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The system prompt is the set of instructions that tells your AI assistant how to behave. It defines the assistant’s personality, what it should say, how it handles different situations, and what rules it follows. VozAgent generates a system prompt automatically when you create an assistant, but Enterprise users can view and customize it directly.

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What is a system prompt?

Think of the system prompt as a detailed briefing you’d give a new receptionist on their first day:
  • “Your name is Sarah and you work at Bright Smile Dental.”
  • “Always be friendly and professional.”
  • “When someone asks about pricing, offer to schedule a free consultation.”
  • “If it’s an emergency, transfer the call immediately.”
The system prompt contains all of this information and more. Your assistant reads these instructions before every conversation and follows them throughout the call.

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Viewing the system prompt

To see your assistant’s system prompt:
  1. Go to Assistants and click on your assistant
  2. Open the System Prompt tab (it’s the first tab on the detail page)

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Enterprise users

If you’re on the Enterprise plan, you’ll see the full prompt text in an editable text area. You can read through it, make changes, and publish updates. The character count is shown below the text area so you can keep track of prompt length.

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Other plans

If you’re not on the Enterprise plan, the system prompt is blurred out behind a lock screen. You’ll see a Premium Feature button and a message explaining that prompt editing requires an Enterprise subscription. This doesn’t mean your assistant doesn’t have a prompt — it does, and it works perfectly. You just can’t view or edit it directly. All the other configuration options (tone, questions, greeting, knowledge base) still let you customize your assistant’s behavior without touching the prompt.

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Editing the system prompt

If you’re on the Enterprise plan and want to customize the prompt:
  1. Open the System Prompt tab
  2. Edit the text directly in the text area
  3. Click Publish Changes at the top of the page
Your changes take effect immediately on the next call after publishing.

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What you can customize

  • Personality and tone — Adjust how formal, casual, or energetic the assistant sounds (beyond what the Tone setting provides)
  • Specific instructions — Add rules for how to handle particular scenarios (for example, “If someone asks about weekend availability, tell them we’re open Saturday 9 AM to 1 PM”)
  • Boundaries — Define topics the assistant should avoid or redirect (for example, “Do not discuss competitor pricing”)
  • Response style — Control how verbose or concise the assistant should be
  • Industry-specific language — Add terminology or phrasing that’s common in your field

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What to be careful with

  • Don’t remove structural sections. VozAgent adds special sections to the prompt (like knowledge base access instructions). Removing these can break features.
  • Don’t contradict built-in behavior. If you tell the assistant to never transfer calls but have Live Call Transfer enabled, the results may be unpredictable.
  • Keep it clear and specific. Vague instructions like “be good” don’t help. Specific instructions like “When the caller asks about pricing, say we offer free estimates and offer to schedule one” get much better results.

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Tips for writing effective prompts

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Be specific about your business

Instead of:
“You are a helpful assistant.”
Write:
“You are Sarah, a receptionist at Bright Smile Dental in Austin, Texas. The practice specializes in family dentistry, cosmetic procedures, and emergency dental care.”

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Use clear rules

Instead of:
“Handle emergencies appropriately.”
Write:
“If a caller reports severe tooth pain, a knocked-out tooth, or uncontrolled bleeding, treat it as an emergency. Transfer the call immediately to Dr. Chen at extension 101. If Dr. Chen is unavailable, take the caller’s name and number and tell them someone will call back within 15 minutes.”

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Define what NOT to do

Sometimes it’s just as important to tell the assistant what to avoid:
“Do not quote specific prices over the phone. Instead, say ‘Pricing depends on the specific treatment plan. I’d be happy to schedule a free consultation so the doctor can give you an accurate estimate.’”

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Keep it organized

Use clear sections and formatting in your prompt. The AI responds well to structured instructions:
Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday: 8 AM - 6 PM Saturday: 9 AM - 1 PM Sunday: Closed Services Offered:
  • General dentistry (cleanings, fillings, crowns)
  • Cosmetic dentistry (veneers, whitening, Invisalign)
  • Emergency dental care

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Test after every change

After editing the prompt, always use the Testing tab to run a chat test or voice call. Try scenarios that relate to your changes to make sure the assistant follows the new instructions correctly.

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Prompt length

There’s no strict character limit, but very long prompts (over 10,000 characters) can sometimes cause the assistant to lose focus on specific instructions. As a guideline:
  • 1,000-3,000 characters — Ideal for most businesses
  • 3,000-6,000 characters — Fine for businesses with complex rules or many services
  • 6,000+ characters — Consider whether some information would be better placed in a knowledge base instead
If you find your prompt getting very long, move factual information (service lists, pricing, FAQs) into a Knowledge Base and keep the prompt focused on behavior and personality.