Writing good instructions

Bonnie does exactly what your instructions tell her. A few habits make her answers reliable and on-brand. You write instructions on the Tasks tab (your main prompt and post-call prompt) and add your questions and answers on the FAQ tab of your assistant.

Structure your instructions

Cover these areas:

1. Tasks: what Bonnie should do (reservations, events, FAQ).
2. FAQ: answers to the questions you get often.
3. Transfer policy: when and why to transfer.
4. Policy & guidelines: communication style and rules.

Golden rules

• One question per turn: Bonnie never asks two things at once.
• Keep answers short: aim under 35 words.
• Be explicit: if something is not possible, say so. Otherwise Bonnie may assume it is.
• Do not read links out loud: tell Bonnie to offer them by WhatsApp instead.
• Negative instructions help: "Never offer a waitlist" works better than only the positive version.
• Placement matters: put critical rules in two places, in the task section and in the policy.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Putting opening hours in the prompt (they come from Google automatically).
• Putting transfer numbers in the prompt (they live in your transfer settings).
• Repeating the maximum group size (the reservation system already blocks it).
• Soft language like "if you do not have this yet", which Bonnie skips. Just say "name".
• Leaving expired dates in (old closed dates, last year's events).
• Keeping an old business name in the FAQ after a rename.

Themed nights

If you run themed nights (steak night, burger night), say both what is and is not available:

1. What is available: "During steak night we serve our steak menu and a goat cheese salad as an alternative."
2. What is not: "The regular a la carte menu is not available during steak night."
3. Put this in the FAQ under that night.

Without the negative line, Bonnie assumes everything is available.

Extra services (takeaway, delivery)

Bonnie only confirms services that are in your prompt. If you offer both takeaway and delivery, name both. "Manage online takeaway and delivery orders" works; leaving out delivery means Bonnie says there is none.

Rule: if it is not in the prompt, it does not exist for Bonnie.

Bonnie says something that is not right

When Bonnie gives a wrong answer, the cause is almost always the instructions, not Bonnie inventing things. The two usual reasons:

• Missing instruction: you never told Bonnie about it, so she assumed. Bonnie treats anything you have not ruled out as possible. The fix is a clear negative line, for example "We do not offer takeaway. Do not suggest it."
• Outdated instruction: an old entry is still in your FAQ. Last year's event, a closure that has passed, or the previous business name. Search for the specific word or date and delete it.

The habit that prevents most of these: for anything that matters, say both what is and what is not the case. If you only say what is available, Bonnie fills the gaps with assumptions.

Make sure Bonnie collects what she needs

To avoid a booking with no name or phone number, add a hard rule in your policy: "Before making a reservation you MUST have collected: number of guests, date and time, first name, and phone number. Do not make a reservation without all of these."

If Bonnie says she notes a special request but does not save it, add: "After saying you note something, you MUST add it to the booking before ending the call."

See real examples and fixes in Troubleshooting.