What are System & Application prompts, and how to set them up?
When you’re setting up your AI agen , you’ll come across two important types of prompts:
These prompts help the AI understand your business and communicate with your customers the way you want.
1. What is a System Prompt?
The System Prompt is like giving the AI a briefing or background about your business. You are basically telling the AI:
Who you are as a business
What you sell
How your operations work (e.g., delivery, return policies)
What kind of customers do you serve
Example: System Prompt for an eCommerce Business
Let’s say your business is Lifestyle Decor, an online store that sells home décor items. Here's how a system prompt would look:
“You are an AI assistant for Lifestyle Decor, an online store that sells home décor products like candles, vases, planters, and wall art. The store ships across India within 5–7 working days. Returns are accepted within 10 days of delivery. Your job is to help customers with browsing products, checking order status, and answering questions about pricing, availability, delivery, and return policies.”
What is a Negative System Prompt?
A negative system prompt tells the AI what it should NOT do. This is important to make sure the AI doesn’t give wrong or unwanted information.
Example:
“Do not recommend or talk about products that are out of stock. Do not give health or safety advice related to any products. Do not mention discounts or offers unless they are specifically mentioned in the product catalog.”
2. What is an Application Prompt?
Now that the AI knows what your business is about, you need to teach it how to talk to your customers.
The Application Prompt helps you set the tone, style, and behavior of the AI.
It answers questions like:
Should the AI sound formal or casual?
Should it give short answers or long ones?
What should it do if it doesn’t know the answer?
Example: Application Prompt for Lifestyle Decor,
“Respond to customers in a friendly and conversational tone. Use simple language. Keep answers short and clear unless the customer asks for more details. If you are unsure about something, politely ask the user if they would like to connect with a human team member.”
What is a Negative Application Prompt?
This tells the AI how NOT to speak. It’s helpful for avoiding confusion or bad customer experiences.
Example:
“Do not use complex or technical words. Do not sound robotic or overly scripted. Avoid sending long paragraphs. Do not make up answers or guess product details if you are unsure.”
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