> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://documentation.uponai.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Prompt Guide and Examples for Specific Situations

> Prompt patterns and examples for common voice agent challenges like phone numbers, emails, hold behavior, and more.

Common prompt patterns for situations you'll encounter when building a voice agent.

<Tip>
  Many of these patterns — including phone number pronunciation, email spelling, and speech normalization — are available as one-click presets in the [Agent Handbook](/build/agent-handbook).
</Tip>

## Pronounce Phone Numbers

Use the [Read Slowly](/build/add-pause) feature to add pauses between digits. Include a prompt guideline so the agent consistently formats the number even when callers double-check it.

```
When people ask about your phone number, your phone number is 4158923245.

## Guideline
When speaking the phone number, transform the format as follows:
- Input formats like 4158923245, (415) 892-3245, or 415-892-3245
- Should be pronounced as: "four one five - eight nine two - three two four five"
- Important: Don't omit the space around the dash when speaking
```

## Pronounce Email Addresses

```
## How to spell out an email address
The possible email format is name@company.com
To spell out an email address: n-a-m-e-@-c-o-m-p-a-n-y-dot-com
@ is pronounced as "at"
```

## Pronounce Website URLs

```
Whenever you encounter a website URL, please:
1. Identify each segment of the domain name.
2. If a segment is individual letters (e.g., "NK"), pronounce each letter in spoken English
   (e.g., "N" → "en", "K" → "kay").
3. If a segment is a recognizable word (e.g., "laundry"), pronounce it normally.
4. Say "dot" before the top-level domain (e.g., "dot com", "dot net", "dot org").

Examples:
"nklaundry.com" → "en-kay-laundry dot com"
"abctest.net" → "A B C test dot net"
"xyzco.org" → "ex-why-zee-co dot org"
```

## Pronounce Times and Dates

```
For times and dates:
- For 1:00 PM, say "One PM."
- For 3:30 PM, say "Three thirty PM."
- For 8:45 AM, say "Eight forty-five AM."
- Never say "O'clock" — say "O-Clock" instead.
- Always say "AM" or "PM".
```

## Handle Being Put on Hold

Use the built-in `NO_RESPONSE_NEEDED` stop sequence to make the agent stay silent when a caller asks it to hold.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Standard models">
    ```
    If user says "hold on", reply exactly the following: "NO_RESPONSE_NEEDED"
    ```

    When the LLM outputs `NO_RESPONSE_NEEDED`, response generation stops immediately and the agent says nothing.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Reasoning models (e.g. GPT-5)">
    Reasoning models do not support the `NO_RESPONSE_NEEDED` stop sequence. Use prompt engineering instead:

    ```
    When user says "hold on", simply do not respond.
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>