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Introduction

Good flow design is the foundation of successful AI phone agents. This guide covers essential principles for creating intuitive, effective conversation flows that provide value to your callers.

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Core Design Principles

1. Keep It Simple
Rule of Thumb: If you can’t explain your flow in 30 seconds, it’s probably too complex.
Best Practices:
  • Limit decision points to 3-4 options maximum
  • Use clear, conversational language
  • Avoid technical jargon
  • Provide obvious next steps
2. Start with the End in Mind Before building your flow, clearly define:
  • What is the primary goal of this conversation?
  • What information do you need to collect?
  • What action should the caller take?
  • How will you know the call was successful?
3. Design for Real Conversations Real phone conversations are dynamic and unpredictable. Design your flows to handle:

Interruptions

Callers may interrupt or ask questions at any time

Clarifications

People may need to repeat or clarify information

Emotional States

Callers may be frustrated, confused, or in a hurry

Technical Issues

Connection problems or background noise

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Flow Structure Guidelines

• Opening Strong - Your first 10 seconds determine the entire call experience Good Opening:
“Hi! I’m your AI assistant from [Company]. I’m here to help you [specific purpose]. How can I assist you today?”
Avoid:
“Welcome to our automated system. Please listen carefully as our menu options have changed…”
• Logical Flow Progression - Structure your conversation in a logical sequence
  1. Greeting & Purpose - Set expectations
  2. Information Gathering - Collect what you need
  3. Processing - Handle the request
  4. Confirmation - Verify understanding
  5. Next Steps - Clear action items
  6. Closing - Professional ending
• Effective Information Collection
1

Ask One Thing at a Time

Don’t overwhelm callers with multiple questions. Ask for one piece of information, wait for the response, then ask for the next.
2

Provide Context

Explain why you need the information: “I need your account number to look up your order status.”
3

Offer Alternatives

Give options when possible: “You can provide your account number or the phone number associated with your account.”

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Error Handling

• Graceful Degradation - Always provide fallback options when things don’t go as planned
  • Ask for clarification: “I didn’t catch that. Could you repeat your account number?”
  • Offer alternatives: “If you don’t have your account number, I can help you with your phone number instead.”
  • Provide human assistance: “Let me connect you with a human agent who can help.”
  • Acknowledge the issue: “I’m experiencing some technical difficulties right now.”
  • Offer alternatives: “I can take your information and have someone call you back.”
  • Provide contact information: “You can also reach us at [phone number] or [email].”
  • Show empathy: “I understand this is frustrating.”
  • Take responsibility: “I apologize for the confusion.”
  • Offer solutions: “Let me try a different approach to help you.”

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Language Guidelines

• Use Natural, Conversational Language Good:
  • “I’d be happy to help you with that.”
  • “Let me look that up for you.”
  • “I understand you’re looking for…”
Avoid:
  • “Please hold while I process your request.”
  • “Invalid input detected.”
  • “System error 404.”
• Match Your Brand Voice Consider your company’s personality:
  • Professional Services: Formal, respectful, thorough
  • Tech Companies: Friendly, efficient, helpful
  • Healthcare: Caring, patient, clear
  • Retail: Energetic, helpful, sales-focused

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Testing

• Testing Checklist - Before deploying your flow, test it with: • Common Issues
  • Dead Ends: Can callers get stuck without options?
  • Confusing Language: Are instructions clear to non-technical users?
  • Missing Information: What happens when required data isn’t available?
  • Long Waits: Are processing times reasonable?

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Next Steps

Testing Strategies

Learn how to thoroughly test your flows before deployment.

Performance Optimization

Optimize your flows for speed and reliability.