Creating a Customer Support GPT

Time to build your first business GPT. We'll create a Customer Support GPT that answers common questions, follows your policies, and drafts professional responses — all in your brand voice.

Step 1: Open the GPT Builder

1. Go to chatgpt.com
2. Click Explore GPTs in the sidebar
3. Click Create in the top right
4. Switch to the Configure tab for full control

Step 2: Set the Name and Description

Give your GPT a clear, professional identity:

• Name: [Your Company] Support Assistant
• Description: Answers customer questions about [your products/services], handles common support requests, and drafts professional responses following our support guidelines.

Keep the description under 300 characters. It should tell users exactly what this GPT does.

Step 3: Write the Instructions

This is where the real work happens. Here's a complete template for a Customer Support GPT:

Step 4: Add Your Knowledge Files

Upload the documents that contain your business knowledge. For a Customer Support GPT, the most valuable files are:

File Type	What to Include	Format Tips
FAQ Document	Top 20-50 customer questions with answers	Use Q&A format with clear headings
Product Guide	Features, pricing, how-to instructions	Organize by product/feature
Support Policies	Refund rules, SLAs, warranty terms	Use numbered policies
Troubleshooting Guide	Common issues and step-by-step fixes	Use problem/solution pairs

How to Upload

1. In the Configure tab, scroll to Knowledge
2. Click Upload files
3. Select your documents (PDF, DOCX, TXT, or CSV all work)
4. You can upload up to 20 files with a total size of 512 MB

Writing Effective Knowledge Files

If you don't have existing documentation, create a simple FAQ file:

Step 5: Configure Conversation Starters

Set up four conversation starters that reflect common support scenarios:

These starters show your team the types of questions this GPT handles best.

Step 6: Set Capabilities

For a Customer Support GPT, configure these capabilities:

Capability	Recommended Setting	Why
Web Browsing	Off	Support answers should come from your docs, not the internet
DALL-E Image Generation	Off	Not needed for support responses
Code Interpreter	Off	Not needed unless you handle technical/data queries

Keeping capabilities focused prevents the GPT from going off-topic.

Step 7: Test Your GPT

Before sharing with your team, test with these scenarios:

1. A common question: Does it answer accurately from your knowledge files?
2. An edge case: Does it correctly flag that it needs to escalate?
3. A frustrated customer: Does it respond with empathy?
4. An off-topic request: Does it stay within its boundaries?

Refine your instructions based on what you observe during testing.

Key Takeaway

A great Customer Support GPT combines clear instructions, your actual business knowledge, and well-defined boundaries. The template above gives you a production-ready starting point — customize the company name, policies, and tone to match your business. In the next lesson, we'll build a Knowledge Base GPT that helps your internal team.