Business policies

These text fields provide the AI agent with your business-specific policies. When a customer asks about returns, shipping, warranties, or support availability, the response generator uses these fields as authoritative reference material.

How policies are used

Policy text is stored in your knowledge base as a special source type (policy). The knowledge retrieval agent searches these entries alongside your FAQ articles and product catalog. When a policy field matches a customer query, the response generator uses the policy text to construct an accurate answer.

All policy fields share these properties:

Type	Multi-line text (up to 2,000 characters each)
Required	No
Affects	Knowledge retrieval, response generator

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Return policy

Your refund and return terms. The AI references this when customers ask about returning items, requesting refunds, exchange eligibility, or restocking fees.

What to include:

• Return window (e.g., 30 days from delivery)
• Condition requirements (unworn, tags attached, original packaging)
• Refund method (original payment, store credit, exchange)
• Any exclusions (final sale items, personalized products)
• Who pays return shipping
• How long refunds take to process

Example:

Returns accepted within 30 days of delivery. Items must be unworn with
tags attached. Refunds issued to original payment method within 5-7
business days of receiving the return. Final sale items are not eligible
for return. Customer pays return shipping unless the item is defective.

Tip: Write your policy as a set of clear, factual statements. Avoid marketing language. The AI will rephrase these facts in your brand voice when responding to customers — you do not need to write the policy in a conversational tone.

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Shipping information

Your shipping options, costs, and delivery timeframes. The AI references this when customers ask about delivery times, shipping costs, tracking, or international availability.

What to include:

• Available shipping methods and costs
• Delivery timeframes by region
• Free shipping thresholds (if any)
• International shipping availability
• Tracking information (how and when it is sent)
• Handling time before shipment

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Warranty information

Your product warranty terms. The AI references this when customers ask about defective products, warranty claims, coverage duration, or repair/replacement options.

What to include:

• Warranty duration
• What is covered (and what is not)
• How to file a warranty claim
• Repair vs. replacement policy
• Contact information for warranty claims

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Support hours

Your human support team's business hours. The AI uses this to inform customers when human agents are available and to set expectations about response times for escalated issues.

Type	Text (up to 500 characters)
Default	None

Examples:

• Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern Time
• 24/7 via chat. Phone support: Mon-Fri 8am-8pm PST
• Business days only. Response within 24 hours.

Why this matters: When the AI escalates a conversation to a human agent outside business hours, it can tell the customer when to expect a response instead of leaving them waiting.

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Additional policies

A catch-all field for any business rules not covered above — loyalty programs, price matching, gift cards, custom orders, age verification, or anything else the AI should know.

Tips for writing effective policy text:

• One policy per paragraph. Do not mix return and shipping rules in the same block.
• Use definitive language: "We do" / "We do not" rather than "We may" / "We might." Ambiguity in your policy text leads to ambiguity in AI responses.
• If a policy has exceptions, list them explicitly.

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Avoiding conflicts between policies and knowledge base articles

A common mistake is writing the same policy information in both the policy fields and in separate knowledge base articles. This creates a risk of conflicting information if one is updated and the other is not.

Best practice:

• Use the policy fields for canonical policy text. This is the authoritative source.
• Knowledge base articles should reference or supplement policies, not duplicate them.
• If you have a detailed shipping FAQ ("How long does shipping take to Hawaii?"), put that in a knowledge base article and put the general shipping policy in the Shipping information field.
• The AI will combine both sources when answering — the policy provides the rules, and the FAQ article provides the specific detail.

See Knowledge base management — Avoiding duplication for more guidance.

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