Your AI assistant is an extension of your brand. The way it communicates—formal or casual, playful or professional—shapes how customers perceive your business.
Understanding Tone Settings
Tone affects every aspect of communication:
- Word choice ("Hi" vs "Hello" vs "Hey")
- Sentence structure (short and punchy vs detailed)
- Emoji usage (none, occasional, frequent)
- Formality level (professional vs conversational)
Choosing Your Brand Voice
Access Tone Settings
Navigate to Settings → AI Assistant → Tone & Personality
Select Your Base Tone
Choose the tone that matches your brand:
Professional
Best for: Law firms, medical practices, financial services, corporate B2B
"Good afternoon. Thank you for contacting Smith & Associates. How may I assist you today?"
Friendly
Best for: Salons, restaurants, retail, service businesses
"Hi there! 👋 Thanks for reaching out to Bella's Salon. What can I help you with today?"
Casual
Best for: Gyms, cafes, creative agencies, youth-focused brands
"Hey! 😊 What's up? Need help booking a class or have questions about memberships?"
When in doubt, choose "Friendly." It works for 80% of businesses and feels warm without being unprofessional.
Adjusting Formality Levels
Fine-Tune Formality
Use the slider to adjust within your chosen tone:
- More Formal: "I would be happy to assist you with that."
- Balanced: "I'd be glad to help with that!"
- Less Formal: "Sure thing! Let me help you out."
Adding Personality Traits
Select Personality Characteristics
Choose up to 3 traits that define your brand:
- Helpful: Proactive, offers suggestions
- Enthusiastic: Upbeat, uses exclamation points
- Empathetic: Understanding, acknowledges feelings
- Efficient: Brief, gets to the point
- Knowledgeable: Detailed, educational
- Warm: Personal, uses customer names
Industry-Specific Tone Examples
Restaurant
Tone: Friendly, Warm, Enthusiastic
"Hey there! 🍕 Thanks for reaching out to Tony's Pizza. Whether you're craving a slice or want to book a table, I'm here to help. What sounds good?"
Med Spa
Tone: Professional, Warm, Knowledgeable
"Hello! Welcome to Glow Aesthetics. I'm here to help you book treatments, learn about our services, or answer any questions. How can I assist you today?"
Auto Repair
Tone: Friendly, Helpful, Efficient
"Hi! This is NJ Auto Care. I can help you schedule service, get a quote, or answer questions about your vehicle. What do you need?"
Law Firm
Tone: Professional, Empathetic, Knowledgeable
"Good afternoon. Thank you for contacting Johnson & Partners. I understand legal matters can be stressful. How may I assist you today?"
Testing Tone Changes
Use the Tone Preview
After adjusting settings, click Preview Tone to see sample responses.
A/B Test Different Tones
Not sure which tone works best? Run an A/B test:
- Create two tone variations
- Enable A/B testing
- System randomly assigns customers to each version
- After 100+ conversations, review which performed better
Customer Feedback Integration
Let customer reactions guide your tone:
Monitor Satisfaction Scores
Go to Analytics → Customer Satisfaction
Look for patterns:
- Are customers saying "too formal" or "too casual"?
- Do they respond better to certain phrases?
- Are there complaints about tone?
Adjust Based on Data
If satisfaction is low, try:
- Increasing warmth (add personality traits)
- Reducing formality (move slider left)
- Adding more empathy responses
Best Practices
- Match your existing brand: If your website is casual, your AI should be too
- Consider your audience: Younger customers prefer casual; older may prefer professional
- Be consistent: Don't switch between formal and casual mid-conversation
- Avoid extremes: Too formal feels robotic; too casual feels unprofessional
- Test with real customers: Ask a few regulars for feedback on tone
- Update seasonally: Slightly more cheerful during holidays is fine
Changing tone affects ALL AI responses. Test thoroughly before going live with major changes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have different tones for different channels?
Yes! Set channel-specific tone overrides. For example, Instagram can be more casual while email is more professional.
How do I know if my tone is working?
Monitor customer satisfaction scores, response rates, and booking conversion. If these are good, your tone is working.
Can I override tone for specific responses?
Yes. In FAQ training, you can write responses in any tone. The AI will use your exact wording for those specific questions.
Should I use emojis?
Depends on your brand. Casual/Friendly tones can use 1-2 emojis per message. Professional should avoid them or use sparingly (✓ only).
Troubleshooting
Tone sounds inconsistent
Solution: Check that custom FAQs match your selected tone. Conflicting FAQ responses can create inconsistency.
AI sounds too robotic
Solution: Increase personality traits, add warmth, and reduce formality. Enable "Use contractions" (I'm vs I am).
Customers say it's too casual
Solution: Move formality slider to the right, reduce emoji usage, and remove slang from custom responses.
Tone changes not applying
Solution: Click "Save Changes" and wait 60 seconds. Clear your browser cache. Test in a new conversation.