# Rules

Rules let you control your receptionist's behavior beyond its default capabilities. Each rule is a natural language instruction that your receptionist follows during calls. You can have up to **50 rules** per receptionist.

## Rule priority

Each rule has a priority level that controls how strictly your receptionist follows it:

| Priority       | Behavior                                                                                 |
| -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Strict**     | The receptionist must always follow this rule, no exceptions                             |
| **Suggestion** | The receptionist treats this as guidance but may deviate if the conversation requires it |

Use strict for hard business rules (pricing, legal requirements, safety). Use suggestion for stylistic preferences and soft guidelines.

## Example rules

| Priority   | Title                    | Description                                                                                          |
| ---------- | ------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Strict     | No medical advice        | Never provide medical advice. Always recommend the caller schedule an appointment with a specialist. |
| Strict     | Confirm phone number     | Always confirm the caller's phone number before booking any appointment.                             |
| Suggestion | Mention discount         | When booking a first appointment, mention our 20% new client discount.                               |
| Suggestion | After-hours greeting     | If someone calls outside business hours, let them know our hours and offer to take a message.        |
| Strict     | No competitor discussion | Never discuss competitor products, pricing, or services.                                             |
| Suggestion | Upsell add-ons           | When booking a haircut, suggest adding a conditioning treatment.                                     |

## Best practices

- Use **strict** sparingly — only for non-negotiable business rules
- Keep descriptions specific and actionable
- Test after adding rules to verify they work as expected
- Fewer focused rules work better than many vague ones

## Related pages

- [Administration](./administration-index.md)
- [API reference](./api-reference-index.md)
- [Changelog](./changelog-index.md)
- [ElevenAgents](./elevenagents-index.md)
- [ElevenAPI](./elevenapi-index.md)
- [ElevenCreative](./elevencreative-index.md)
- [ElevenLabs Documentation Docs](../index.md)
- [General Troubleshooting FAQ](./troubleshooting-index.md)
- [General Website FAQ](./website-index.md)
- [Help Center](./help-center-2-index.md)

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