Locked answers
Word-for-word replies for questions where you cannot afford a paraphrase.
A locked answer is an exact reply attached to a set of trigger phrases. When a patient's message matches one, the assistant sends your text without calling the model at all.
This is the tool for anything where a paraphrase would be a problem: prices, refund policy, whether you accept a particular insurer, what your guarantee does and does not cover. No model call means no possibility of a reworded answer.
Writing one
- Give it a name you will recognise later, like "Price list".
- List the phrases that should trigger it — write how patients actually type, not how you would.
- Write the exact reply you want sent.
- Leave it active. An inactive answer falls through to the model.
Example
A price enquiry
- Name — Implant pricing
- Triggers — implant price, how much implant, implant cost, implant ne kadar, kac para implant
- Reply — "Implant treatment starts from X and the final price depends on an examination. We can book you a free consultation — would you like one?"
- The number is yours, exactly as written, every time.
Include the misspellings and the short forms, and write triggers in every language your patients use. Patients type "kac para" and "how much?", not "Could you tell me the price?".
Locked answers versus FAQ entries
| FAQ entry | Locked answer | |
|---|---|---|
| The assistant | Reads it and answers in its own words | Sends your words unchanged |
| Model called | Yes | No |
| Good for | Context, reassurance, practical detail | Numbers, policy, anything quotable |
| Risk if wrong | A clumsy sentence | A commitment you did not intend |
Keeping them true
A locked answer is the most trustworthy thing your assistant says and therefore the most damaging one to leave stale. When you change a price, this is the second place to change it.
Common questions
- What if two locked answers match?
- Keep triggers specific enough that they do not overlap. Two answers competing for "price" is a sign one of them should be narrower.
- Is the reply translated for a patient writing in another language?
- It is sent as you wrote it — that is what "locked" means. If you serve several languages, write a locked answer per language with triggers in each.