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Guidelines for Creating Quick Actions
Review our recommendations for setting up your quick actions in Service Assistant.
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To create effective quick actions, follow two guidelines focused on specificity.
- Provide descriptive and specific names that reflect the action’s purpose, like “Refund Eligibility Notification”.
- Provide well-defined instructions that define the action and specify conditions, outcomes, or requirements.
A well-defined, specific quick action can be written in two effective formats: a condensed, single-sentence style or a detailed, three-part structure that defines the action, its goal, and any conditions or requirements for the action.
There’s no one-size fits-all approach. Which format you select depends on the complexity of the workflow you’re defining in the quick action. Both formats are valid and serve as recommendations. What matters is that the instruction is clear and specific.
Here are example quick action instructions that illustrate the guidelines and the ways to format instructions. The second example shows both suggested formats for writing quick action instructions.
| Example | How The Example works FOr Service Assistant |
|---|---|
Name: Update Order Status Instruction: Updates the order status field on an order record. This can be used to change the status from New to Pending, Pending to Shipped, or other statuses as needed during the order life cycle. |
This example is less effective for Service Assistant. The instruction is generic and doesn’t relate to a specific business use case or particular workflow for the order update. While a quick action in this format still has clear information and can still be used, it doesn’t always show in plan steps as often as one that’s more specific. Providing more context that’s tied to a specific business use case helps Service Assistant determine when the action is the right one to show in a plan step. |
Name: Mark Order As Shipped Instruction (condensed): Updates an order's status to Shipped and add the tracking number to the order record when an order has been successfully packaged and dispatched for delivery. Instruction (detailed): Updates the 'Status' field on the order record to a specified value. This action is intended for use after an order is fulfilled and the package is dispatched with a carrier. Once executed, the order's status is changed to Shipped, and the carrier's tracking number is added to the order record. |
This example is more effective for Service Assistant. The names and descriptions are tailored to a particular business process (order shipped) and workflow of the use case (confirming fulfillment and shipping status). The descriptive name reflects a clear purpose. The instruction then serves to define a general course of action, what it seeks to accomplish, and the exact conditions that trigger its use. |
Examining An Effective Quick Action
Let’s break down the second example further into key best practices and details. These are what make quick actions effective for Service Assistant.
| Best practice | Details |
|---|---|
| It has a clear and specific name. | The name immediately states the exact use case, providing far more context than a generic name. The more specific the name, the better context Service Assistant has about the action's purpose. |
| It has a well-defined instruction | Both the condensed and detailed instructions outline the key details and goals of the quick action. |
Conditional Format Breakdown
The condensed format combines the conditions and the action into a single conditional sentence, much like topic instructions.
- It defines a general action: “Updates the order's status to Shipped...”
- It states a specific requirement of the action: “... add the tracking number to the order record...."
- It sets specific conditions that must be met: “...when an order has been successfully packaged and dispatched for delivery.”
Detailed Format Breakdown
The detailed format breaks the instruction’s logic down into three distinct parts for maximum clarity.
- It defines a general action: “Updates the Status field on the order record to a specified value.”
- It sets conditions for the general action: “This action is intended for use after an order's items have been fulfilled and the package has been dispatched with a carrier for delivery.”
- It states a requirement of the action: “Once executed, the order's status is changed to 'Shipped', and the carrier tracking number is added to the corresponding field on the order record.”
In both structures, a broad, general action (update the order’s status) is defined. This is important to include because it defines the general task of the action. But, it wouldn’t be as effective as a name or standalone instruction. This is where stating the conditions and any requirements for the quick action help Service Assistant determine when to add it to a plan step.
Main Take Away for Quick Action Instructions
An effective quick action combines a specific name that states its purpose with a well-defined instruction detailing its goals, conditions, and any requirements. This level of specificity is what provides the necessary context for the Service Assistant to add the right quick action to the right plan step. While a generic action can still be used, providing more context that's tied to a specific business use case helps Service Assistant determine when the action is the right one to surface in a plan step.
