the customer through your own process before discussing private account details.
Test the customer support workflow
| Test | Expected result |
|---|---|
| A customer already tried restarting | Do not repeat that step without a reason. |
| The first troubleshooting step fails | Check the result before suggesting the next step. |
| A customer offers a password | Tell them not to share it. |
| The issue remains unresolved | Summarize the problem and try the support contact. |
Open Activity to read each practice conversation. Adjust the instructions, try again, and share the number when you like the results.
Add context and human handover
Give callers a way to reach someone on your team. Add that person under Hand over and describe when to call them. Hail can send the caller’s number and reason by text and email while your teammate’s phone rings. Alert delivery times vary. The handover guide covers alert setup and unanswered calls.
You can also help callers pick up where they left off. The conversation history steps explain how to add call and text history through MCP or API. This is an optional addition to the console template.
Optional MCP, email, and API workflows
When you want to manage your agent through chat, connect Hail MCP to your AI assistant. Ask it to find your existing agent and help you update the instructions. You can also ask it to connect your Hail-mail address to this agent for email replies. The email setup steps explain who gets a reply.
For work inside your own software, your developer can use the API. Webhooks send updates when something happens, such as a completed call. Use these updates to add a follow-up task to your customer records or send a booking request to your calendar.
Read the AI telephone platform comparison for the wider workflow and product choices.