AI Agent Prompts
The instructions you give your AI agent determine how it sounds, what it says, and how well it converts.
Overview
Your AI voice agent follows the prompt you write. A vague prompt produces a vague agent — one that sounds uncertain, handles objections poorly, and classifies outcomes inconsistently. A well-written prompt produces an agent that feels natural, stays on message, and knows exactly when to push forward and when to wrap up.
This guide walks through each component of a strong AI agent prompt with concrete examples of what works and what doesn't.
The Five Elements of a Strong Prompt
1. Persona
Tell the agent who it is — not just a name, but a role and a tone. The persona shapes how the agent sounds and how contacts perceive it.
Weak example:
"You are an AI assistant helping with sales."
Strong example:
"You are Jordan, an outreach specialist for Summit Realty Group. You are professional, warm, and direct. You are not pushy — you are here to have a helpful conversation and find out if this person is a good fit for what we offer."
Key elements to include:
- First name (makes the agent feel less robotic)
- Company name
- Role or reason for calling
- Tone descriptors (e.g., friendly, confident, concise)
2. Objective
State the single goal for the conversation clearly. The agent should know exactly what a successful call looks like.
Weak example:
"Try to get people interested in our services."
Strong example:
"Your goal is to find out if the contact is currently looking to sell their home in the next 6 months, and if so, to schedule a 15-minute phone consultation with a member of our team. A successful call ends with a confirmed appointment or a clear interest signal."
Key elements to include:
- The specific action you want the contact to take
- What qualifies a contact as a good lead
- What the end of a successful call looks like
3. Opening Line
Write the exact opening statement. The first 10 seconds determine whether the contact stays on the line.
Weak example:
"Hello, I'm calling about real estate opportunities."
Strong example:
"Hi, this is Jordan calling from Summit Realty — did I catch you at an okay time? I'm reaching out because we've been helping homeowners in your area understand what their property is worth in today's market, and I wanted to see if that's something you'd find helpful."
Key elements to include:
- Name and company immediately
- A quick permission check ("did I catch you at an okay time?")
- A clear, benefit-focused reason for the call
4. Objection Handling
List the most common objections your audience raises and tell the agent exactly how to respond. Without this, the agent will fumble or give up.
Common objections and how to handle them:
| Objection | Instruction |
|---|---|
| "I'm not interested." | Acknowledge, ask one brief clarifying question ("Totally understand — is it the timing, or just not the right fit right now?"), then respect their answer. |
| "I already have an agent." | Acknowledge positively ("That's great — working with someone you trust is important"). Ask if they would be open to a second opinion, then let it go if they decline. |
| "Call me back later." | Offer a specific time: "Of course — would tomorrow morning or afternoon work better for you?" |
| "How did you get my number?" | Be transparent: "Your contact information was provided to us as someone who may have an interest in real estate opportunities in your area." |
| "Is this a robot?" | Disclose honestly: "I'm an AI assistant — I'm here to have a brief conversation and find out if it makes sense to connect you with a member of our team." |
5. Outcome Classification
Tell the agent how to classify a call when it ends. Accurate classification drives your reporting and your follow-up automations.
Outcome definitions to include:
| Outcome | When to Use It |
|---|---|
| Interested | Contact expressed genuine interest and is open to next steps |
| Callback Requested | Contact asked to be called back at a specific time |
| Not Interested | Contact clearly declined and the conversation ended respectfully |
| Voicemail | No answer — a voicemail was left |
| Busy / No Answer | Call was not connected |
| Do Not Contact | Contact asked not to be called again |
Complete Prompt Example
Here is a full example that combines all five elements:
Persona: You are Jordan, an outreach specialist for Summit Realty Group. You are professional, warm, and direct — not pushy. You are here to have a genuine conversation and identify whether this person would benefit from our services.
Objective: Your goal is to find out if the contact is considering selling their home in the next 6 months. If yes, book a 15-minute consultation with our team. A successful call ends with either a confirmed appointment or a clear positive interest signal.
Opening: "Hi, this is Jordan calling from Summit Realty — did I catch you at a good time? I'm reaching out because we've been helping homeowners in your area understand what their property is worth in today's market, and I wanted to see if that's something you'd find useful."
Objections: [Follow the objection handling table above]
Outcomes: [Classify using the outcome definitions above]
Things to Avoid
- Do not write a word-for-word script: Over-scripted agents sound robotic. Give the agent a goal, a persona, and guardrails — let it handle the conversation naturally.
- Do not use jargon in the persona: If you describe the agent as "solution-oriented" or "value-driven," those phrases will surface in the conversation and sound hollow.
- Do not skip the objection section: Even two or three common objections handled well will meaningfully improve your connect-to-lead rate.
- Do not ask the agent to be deceptive: The agent should always be willing to disclose it is an AI when directly asked. Contacts who feel misled become complaints.
- Do not make the objective too broad: "Get them interested in our company" is not a goal. "Book a consultation" or "Confirm they want to receive our pricing guide" are goals.
Iterating on Your Prompt
After your first campaign run, review a sample of call transcripts (available in Call Logs) to identify where conversations are breaking down. Common patterns to look for:
- Contacts disengaging after the opening — revisit your opening line.
- Objections not being handled — add the missing objections to your prompt.
- Incorrect outcome classifications — sharpen your outcome definitions.
- Conversations running too long — add a note to the prompt about keeping the call focused and wrapping up within 2–3 minutes if there is no interest signal.