Checking the work · for customer support professionals
Checking AI output in customer support
AI writes replies that sound calm and complete. The errors that matter in support are rarely about grammar. They are a refund window stated as 30 days when the policy says 14, a menu path that does not exist, or a promise that engineering will call back. Each one creates a second ticket, and some create a commitment the company must honor.
Checking the work means reading each draft as a team lead reviews a new agent’s reply. You confirm every policy statement against the current policy. You confirm every product step against the product. You also confirm that the reply answers every question the customer asked.
Where it comes up
A drafted refund reply
Check the refund amount, the time limit, and the payment method against the account and the current policy. A reply that states a wrong amount commits the team to it in writing.
Troubleshooting steps in a reply
Follow each step in the product, or confirm it against current documentation. Models write steps that match how similar products work, which may not be how yours works.
Chatbot answers in a weekly review
Sample conversations the chatbot handled on its own and read them against the policy and the help center. Look for confident answers to questions the bot should have passed to a person.
What it looks like at each band
E1 · Foundational
Reads drafts for tone and typos, and catches obvious errors. Tends to trust policy statements and product steps that sound right. May send a reply without confirming the refund window or the menu path.
E2 · Proficient
Confirms policy statements, amounts, and dates against the source before sending. Checks product steps against documentation or the product. Removes any commitment the team has not approved.
E3 · Distinguished
Checks in proportion to risk: a shipping-status reply gets a read, a refund or account-closure reply gets line-by-line review. Checks what the draft left out, such as a second question the customer asked. Asks the model to list the statements it is least sure of, then verifies those first.
E4 · Exceptional
Sets the review standard for the team, such as which ticket types need a second reader and how chatbot answers are sampled. Can explain why a draft is wrong, not only that it is. Catches subtle errors, such as a correct policy applied to the wrong plan.
Common mistakes
Trusting a policy because the wording sounds official
Models produce policy language that reads like a real terms page. Compare every time limit, amount, and condition with your own policy text.
Checking only the part you asked about
If you asked for a reply about shipping, the draft will not mention the damaged item in the customer’s second paragraph. Reread the customer’s message after reading the draft.
Approving chatbot answers by volume
A high number of closed conversations does not mean the answers were right. Read a sample against the policy, including conversations the customer rated well.
A worked example
Reviewing an AI-drafted reply to a customer asking to return a damaged order.
Read the draft, soften one sentence, and send it. The draft tells the customer they have 30 days to return the item and that a replacement ships within 24 hours.
The return window may be wrong, and the 24-hour shipping promise may be invented. If either is wrong, the customer will hold the team to it, and the next agent inherits a broken promise.
Before editing, list every policy statement and commitment in the draft. The return policy for damaged items allows 14 days, so correct the window. Replacement shipping times are not fixed, so remove the 24-hour promise and say the team will email tracking when it ships. Confirm the order number and item match the account. Then edit for tone.
The agent separates checking from editing, tests every commitment against the source, and removes what the team cannot deliver. The customer receives a reply the team can stand behind.
The full study guide for this skill, for every role, is Checking the work. The other five skills for customer support professionals are on the AI skills for customer support professionals page. A one-page summary is in the AI fact-checking checklist.
See where you stand
The free check grades checking the work and the other five skills in about fifteen minutes. Nobody sees the grade but you.
Then build the skills and prove it. The three steps for customer support professionals list the courses and templates that fit the work.