A customer-support assistant sits between changing store facts and a shopper who expects a clear answer. That makes the design problem closer to knowledge operations than to prompt writing.
This article applies that discipline to pre-purchase support. The practical goal is: Cover product fit, compatibility, materials, care, shipping, and explicit uncertainty. The same method is useful whether the first implementation is a spreadsheet, an internal tool, or an AI-assisted support product.
Define the support contract first
Start by turning pre-purchase support into a contract that a merchant, support lead, and developer can all inspect. Name the customer question being handled, the facts required to answer it, the conditions that modify the answer, and the point where information alone is not enough. Cover product fit, compatibility, materials, care, shipping, and explicit uncertainty.
The contract should distinguish an informational reply from an operational resolution. An assistant may be able to explain a store policy while still being unable to approve an exception, change an order, or make a judgment about an unusual case. Keeping that distinction visible prevents a fluent reply from being mistaken for completed support work.
