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The progressive prompt method

How to build up an Insights Agent conversation in layers to get accurate, meeting-ready numbers.

The Insights Agent works best when you build the conversation in layers. One question rarely gets you to the insight; a few focused follow-ups usually do. We call it the progressive prompt method — and the Agent helps by suggesting the next question for you.

The four steps

  1. Baseline. Start with the top-level number across your portfolio.
    ​"What revenue has been attributed to broadcasts?"

  2. Segment. Narrow to a property, segment, or channel.
    ​"Now show me the same number for Returners only."

  3. Cross-dimension. Combine two data points to see how they relate.
    ​"How does broadcast revenue from Returners compare with their original booking source?"

  4. Business implication. Ask the question that decides your next move.
    ​"Does this mean we should focus on winning back specific OTA channels?"

The Agent won't make the decision for you — but the data will point the way.

Let the Agent suggest the next step

After each answer, the Agent proposes follow-up questions — for example, "Which broadcasts had the highest revenue in the last 12 months?" or "How has broadcast-attributed revenue trended over time?" Click one to go a layer deeper without retyping. This is the progressive method built into the product: each click narrows the question.

What an answer looks like

For each question, the Agent:

  • shows its working — the data topics it looked up and the query it built;

  • returns a data table and a chart; and

  • writes a short summary with key highlights and patterns.

Why narrowing matters (row limits)

Broad questions can return a sample rather than the full dataset. When that happens, the Agent flags it — for example: "the results are based on a sample… the query hit the row limit… the figures reflect what's visible, not the full total." Each query reads up to about 1,000 rows. A narrower question stays within that limit and returns a complete, defensible number — which is why the four-step method gives you figures you can take into a meeting, while "how are we doing on marketing?" gives you a vague, and possibly partial, answer.

A real example

A multi-property group used the Insights Agent on their own, with no help from Bookboost. In three prompts, they found that 20% of OTA bookers who returned switched to a direct channel on their second booking — enough to justify a loyalty and OTA win-back campaign, with the opportunity confirmed before they spent budget designing it.

If an answer looks wrong

Rephrase or narrow the question — often a clearer metric name, a tighter timeframe, or a smaller scope is all it takes (and it avoids the sampling above). Use the thumbs-down on an answer to flag it. If a chart looks structurally wrong, raise a support ticket — see Getting support for Insights.

Need help?

Contact us through the Talk to Us option on the left menu in the platform, or email support@bookboost.io.

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