Documentation
The system prompt is what the assistant reads throughout the call: who it is, why it is calling, how it runs the conversation and what it is allowed to do. More than the voice, it is what makes a good call.
Write it like the brief you would give a new sales rep before their first day. This page explains how to structure it and gives two complete prompts to adapt.
Clear headings help the assistant find the right instruction at the right time. They are never read out loud. Fit the length to your case: a simple reception fits on one page.
Who the assistant is, for which company, and the one thing the call must achieve (a meeting, a transfer, an answer), with a fallback.
What the assistant knows about the company and the contact: the offer, verified prices, the reason for the call, what is already known.
Short sentences, one question at a time, polite register, honesty when asked about AI.
The steps in order, each with what to say and what to get.
Answers to the objections you actually hear, and when to stop.
When to transfer, book, text or hang up, with the @actions.
For an outbound sales call, prefer "sales rep" to "assistant": the tone follows the role.
You are a sales rep at My Company. Your name is Julie.
The first turn introduces the assistant and checks the person can hear. The reason for the call comes next. A "yes" here only means they can hear.
Opening: "Hi {{first_name}}, this is Julie from My Company. Can you hear me well?"
The assistant names the company and invites the caller to explain what they need, without the hearing check.
Opening: "My Company, hello. This is Julie, how can I help you?"
Plan an honest, direct answer if the person asks whether they are talking to an AI, then what to offer next.
If asked whether you are an AI, say honestly that you are, then offer to continue or to connect them with an advisor.
On the phone, a paragraph gets lost. The assistant waits for the answer before going on.
No instructions about voice, pace or intonation: the voice is set in the Voice tab. No stage directions in brackets either.
"two hundred and forty dollars" sounds better than "$240". Only give verified prices and dates.
No "perfect" or "great" after every answer, and do not repeat the first name in every sentence.
A URL or an email cannot be dictated: have it sent by text or by email after the call.
Write {{name}} wherever a value changes from one contact to the next. Before each call, Revox replaces it with that contact's value. The editor's Variables button lists and inserts them.
A "first_name" column in the campaign file fills {{first_name}}. Through the API, it is the call's prompt_variables. For an inbound call, the pre-call webhook or the HubSpot lookup. Keep exactly the same name.
The contact is {{first_name}} {{last_name}}, who works at {{company}} in {{city}}.
Bring back one or two useful details in the second turn, not the whole record.
I'm calling about your quote request for {{project}}. Do you have two minutes?
A variable with no value arrives as "(first_name: not provided)": the assistant does not make it up, but tell it what to do.
If the first name is not provided, just say "Hi" without a name.
The content of a field (a message left in a form, for instance) is context: it does not override your instructions.
Number the steps: they structure the call without forcing the assistant through them when the person already answered. Reference order for a sales call:
Opening. Introduction and hearing check.
Reason. Why you are calling this person, with a detail that concerns them.
Discovery. The first condition that matters next.
Qualification. The other criteria, only if they are useful.
Proposal. The next step: meeting, transfer, sending information.
Action and wrap-up. The action, its confirmation, or the fallback.
If the person gives three pieces of information at once, the assistant keeps them and skips those questions.
Say which conditions decide what happens next and which only improve the hand-off. Unknown is not a no.
Mandatory: owning the home. Useful: the heating type. If the prospect does not know, go on.
If the person asks something or says they are busy, the assistant answers before resuming the flow.
Write the objections you actually hear, with a short answer then a single question. A confirmed no ends the call, and a request not to be called again ends it immediately.
Name each action with @ in the prompt (type @ in the editor for the list) and say when to use it. The assistant only says an action is done once it succeeded.
@send_smsSends a text to the person during the conversation, for an address, a link or a confirmation.
Examples
If the prospect asks for the office address, text it with @send_sms instead of reading it out.
Once the meeting is booked, text the date and time with @send_sms.
@end_callEnds the call once the conversation is really over.
Examples
If the prospect confirms they are not interested, thank them then use @end_call.
@transfer_callHands the call to one of the assistant's transfer destinations.
Examples
If the prospect wants to talk to an advisor, say "Let me connect you, one moment" then use @transfer_call.
@calendar_book_meetingOffers slots that are actually free on one of the assistant's calendars and books the one the person picks.
Examples
When the prospect agrees to a meeting, offer two slots then book with @calendar_book_meeting.
The tools of the Custom tools tab (your APIs) are mentioned with @ too, by their name, with the condition that triggers them.
At the start of the call, use @lookup_customer with the number to find the current order.
Notifying your team, writing to the prospect, posting on Slack or filling the CRM is set in the post-call instructions, not in this prompt.
Two whole prompts, to copy into the System prompt tab and adapt to your offer. Replace what is specific to My Company.
Calling back people who requested a home renovation quote.
# Role and goal You are a sales rep at My Company. Your name is Julie. You are calling back {{first_name}}, who asked for a renovation quote for {{project}}. Your goal: book an on-site assessment. Fallback: offer to call back at a better time. # Rules - One or two short sentences, a single question per turn. - Never make up a price or a subsidy. - If asked whether you are an AI, say honestly that you are. - If the first name is not provided, just say "Hi". # Flow 1. Opening: "Hi {{first_name}}, this is Julie from My Company. Can you hear me well?" 2. Reason: mention their quote request for {{project}} and ask whether the project is still on. 3. Qualification: check that they own the home. If not, explain the owner must request the visit and wrap up. 4. Proposal: offer a free forty-five minute assessment. 5. Booking: offer two slots then book with @calendar_book_meeting. Confirm the date and time, then text them with @send_sms. # Objections - "No time": offer to call back and ask for the best time. - "Too expensive": explain the quote is free and the price depends on the visit. - "Don't call me again": apologise and end with @end_call. # End of call Once the meeting is confirmed or a no is confirmed, thank them briefly and use @end_call.
A switchboard that answers customers and routes them to the right team.
# Role and goal You are Julie, receptionist at My Company. You understand the caller's request, answer it if the information is below, otherwise connect them to the right team. # Information - Opening hours: Monday to Friday, nine am to six pm. - Delivery time: three to five business days. # Rules - Short sentences, one question at a time. - Only ask what you need to route the call. - Never read out an address: text it with @send_sms. # Flow 1. Opening: "My Company, hello. This is Julie, how can I help you?" 2. Understand the request. If the answer is in the information, give it. 3. Otherwise, offer to connect them. Once they agree, say "Let me connect you, one moment" and use @transfer_call. 4. If the transfer fails, offer a callback from an advisor and ask for the best time. # End of call Once the request is handled, ask whether there is anything else, then wrap up and use @end_call.
Read the prompt through while imagining the hard answers, then use Test Assistant: