An Assist Agent is an AI 2.0 Agent that provides support agents with AI-powered assistance directly within tickets. When assigned through an AI Agent Assignment rule, the Assist Agent helps agents understand conversations, find relevant information, and draft responses using capabilities such as Summarize, Ask, and Draft. This enables teams to resolve issues faster, improve response quality, and maintain consistent customer interactions while keeping agents in control of the final response.

Within an AI Agent Assignment rule, the Assist Agent works alongside other AI-powered capabilities to enhance ticket handling and support workflows.

By combining these AI capabilities, BoldDesk helps organizations automate repetitive tasks, provide agents with actionable insights, and deliver faster, more efficient customer support experiences.

Prerequisites

Before creating an Assist Agent assignment rule, ensure that:

• BoldDesk AI features are enabled for your account.
• At least one AI Agent is configured and active.
• The AI Agent has the required instructions, knowledge sources, and tools for the tickets it should support.

For instructions on creating an AI Agent, explore How to Create and Manage AI 2.0 Agent in BoldDesk.

Create an Assist Agent Assignment Rule

To create an AI Agent Assignment rule for an Assist Agent:

1. Go to Admin > AI Automation > AI Agent Assignment.

2. Click Add Rule.
   

   
   
   

3. In the Choose Condition step, enter a descriptive Rule Name.

4. In Description, enter optional information that explains the purpose of the rule.

5. Under Apply this rule to the tickets that meet All of these conditions, configure the conditions that must all be satisfied.

6. Under Apply this rule to the tickets that meet Any of these conditions, configure any alternative conditions that can trigger the rule.

7. Click Next.
   

   
   
   

Configure the Assist Agent

In the Assign AI Agents step:

1. Turn on Assist Agent.
2. In Choose AI Agent, select the AI Agent that should provide AI Assist assistance within matching tickets.
3. Under View Agent, check to view and manage the selected agent.
4. Click Add to save the assignment rule.
   
   
   
   
   

After the rule is saved, BoldDesk assigns the selected Assist Agent to tickets that meet the configured conditions.

View the Selected Assist Agent

The View agent option allows you to open and review the AI Agent selected for Assist assistance. To view the selected Assist Agent:

1. Open the Assist Agent assignment rule.
2. Go to the Assign AI Agents step.
3. Locate the Assist Agent section.
4. Click View agent.
   
   
   
   
   

Use the AI Agent configuration page to review:

• Instructions
• Libraries and knowledge sources
• AI tools
• Model and other settings
• Current status

Review the configuration to confirm that the selected AI Agent is suitable for the tickets matched by the assignment rule.

Understanding Assist Agent Capabilities

After the Assist Agent is assigned to a ticket, support agents can use the following capabilities within the ticket:

How Assist Agent Assignment Works

When a ticket event occurs, BoldDesk evaluates the configured AI Agent Assignment rules.

An Assist Agent is assigned when:

• The ticket meets the configured rule conditions.
• The selected AI Agent is active and available.
• The applicable AI Agent Assignment rule is executed.

After the assignment:

• The selected AI Agent becomes the Assist Agent for the ticket.
• The Assist Agent uses the available ticket context and its configured resources.
• Support agents can use Summarize, Ask, and Draft within the ticket.
• Support agents review the generated output before using it in a customer response.

Assist Agent Use Cases

A Assist Agent can assist support agents with tasks such as:

• Summarizing long ticket conversations.
• Identifying the customer’s primary question.
• Extracting important details from ticket messages.
• Reviewing previous troubleshooting steps.
• Finding relevant information from configured knowledge sources.
• Drafting responses based on ticket context.
• Preparing follow-up questions when information is missing.
• Helping agents understand complex or specialized requests.
• Maintaining consistent responses across similar tickets.

You can create specialized Assist Agents when different teams require distinct instructions, knowledge, terminology, or tools. For example:

• A billing Assist Agent can assist with subscription and invoice questions.
• A technical support Assist Agent can assist with troubleshooting requests.
• A product Assist Agent can assist with feature and configuration questions.
• A compliance Assist Agent can assist with policy-related requests.

Troubleshooting

The Assist Agent Is Not Assigned

Confirm that:

• The AI Agent Assignment rule is active.
• The ticket meets the configured rule conditions.
• The selected AI Agent is active and available.
• The ticket is eligible for Assist Agent assignment.
• Another assignment rule is not being executed before the intended rule.
• The rule changes were saved.

The Default Assist Agent Is Assigned Instead of the Selected Agent

Open the assignment rule and confirm that the required AI Agent is selected under Choose AI Agent. If Choose AI Agent is empty, BoldDesk assigns the default Assist Agent automatically.

Summarize Does Not Include the Expected Information

Confirm that the relevant information is available in the ticket conversation. Also, review whether the selected Assist Agent has appropriate instructions for summarising the ticket.

Ask Does Not Return a Relevant Answer

Try the following:

• Ask a clear and specific question.
• Specify which part of the ticket the Assist Agent should review.
• Confirm that the relevant information is available in the ticket.
• Confirm that the required knowledge sources and tools are configured.
• Review the selected Assist Agent’s instructions.

Draft Does Not Generate the Expected Response

Review the selected Assist Agent’s instructions, knowledge sources, tools, and available ticket context.

Provide a more specific drafting request that includes:

• The purpose of the response.
• The expected tone.
• The information that should be included.
• Any required next steps.
• Information that should not be included.

Always review the generated draft before sending it to the customer.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why do I need a custom Assist Agent?

   • A specialized Assist Agent can use its configured instructions, knowledge sources, and MCP tools to assist agents using the correct business context and data sources. This allows the Assist Agent to retrieve relevant information from connected systems and provide more accurate recommendations, answers, and draft responses.
   • The default Assist Agent relies on the available ticket context and configured knowledge bases only. It cannot retrieve information from MCP tools or external systems unless a specialised AI Agent with the appropriate MCP configuration is assigned through an AI Agent Assignment rule.

2. What does a Assist Agent do in BoldDesk?
   A Assist Agent provides support agents with AI-powered Summarize, Ask, and Draft assistance within a ticket.

3. Does the Assist Agent respond directly to customers?
   No. The Assist Agent assists the support agent. The support agent must review and send the final customer response.

4. Can I assign a specialised Assist Agent to specific tickets?
   Yes. Create an AI Agent Assignment rule with conditions that identify the relevant tickets, and then select the specialised AI Agent under Choose AI Agent.

5. Can different assignment rules use different Assist Agents?
   Yes. You can configure separate rules with different ticket conditions and selected Assist Agents.

6. Why was the default Assist Agent assigned?
   The default Assist Agent is assigned automatically when no AI Agent is selected under Choose AI Agent.

Related Articles

1. How to Configure AI Agent Assignment Rules in BoldDesk
2. How to Create and Manage AI 2.0 Agent in BoldDesk