01
Give the agent a clear role and name. "You are a billing support agent for Acme Corp" outperforms "You are a helpful assistant."
02
Define what the agent should NOT do. Constraints are just as important as capabilities when building reliable agents.
03
Specify tone and format explicitly. "Respond in 2-3 sentences, professionally but warmly" removes ambiguity.
04
Tell the agent what to do when it doesn't know the answer. Escalation paths make agents trustworthy in production.