Start from the version the customer actually accepted. The agent finds it, quotes the clause that answers the question, and explains it using plain-language summaries your legal team has approved. It does not say whether a clause is fair, whether the firm will enforce it, or how it applies to a dispute. Those go to a person.
What is the process, and who owns it?
Terms and conditions are the contract between the firm and its customer. Customers rarely read them at sign-up and often need them later. Can I cancel without a fee? What happens to my account if I move abroad? Can you change my interest rate? Who is liable if someone uses my card? The answers are in the text, but the text is long, legal in style and changes over time.
Legal owns the terms and their versions. Product owns the plain-language summaries, approved by legal and compliance. Customer support owns the conversation. Complaints owns disputes about how a clause was applied. The agent explains and quotes; it does not interpret, which is the limit our guide to the AI support agent that knows when to say no sets for any answer with legal weight.
What are the steps, and who acts at each one?
- Agent, depth 1: identifies the customer's version. The acceptance record shows which terms they agreed to, and any change notices sent since. Prospects get the current published version.
- Agent, depth 1: finds the clause or clauses that answer the question, including definitions the clause relies on.
- Agent, depth 3: quotes and explains. The clause number and text, then the approved plain-language summary if one exists. Where no summary exists, a short explanation that stays close to the words.
- Agent, depth 3: points out pending changes. If a change has been notified but not yet taken effect, the agent says what applies now and what will apply from the change date.
- Agent, depth 1: recognises interpretation questions. "Is that legal?", "Does this clause cover my situation?", "Will you actually charge me?" These need a person.
- Agent, depth 2: drafts the referral with the clause, the customer's question and the context, for the right team.
- Person, specialist or complaints handler: answers interpretation questions and handles disputes.
- Person, legal: maintains summaries and approves any new one the agent's logged questions suggest is needed.
| Step | The agent does | Depth | Stays with a person |
|---|---|---|---|
| Version | Finds accepted version and notices | 1 | Nothing |
| Clause | Finds clause and definitions | 1 | Nothing |
| Explain | Quotes and summarises | 3 | Approving summaries |
| Changes | States what applies when | 3 | Nothing |
| Recognise | Spots interpretation questions | 1 | Nothing |
| Refer | Drafts referral | 2 | Specialist answers |
| Summaries | Logs frequent questions | 1 | Legal writes summaries |
Which controls matter, and what evidence does each leave?
The accepted version, not the latest. Evidence: the version from the acceptance record cited in each answer.
Quote before summary. The customer sees the actual words, then the explanation. Evidence: clause text stored with each answer.
Approved summaries only, where they exist. Evidence: summary version cited.
No statements about enforcement or fairness. "We don't usually apply that" binds the firm in ways nobody approved. Certification tests the agent against such prompts. Evidence: scope-gate and refusal-gate results.
Disputes leave the agent. Evidence: routing records to complaints.
What should you measure?
- Questions answered with a quoted clause, by topic.
- Interpretation questions referred, and what they were about.
- Questions with no approved summary, which tell legal where plain language is most needed.
- Complaints that cite something the agent said about terms. Each is reviewed.
- Answers given from the wrong version, found by sampling.
Where does it usually go wrong?
The latest version is quoted to everyone. Customers who joined years ago may still be on old terms for some products. The acceptance record decides.
Definitions are skipped. A clause about "business days" or "authorised payments" means little without its definition. Quote both, and say where in the document the definition sits so the customer can check it.
Explanations soften the text. "You can usually cancel any time" is not what "may be cancelled on 30 days' notice subject to clause 12" says. Keep explanation close to the words.
Terms are used to win arguments. A customer complaining about a fee is quoted the clause that allows it, and the conversation ends there. Quoting a clause does not resolve a complaint.
Help centre and terms disagree. The terms prevail, and the conflict is logged; answering product questions from the help centre with an AI agent describes how to raise it with article owners. Fees work the same way: the tariff and the terms should match, as in answering questions about fees and charges with an AI agent.
Governing law and language are ignored. Firms operating in several countries may have different terms, or a version in several languages where one prevails. The agent must say which applies.
Where Pryme fits
In Pryme, the terms library is a sealed source with every version kept, and the customer's acceptance record tells the agent which one to read. The agent's role scope includes quoting and explaining but not interpreting, so a request to say how a clause applies to a dispute is refused and routed, and the verdict is filed.
Questions people ask
Can the agent tell a customer that a clause is unfair?
No. Fairness is a legal question, and the firm's view on it is for legal and complaints, not the agent. It can record the customer's concern and pass it on.
What if the customer's question is about a bill rather than the terms?
Answer the billing part from the bill and quote the clause that allows the charge. Can an AI agent answer questions about a customer's bill? covers the billing side.
Should the agent send the full terms document?
Where the customer asks, yes, the version they accepted. Linking to the current version alone can mislead customers who are not on it. For simple factual questions, the clause is usually enough, much like the single fact behind an order status answer.