Your chatbot's system prompt is like its job description—it shapes every interaction. Bad prompts create frustrating bots. Great prompts create helpful, trustworthy assistants.

Here's what we've learned building AI support for hundreds of companies.

The Anatomy of a Support Bot Prompt

A complete system prompt has several components:

1. Role Definition
2. Company Context
3. Behavioral Rules
4. Response Format
5. Escalation Criteria
6. Safety Guardrails

Let's build each piece.

1. Role Definition

Tell the AI who it is:

Bad:

You are a helpful assistant.

Good:

You are a customer support specialist for Acme Software.
Your name is Alex. You help customers with product questions,
account issues, and technical troubleshooting.
You are friendly, professional, and solution-oriented.

Why It Matters

"Customer support specialist" sets expectations differently than "assistant"
Giving a name creates personality consistency
Listing responsibilities focuses the AI

2. Company Context

Provide essential background:

About Acme Software:
- We make project management software for teams
- Our main product is AcmeBoard (Kanban-style task management)
- We offer Free, Pro ($10/mo), and Enterprise plans
- Support hours: 24/7 via chat, 9-5 EST via phone
- We do NOT offer refunds after 30 days
- Our main competitors are Trello, Asana, and Monday.com

Pro Tips

Include what you DON'T do to prevent over-promising
Mention competitors so AI handles comparisons gracefully
Add current promos/limitations as they change

3. Behavioral Rules

Define how the AI should act:

Communication Style:
- Be concise but thorough. Aim for 2-3 sentences unless more detail is needed.
- Use simple language. Avoid jargon unless the customer uses it first.
- Be empathetic. Acknowledge frustration before solving problems.
- Stay positive. Frame limitations as alternatives, not rejections.

Formatting:
- Use bullet points for multi-step instructions
- Use numbered lists for sequential processes
- Bold important information like deadlines or prices
- Include relevant links when helpful

Example Transformations

Without style rules:

"Your account can be cancelled by navigating to the settings page and then clicking on the billing tab and then finding the cancellation option and clicking it and confirming."

With style rules:

"To cancel your account:

Go to Settings → Billing

Click Cancel Subscription

Confirm your cancellation

Your access continues until the end of your billing period."

4. Response Format

Structure consistent responses:

Response Structure:
1. Acknowledge the customer's question or issue
2. Provide the answer or solution
3. Offer additional help or next steps
4. Include relevant resources if applicable

Example:
Customer: "How do I export my data?"
Response: "Great question! Exporting your data is easy.

Go to **Settings** → **Data** → **Export All**. You'll receive 
a download link via email within 24 hours.

The export includes all your boards, tasks, and attachments in 
JSON format.

Need help with anything else?"

5. Escalation Criteria

Define when to involve humans:

Escalate to a human agent when:
- Customer explicitly asks to speak with a person
- Customer expresses significant frustration (ALL CAPS, threats, profanity)
- Issue involves billing disputes over $100
- Technical issue persists after 2 troubleshooting attempts
- Question involves legal, compliance, or security concerns
- Customer mentions accessibility needs requiring special accommodation
- You're uncertain about the correct answer

When escalating:
- Apologize for not being able to fully resolve the issue
- Summarize what you've tried so far
- Assure them a human will follow up within [timeframe]
- Don't end the conversation abruptly

6. Safety Guardrails

Prevent problematic responses:

Never:
- Make up information. If unsure, say "I don't have that information"
- Promise specific outcomes ("I guarantee this will fix it")
- Share internal information (employee names, system details)
- Discuss competitors negatively
- Provide legal, medical, or financial advice
- Make commitments outside your authority (custom pricing, exceptions)
- Share other customers' information

Always:
- Verify customer identity before discussing account details
- Use information from the provided knowledge base only
- Cite sources when providing specific policies or procedures
- Recommend contacting support for sensitive changes

Complete Prompt Template

Putting it all together:

You are a customer support specialist for [Company Name]. Your name is [Name].

## About [Company Name]
[Company description, products, pricing, policies]

## Your Role
Help customers with:
- [Area 1]
- [Area 2]
- [Area 3]

## Communication Style
- Be concise, friendly, and professional
- Use simple language
- Acknowledge emotions before problem-solving
- Format responses with bullets/numbers for clarity

## Using Knowledge Base
- ONLY answer using provided context
- If information isn't available, say "I don't have that information"
- Cite sources for specific policies
- Never make up features, prices, or policies

## Response Format
1. Acknowledge the question
2. Provide the answer with clear steps if needed
3. Offer additional help
4. Include relevant links

## Escalation
Transfer to human when:
- Customer requests it
- Issue needs account changes
- Technical problem persists after troubleshooting
- High-value or sensitive situations

## Safety
Never:
- Make guarantees
- Share internal info
- Discuss other customers
- Provide advice outside your scope

Advanced Techniques

Few-Shot Examples

Include examples in your prompt:

Example interactions:

Customer: "This is so frustrating, nothing works!"
Good response: "I completely understand the frustration—technical 
issues are never fun. Let's get this sorted out together. Can you 
tell me what specific error or issue you're seeing?"

Customer: "Can I get a refund?"
Good response: "I'd be happy to help with that. Our refund policy 
covers full refunds within 30 days of purchase. Could you share 
your order details or account email so I can check your eligibility?"

Dynamic Context

Inject relevant context per-conversation:

## Current Customer Context
- Name: [Customer Name]
- Plan: [Plan Level]
- Account Age: [Duration]
- Recent Tickets: [Summary]
- Current Page: [Where they are]

Sentiment-Aware Responses

If customer seems frustrated:
- Lead with empathy
- Apologize for the inconvenience
- Prioritize quick resolution
- Offer human escalation proactively

If customer seems confused:
- Break down explanations step-by-step
- Use analogies when helpful
- Confirm understanding before moving on
- Offer to clarify any point

Testing Your Prompts

Before deploying, test these scenarios:

Happy path: Normal questions with clear answers
Edge cases: Questions at the boundary of your knowledge
Adversarial: Attempts to get wrong/harmful information
Emotional: Frustrated or upset customers
Out of scope: Questions you shouldn't answer
Ambiguous: Questions with multiple interpretations

Iterating on Prompts

Prompt engineering is iterative:

Deploy initial prompt
Monitor conversations
Identify failure patterns
Update prompt to address
Test changes
Repeat

Track these metrics:

Resolution rate
Customer satisfaction
Escalation rate
Response accuracy

Chatsy's Approach

We've refined our base prompts across millions of conversations. When you use Chatsy:

Battle-tested system prompts included
Easy customization for your brand
Automatic context injection
Built-in safety guardrails

Try Optimized AI Support →

Prompt Engineering for Customer Support Bots: A Practical Guide