Write an away plan for your AI agent: who approves which actions while you are out, what waits, and the holding message customers get so nothing stalls silently.
Who it is for
Owners who approve their agent's drafts and worry about refunds, quotes or replies stalling when they are on a job, sick or on vacation.
Tools
ChatGPT or Claude
The agent's standing instructions
A trusted backup person, if you have one
Steps
List what normally waits for your approval: replies, quotes, refunds, bookings.
For each, pick one: a named backup may approve, it waits until you are back, or the customer gets a holding message.
Keep money decisions with a named person. Anthropic says its Google Workspace connectors ask before sending by default; keep that on while you are away too.
Use the prompt below to turn your choices into an away plan, and paste it into the agent's instructions before you leave.
Test it: send yourself a fake refund request and check the agent sends the holding message, not a decision.
When you are back, ask the agent for a list of everything that waited.
The prompt
Write an away plan for my AI agent. Use only my choices.
I am away: [DATES]
Backup person (or none): [NAME, ROLE]
For each item, my choice (backup approves / waits for me / holding message):
- Customer replies: [CHOICE]
- Quotes: [CHOICE]
- Refunds and credits: [CHOICE]
- Bookings and changes: [CHOICE]
Include:
1. A short rule list the agent follows while I am away
2. A holding message under 50 words that tells the customer when they will hear back, with no promises about the outcome
3. A rule: anything not listed waits for me
Do not give the backup any permission I did not list.
Tips
A holding message beats silence; customers mostly want to know someone saw it.
Give the backup a short list, not your whole inbox.