Corthex · Returns / policy into practice
Explain the return policy. Don’t invent the return.
Your assistant can explain a documented rule. That does not mean it has approved a return, generated a label or issued a refund.
Review three requestsOriginal conceptual illustration · no customer or product evidenceStart with one authoritative policy
Make the conditions explicit before you automate the answer.
Collect the policy your team has approved: which products it covers, when the period starts, what condition an item must be in, how the customer begins a request and who handles exceptions. Keep it separate from marketing copy that says returns are easy. An assistant needs the actual conditions to explain the next step without turning an encouraging slogan into a promise.
Give this source an owner and a review date. If your Help Center, PDF and checkout page disagree, resolve the conflict before asking the model to choose. A prompt saying “use our policy” cannot repair two contradictory policies. When a rule changes, update or remove the old source and re-run the examples that depend on that rule.
Fictional policy excerpt
Example Store · Return instructions
Unused standard items may be returned within 30 days in their original packaging.
Contact our team before shipping an item that arrived damaged.
Use the return instructions supplied by the store to begin your request.
Fictional material for answer testing. Replace it with your own reviewed policy; this example does not define your store’s terms.Give the condition and the next step together.
A visitor rarely asks for a policy summary in the abstract. They want to know what to do with a particular item. Start by identifying the relevant condition from the approved source. If the source distinguishes unused standard items from other products, preserve that distinction in the answer. Ask one useful clarifying question when the product type or situation is missing. Do not guess the answer simply because most requests follow the common path.
Then explain the documented route: where the customer finds the instructions, what information the team actually needs and what can happen next. Use a source reference where available so the visitor can inspect the full wording. Keep a general policy explanation separate from a decision about a private order. That decision may need verified identity, additional context and a person authorized to approve the exception.
A missing exception is not an invitation to improvise.
Test made-to-measure products, partial deliveries, damage and conflicting dates deliberately. If the approved source says nothing about a situation, the assistant should identify that gap. It can explain what the source does cover and offer support for the unresolved part. It must not invent a special product exclusion, a shipping fee or a deadline. A confident answer that cannot be traced to your approved information is a knowledge issue to fix, not a style improvement.
Route the gap back to the policy owner. Record the fictional question, expected behavior and source that needs clarification. This gives you a small regression set for the next policy update. If staff handoff is used, test both available and unavailable staff. An offline follow-up request is useful only when the visitor understands what will happen; do not imply that a person is already responding.
Explaining is not approving, booking or refunding.
A natural-language reply does not create a return case in another system. Only a supported, configured integration can perform its documented action, and the visitor should know when an actual change is being proposed. Keep consent and the resulting confirmation tied to the operation that really happened. A generic website embed cannot grant itself access to order administration or a returns platform.
Corthex’s PrestaShop Webservice connection is read-only. Its native WooCommerce connection has specific enabled tools, not a universal returns automation promise. If your required action is unavailable, the correct workflow may be a clear explanation and handoff. Assess the operational system separately before promising label generation, cancellation or a refund date to a shopper.
Rehearse before publishing
See how the source changes the answer.
Answer rehearsal · Local rules, no AI call
The example policy describes unused standard items within 30 days. Explain those conditions, then point to the store’s return instructions. Do not claim a return or refund has been created.
Five questions for your own policy
- Can an unused standard item be returned, and which exact conditions apply?
- What does the source say about a made-to-measure item?
- What should someone do when an item arrives damaged?
- What happens when two uploaded policies disagree?
- What does the assistant say when no policy source can be found?
Review the source, answer, missing facts and next action for each question. A good result may be a clarifying question or a referral, not a confident yes. Save your expected answers with a reviewer and repeat them after changing the policy or assistant configuration.