Agents Usage Tips and Best Practices#

This guide provides practical tips and best practices for getting the most out of your interactions with Mattermost Agents.

Voice dictation integration#

Enable your operating system’s voice dictation or speech recognition tools for hands-free communication with Agents.

Windows#

  1. Start a direct message chat with Agents, and ensure your cursor is in the Mattermost message text box.

  2. Ensure your microphone is connected and working.

  3. Activate Microsoft Voice Typing by pressing the Windows key + H to open the voice typing tool.

  4. Start talking! Windows transforms your voice into text within Mattermost.

macOS#

  1. Navigate to System Settings > Keyboard > Dictation to enable dictation.

    • Ensure the Microphone source is set correctly.

    • Specify the shortcut key you want to use to turn dictation on and off.

  2. Start a direct message chat with Agents, and ensure your cursor is in the Mattermost message text box.

  3. Turn dictation on with the shortcut key you configured, and then start talking! macOS transforms your voice into text within Mattermost.

Linux#

You’ll need an open-source speech recognition tool for Linux, such as Simon, SpeechControl, or Julius. Once you have a speech recognition tool installed and working, enable it, start a direct message with Agents, and start talking.

Best practices for AI interaction#

When working with AI technology like Agents, it’s important to understand that the process is often iterative. Using an iterative approach ensures that you leverage Agents to complement your work, leading to higher quality results. Here are some tips for being more effective with Agents.

Avoid a one-and-done mindset#

Don’t assume that the first output from Agents will be perfect. Instead, review and refine the content to ensure it meets your standards and needs. You can prompt for corrections like “In the second section, remove mention of widgets”.

Alternatively, use voice memos to prompt for corrections such as “make edits like “Remove Section 3” or “Switch Section 3 with Section 5”. Reduce unnecessary words by saying “Remove unnecessary phrases to make this more concise,” or shorten statements with “Condense this into a single paragraph”.

Use AI as a tool, not a replacement#

Treat the outputs generated by Agents as initial drafts. Agents can help you enhance your writing and analysis, not replace your own skills and judgment. Think of Agents as your high-tech assistant that can provide suggestions and help you brainstorm.

Iterate for quality#

Go through multiple rounds of revisions to catch errors, improve clarity, and refine the content to better align with your goals. By continually reviewing and tweaking the outputs, you’ll end up with more polished and accurate content, and maximize the value of Agents by producing professional-grade results.

Effective prompting techniques#

Be specific and clear#

The more specific your requests, the better Agents can assist you. Instead of asking “Help me with this document,” try “Review this meeting summary and identify any action items that need follow-up”.

Provide context#

When asking Agents to analyze or work with content, provide relevant background information. This helps the AI understand the purpose and deliver more targeted assistance.

Use follow-up questions#

Take advantage of Agents’ context memory by asking follow-up questions. If you’re working on a project, you can build on previous conversations to refine and improve your work.

Request different perspectives#

Ask Agents to approach problems from different angles or consider various stakeholder viewpoints to get more comprehensive insights.

Workflow integration tips#

Start small#

Begin with simple tasks like summarizing threads or asking basic questions, then gradually incorporate more complex workflows as you become comfortable with the tool.

Combine features#

Use multiple Agents features together. For example, search for relevant past discussions, summarize the findings, and then ask Agents to help you synthesize the information into actionable insights.

Document your learnings#

Keep track of particularly effective prompts or workflows that work well for your team’s needs. This helps establish consistent practices across your organization.