Which questions should an AI operator ask: how to choose and word them
Sado AI team · · 4 min read
In short
An AI operator should ask only what your staff need for the next step: usually 3–5 questions. First write down the next step (book a trial lesson, call back with a price, send a measurer), then list what the staff member needs to know for it. Each question becomes a field filled in on the request card and in the CRM. Answer the caller’s own question first, and don’t ask again what they’ve already said. After a week, see which fields stay empty and fix those questions.
Choose questions from the next step
Many companies build the list from “what would be nice to know”, and the operator ends up interrogating the caller. Work the other way round: first write down what happens after the call, then list what that takes.
For example, at Ilm yo‘li, an English school, the next step is booking a trial lesson. For that the administrator needs five things: who it’s for, level, branch, convenient time and a name. “How did you hear about us?” helps marketing but isn’t essential.
One question, one field
| Field | How the operator asks | Who needs it |
|---|---|---|
| Who it’s for | “Is it for you or for your child?” | Administrator, to pick a group |
| Level | “Have you studied before, or starting from zero?” | Teacher |
| Branch | “Is the Chilanzar branch better for you, or Yunusabad?” | Administrator |
| Convenient time | “Daytime or evening?” | Whoever makes the timetable |
| Name | “Thank you, may I have your name?” | Everyone |
| How they heard (optional) | “How did you hear about us?” | Marketing |
Each answer is kept as a separate field on the request card in the portal, and in the CRM if Bitrix24 is connected. One test for every question: “Who uses this answer, and for what?” If there’s no answer, drop the question.
How to word a question: five rules
- One thing per question. Bad: “Your name, age and which branch?” Good: one at a time.
- Offer two options: “Daytime or evening?” gets an answer faster than “When suits you?”.
- Answer the caller’s question first, then ask yours.
- Don’t ask again for something the caller has already said.
- On an incoming call the number is visible: don’t ask for it, just confirm “Can we call you back on this number?”.
When the caller says it all up front
Sado: Assalomu alaykum, Ilm yo‘li education centre, this is Malika, I’m listening.
Caller: I need English lessons for my daughter. She’s twelve, somewhere near Chilanzar.
Sado: We have a branch in Chilanzar with a children’s group. Has your daughter studied English before?
Caller: A little at school.
Sado: I see. I’ll book a trial lesson. Daytime or evening, which suits you?
Caller: Evening, after school.
Sado: There’s a trial lesson on Thursday at five. Thank you, may I have your daughter’s name?
The operator didn’t ask again “who for”, “age” or “branch”: the caller had already said them. Those fields are taken from the conversation itself.
Check after one week
- Open 20–30 requests under Requests in the portal and look at every field.
- A field that is empty on many requests means the question is awkward or unnecessary. Reword it or remove it.
- Ask your staff: which missing answer made them call a customer back? Add that question.
- Read the transcripts of the longest calls: is the operator asking too much?
How questions are set up in Sado
We enter the questions with you when we set up the operator. It asks them in the caller’s language, Uzbek or Russian, and writes the answers to the portal and your CRM. Callers who said they’re ready to buy show up in the portal as good leads. How it works on incoming calls: AI operator for incoming calls.
You pay only for talked minutes: 800 so‘m a minute. Hear how the questions sound: try it live.
Questions
How many questions should an AI operator ask?
Usually 3–5 are enough. For each, ask “Who uses this answer, and for what?” If nobody does, remove the question.
What if the caller doesn’t answer a question?
The field stays empty and the conversation goes on. If many callers skip the same question, reword it or remove it.
Can the questions be changed later?
Yes: the questions live in the operator settings, so you add new ones and remove the ones you don’t need. The Sado team helps too. More answers: Sado FAQ.