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Send a prompt to AI

Send a prompt to AI lets you add a free-form AI prompt step to any automation. Write a prompt, feed it dynamic content from earlier steps, and the AI returns a text response you can use downstream — in emails, CRM notes, notifications, or any other action. No code, no integrations, no separate AI tool. Just write what you need and the AI handles it.

How it works​

  1. You write a prompt — a text instruction telling the AI what to generate (a follow-up email, a research summary, a formatted response, etc.)
  2. You insert dynamic content from previous steps into the prompt so the AI has the context it needs
  3. When the automation runs, the AI processes the prompt and returns a text Response
  4. The response is available as dynamic content in any later step

Set up the action​

  1. Open the automation builder and add a new step
  2. Under AI actions, select Send a prompt to AI
  3. Configure the prompt:

Write your prompt​

In the Prompt text field, write your instruction to the AI. Be specific about what you want — the format, the tone, and what information to include.

Select the variable insertion button to insert dynamic content from a previous step — for example, a contact's name, a company description, or a form response. Variables are resolved before the AI reads the prompt, so the AI always sees the actual data.

tip

The more specific your prompt, the more consistent the output. Instead of "Write an email," try "Write a 3-sentence follow-up email in a professional tone that references the customer's inquiry and suggests booking a call."

info

The prompt must not exceed 4,000 characters (including resolved variable values). A character counter below the field shows your current count. If your input data is long, use a Summarize with AI step first to condense it before passing it to the prompt.

Caution

Verify the AI response content before sending it to customers, as errors and misinterpretations may occur. You can verify a response by sending the data to yourself.

Outputs​

After the step runs, one value is available to downstream steps:

OutputDescription
ResponseThe AI-generated text output from the prompt.

Reference this output in later steps using Add dynamic content and selecting this step's Response.

Tips for writing effective prompts​

  • Be explicit about format — "Write a 3-sentence paragraph" or "Return a bulleted list of 5 items" produces more predictable results than open-ended instructions
  • Include context via dynamic content — Insert contact names, company details, or data from previous steps so the AI can personalize its response
  • Set the tone — "Use a professional tone" or "Keep it casual and friendly" guides the AI's writing style
  • Specify what to include and exclude — "Include the customer's name and the product they asked about. Do not include pricing." reduces irrelevant output
  • Test with real data — Run your automation with sample data to verify the AI generates the kind of response you expect before going live

Use case examples​

Generate a personalized follow-up email after sentiment analysis​

Pair with Analyze sentiment with AI to craft a follow-up email that matches the customer's mood — empathetic for negative sentiment, enthusiastic for positive.

Step 1 — Set the trigger

Select Webchat captures a lead.

Step 2 — Analyze sentiment

  • Add an Analyze sentiment with AI step
  • Input text: select Add dynamic content and choose Chat Summary from the trigger

Step 3 — Generate a tailored email on each branch

On the Negative branch:

  • Add a Send a prompt to AI step
  • Prompt: "Write a 3-sentence follow-up email to [Add dynamic content: Contact First Name]. They had a frustrating experience: [Add dynamic content: Chat Summary]. Acknowledge their concern, apologize, and offer to connect them with a senior team member. Use an empathetic, professional tone. Do not include a subject line."

On the Positive branch:

  • Add a Send a prompt to AI step
  • Prompt: "Write a 3-sentence follow-up email to [Add dynamic content: Contact First Name]. They had a great conversation: [Add dynamic content: Chat Summary]. Thank them, reinforce the value they showed interest in, and suggest booking a demo. Use an upbeat, professional tone. Do not include a subject line."

Step 4 — Send the email

  • On each branch, add a Send an email step using the Response from the Send a prompt to AI step as the email body
tip

Analyze sentiment with AI detects the tone — Send a prompt to AI writes the response. Together they produce emails that feel human without anyone manually drafting them.

Reformat a summary for different channels​

Use Summarize with AI to condense a long form submission, then use Send a prompt to AI to reformat the summary for a specific channel — a Slack-style internal alert, a CRM note, or a customer-facing email.

Step 1 — Set the trigger

Select A form is submitted for a contact (under Contacts).

Step 2 — Summarize the submission

  • Add a Summarize with AI step
  • Text to summarize: select Add dynamic content and choose the form field containing the customer's message
  • Prompt: "Summarize the key points in 3 sentences."

Step 3 — Reformat for an internal alert

  • Add a Send a prompt to AI step
  • Prompt: "Reformat the following summary into a short internal alert for the support team. Use this format: CUSTOMER: [Add dynamic content: Contact Name] | ISSUE: [one line] | ACTION NEEDED: [one line]. Summary: [Add dynamic content: Response from Summarize step]."

Step 4 — Notify the team

  • Add a Notify a salesperson step with the Response from the Send a prompt to AI step in the notification body

Prepare a handoff brief when a conversation needs a human​

When an AI employee conversation or form submission requires human follow-up, use Send a prompt to AI to generate a structured handoff brief so the person picking up knows exactly what happened and what to do next.

Step 1 — Set the trigger

Select Webchat captures a lead or A form is submitted for a contact (under Contacts).

Step 2 — Generate the handoff brief

  • Add a Send a prompt to AI step
  • Prompt: "Write a handoff brief for a team member who needs to follow up with this customer. Customer name: [Add dynamic content: Contact Name]. Conversation or submission: [Add dynamic content: Chat Summary or form response field]. Include: (1) What the customer needs in one sentence, (2) What has already been done or discussed, (3) Recommended next action for the team member. Keep it to 4 lines."

Step 3 — Create a task with the brief

  • Add a Create a CRM sales task for the contact step
  • In the description, select Add dynamic content and choose Response from the Send a prompt to AI step
  • Assign to the contact's owner
tip

The team member opens the task and sees a clear brief — not a raw chat transcript or wall of form text. They know what the customer wants, what already happened, and what to do next without re-reading everything.