Custom skills let your AI agent take actions, not just answer. You describe what should happen in plain language, and Text builds the workflow: tag the chat, create a ticket, transfer to a team or send a transcript.
Last updated: October 17, 2026. Menus and button names can change, so if something looks different, look for the closest matching option.
Best for: Teams that want the AI to take actions
Starting price: Essential $19/user/month (billed yearly)
Before you start
- Create any tags you will use in Settings → Tags
- Know which team should receive transferred chats
- Write down the exact situation that should trigger the skill
Actions you can use
| Group | Actions |
|---|---|
| Built-in | Send message, Collect details |
| Customers | Get customer data, Update customer, Add customer event |
| Chats | Transfer, Tag, Get or send transcript, Supervise, Close, Get chat details or report |
| Tickets | Create, Find, Update, Send message, Add followers, Tag, Summarize |
| General | Match agent, Detect language |
Step-by-step: build a custom skill
Step 1: Open Skills
Go to Team → AI agents → Skills.
Step 2: Start from a template or a prompt
Click + next to a template in Skill examples, or describe the skill in one or two sentences: what starts it, what it should do and the result you want.
Step 3: Review the generated steps
The builder turns your description into steps. Check the skill name, the prompt and each action. Remove steps you do not need.
Step 4: Test in the preview
Use the preview on the right to run a sample conversation and confirm the skill triggers at the right moment, and only then.
Step 5: Save or activate
Click Save to keep a draft or Save & activate to go live.
Step 6: Check Runs
Open Runs (top right of the editor) to see each time the skill triggered, in which chat and which steps ran. Refine the prompt if it fires too often or too rarely.
5 custom skill ideas (copy the prompt)
- Order status: “When a customer asks where their order is, collect the order number or email, then share the status. If it is late, create a ticket tagged delivery.”
- After-hours lead capture: “After 5 PM local time, if someone asks about pricing, collect name and email and create a ticket tagged sales-lead.”
- Language routing: “If the customer writes in Spanish, transfer the chat to the Spanish team.”
- Demo booking: “After two or more product questions, offer a demo and create a ticket tagged demo-request.”
- Abuse protection: “If a message contains abusive language, close the chat politely and tag it abuse.”
Start with one or two skills that cover your most common requests. Ten overlapping skills are harder to test than three clear ones.
More AI customer service guides
- How to Set Up the Text AI Agent (Step-by-Step)
- How to Train an AI Agent on Your Website, Files and FAQs
- How to Write AI Agent Instructions (With Prompt Templates)
- How to Add the Text Chat Widget to Your Website or WordPress
- How to Connect the Text AI Agent to Shopify
- How to Set Up AI-to-Human Handoff in Text
- How to Offer Discount Codes in AI Chat to Save Sales
- How to Run Multiple AI Agents for Different Websites or Languages
- How to Measure and Improve Your AI Agent Resolution Rate
- Best AI Customer Service Agents for Small Businesses (2026)
- Text AI Agent Pricing 2026: Plans, AI Resolutions and Real Costs
- Text vs Tidio (2026): Which AI Chat Platform Is Better?
Frequently asked questions
How many custom skills can one AI agent have?
Up to 10 per AI agent, according to Text’s Help Center.
Do skills run in the preview?
The preview shows when a skill would trigger, but actions such as transfers and ticket creation only run in real chats.
Wrap-up
Create your tags, describe the skill in plain language, review the generated steps, test in preview, activate and watch Runs. Pair skills with clear instructions for the best results.
This guide is independent and is not sponsored by Text. Some links may be affiliate links, which never change our recommendations. See our Affiliate Disclosure.