Lesson 3 · 20 min
In a small business, the assistant doesn't just start sending messages on its own. It climbs a ladder: first the owner approves everything, then only the important things, and finally only the exceptions. Each step takes control away from the owner only where the record shows it's safe, and always with a way back.
Start the lesson
Goal: turn the assistant on in phase 1, write down with the owner what counts as "important," and agree in writing on when to move up and when to go back a phase.
Climb one step at a time, with the record in hand. Tap each phase.
The owner decides when to move up. You bring the record and make the proposal.
There is no universal list. Build it with the owner before turning on phase 2.
Pick about 20 recent messages from the phase 1 record, with no names or phone numbers.
Ask the owner to mark each one: "I wanted to see it" or "it could have gone out on its own."
Look at what the ones marked "I wanted to see it" have in common: a word ("discount", "cancel"), a type of patient, a time of day, a long voice message.
Each pattern becomes a row in the table.
The table goes into the playbook, in the limits section, with the date.
The owner approves in writing: a message saying "agreed" is enough as a record.
At each phase change and, as a rule of thumb, every month, look at what went to the queue without needing to and what went straight through and shouldn't have.
If almost everything becomes "important," the owner never gets to rest; if almost nothing does, she loses control.
Every action the assistant takes gets a label in the playbook. More levels than that turns into theory.
Greeting, a question from the list, business hours, an out-of-hours notice.
Can reach phase 3.
Booking request, confirmation of an appointment already booked, rescheduling at no cost.
Moves up to phase 2 or 3 with a weekly look at a sample.
Package price, discount, cancellation with a fee, complaint, question about pain or medication.
Always stays in phase 1: a person approves before it goes out.
It's the same idea as the green, yellow, and red authority levels in the AI Management · Agents course, in a front-desk version.
The criterion for moving up is an agreed rule, not a statistic: the numbers stay blank until you and the owner decide.
ASSISTANT PHASES · <company> · agreed on <date> PHASE 1 · approves everything Started on: <date> · who approves: <name> · where: <queue on a single screen> PHASE 2 · approves only the important Goes out directly: <greeting, question from the list, booking request> Goes to the queue: see the "important" table PHASE 3 · exceptions only Calls a person when: <out of scope, didn't understand 2 times, high risk> NEVER LEAVES PHASE 1 (high risk): <price, discount, health, cancellation with a fee> CONSULTANT'S RULE (agreed, not a statistic) Moves up a phase when: in <agreed number> messages in a row the owner approved without editing at least <agreed number> AND there was no serious error in <n> days AND the owner says she wants to move up. Goes back a phase when: <serious error> OR <patient complaint> OR the owner asks. Who decides: <owner's name>. Goes back on: <the same day>.
"IMPORTANT" TABLE · Clínica Vila Serena (fictional) · v1 · <date> | Rule | Goes to the queue? | |---------------------------------------------------|--------------------| | mentions price, package, discount or installments | yes | | complaint, "cancel", "refund", "lawyer" | yes (priority) | | question about pain, medication or results | yes (a person now) | | patient asked to talk to the owner | yes | | long voice message or photo of a medical order | yes | | out-of-hours message with the word "urgent" | yes | | question from the list, hours, address, parking | no | | booking request with no money involved | no | Approved by the owner on <date> (message "agreed").
PHASE-CHANGE CONVERSATION · 30 min · <date> 1. RECORD (10 min) "In the last <n> weeks, <n> messages came in. You approved <n> without changing anything and edited <n>. The edited ones were about <pattern>." 2. PROPOSAL (5 min) "I suggest moving to phase 2. What changes: <what goes out directly>. Stays with you: <"important" table>." 3. WAY BACK (5 min) "If after a week you're not comfortable, we go back to phase 1 the same day, with nothing to renegotiate." 4. AGREEMENT (10 min) "I'll turn on phase 2 on <day> at <time> and let you know when it's on." Record: the owner replied "agreed" on <date>.
A fictional conversation for practice, in week 2 of phase 1. Choose the answer you would give; the comment appears right after.
Choose your answer. The comment appears right after, and the conversation continues based on your choice.
Use the assistant and the playbook from lessons 1 and 2.
Fill in the phase board and label each assistant action as low, medium, or high risk in the playbook.
Done when: the board has the 3 phases with what goes out directly in each one, every playbook action has a risk label, and the high-risk actions are in the "never leaves phase 1" row.
Build the "important" table from messages (real ones with names removed, or the Vila Serena ones) and write the rule for moving up and moving back a phase, with the numbers you and the owner agree on.
Done when: the table has at least 6 rows with "goes to the queue: yes/no", the phase rule is marked as "consultant's rule, agreed" and has the condition for going back and who decides.
4 questions. The explanation appears after your attempt.
Question 1 of 4
At Vila Serena, which phase does the answer about package pricing sit in, after six months with no mistakes?
Question 2 of 4
Who decides what is "important" in the phase 2 table?
Question 3 of 4
The board says "moves up when the owner approved [agreed number] messages in a row without editing." Why is the number left blank in the template?
Question 4 of 4
In phase 2, the assistant gave a wrong answer to a patient with a complaint. What should you do?
Choose an option. The explanation appears after you answer.