> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://hiremav-mintlify-ea14cb07.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Configuring a Mav.next Agent: Conversation Instructions and Cadence

> Customize how a Mav.next agent sounds and behaves — layer in your own conversation instructions, tune the re-engagement cadence, choose the default outbound channel, and duplicate agents.

Each agent ships with sensible defaults, but you can tune how it presents your brand and behaves. Open an agent from **Agents** to edit these settings.

## Conversation Instructions

**Conversation Instructions** are your account's own rules for how the agent should talk — tone, what to emphasize, do's and don'ts. They sit on top of the agent's built-in qualification flow rather than replacing it: the agent still asks the right questions in the right order, but the way it sounds and what it emphasizes is shaped by what you write here.

The same instructions apply everywhere the agent speaks:

* **SMS and voice** — the rules shape both channels, so a texting lead and a calling lead get the same brand voice.
* **First-touch and re-engagement** — the rules apply to the opening conversation and to any follow-up nudges when a contact goes quiet.

Leave the field blank to use the agent's default voice.

<Tip>
  Keep Conversation Instructions short and specific. The agent already knows how to qualify a lead — use this field to add the things that are unique to *your* business (a phrase to lead with, a competitor to stay graceful about, a topic to route to a human instead of answering).
</Tip>

Example:

```text theme={null}
Lead with empathy and keep texts short. Never quote a price — route pricing
questions to a licensed agent. If they mention a competitor, stay helpful,
not defensive.
```

## Re-engagement cadence

How persistently the agent follows up with contacts who go quiet is controlled by its re-engagement settings. The field is pre-filled with a sensible default; you can override it to make follow-ups more or less aggressive. See [Re-engagement](/mav-next/re-engagement).

## Default outbound channel

Each agent has a default channel it uses to start outbound conversations (typically SMS). Inbound conversations always continue on whichever channel the contact used to reach you.

## Duplicating an agent

Need a variation — say, a different team or campaign with its own voice? **Duplicate** an existing agent to copy its configuration, then adjust the Conversation Instructions and cadence on the copy.

<Note>
  After changing Conversation Instructions or the cadence, use [Send a test](/mav-next/testing-an-agent) to hear the difference before your next live lead arrives.
</Note>