Hire Outside The Box

FAQ

What is BYOS?

BYOS (Build Your Own System) is a platform that provides highly optimized, structured markdown templates designed to act as custom operating systems, personas, or workflows for advanced AI models. By using BYOS, you can transform standard AI interactions into precise, repeatable, and highly specialized systems.

What are "markdowns" and how do they work?

Think of BYOS markdowns as a highly organized instruction manual for your AI. Instead of chatting casually, these files use a structured format to act as a specialized set of rules. This helps the AI understand exactly what you need and ensures it follows instructions consistently, giving you reliable results every time.

Is there a difference in output between a paid account and a free account?

Short answer: No, your core results are going to be fairly the same.

You do not need a premium AI subscription (like ChatGPT Plus, Gemini Pro, or Claude Pro) to get massive value out of your BYOS markdown. Whether you are on a paid or free tier, the system will still execute your workflows, enforce the rules, and give you the structured outcome you purchased.

The only real difference? The exact phrasing and how much usage you’ll get per session. Paid accounts run on slightly larger, more advanced models, meaning their output might sound a little bit more polished, creative, or deeply articulated. Paid accounts also allow you more usage per session, meaning, you’ll be able to work for longer periods on your AI tool before being prompted to wait until your usage quota refreshes. While free tiers work well for most uses, paid accounts (larger models, bigger memory, higher message limits) tend to produce more complete and consistent results, especially on long documents and the voice simulators.

How can I use BYOS markdowns to train and upskill my team?

There are many BYOS tools that are specifically designed for generating professional development docs and creating interactive training scenarios. With select BYOS components, you can use it to build dynamic training structures in several ways:

Utilize Training Document Generators: Components like the Follow Sheets Generator and the Train the Trainer Guide Generator can help you create fully customized training documents you can share and implement with your team.

One-on-One or Live Group Coaching: With components like the Guest Recovery Simulator, you can bring a team member or group of team members into your office, boot up your BYOS system, and run live interactive roleplays together. It serves as an objective, real-time coaching tool.

New Hire Onboarding: Use BYOS as a consistent, automated training assistant for new hires. It can systematically walk them through standard operating procedures, simulate customer situations, and grade their trial runs without pulling seasoned managers away from the floor.

How can we use BYOS to handle objections, complaints, and restaurant-specific issues?

You can use BYOS markdowns to systematically prepare your staff for the most common friction points in your business (such as guest objections, service complaints, or menu issues):

Generate Pre-Shift Meeting Material: Ask your BYOS system to output five distinct variations of a common objection (e.g., a guest complaining about wait times, cold food, or pricing). Print these out and use them to quiz your team during daily pre-shifts or huddles.

Deep-Dive Team Meetings: Bring the system's generated roleplay transcripts into your weekly or monthly team meetings. Review the most frequent complaints that happen in your restaurant, analyze the AI's "perfect responses," and practice those scripts live with your staff so they feel second-nature on the floor.

I downloaded the text file and put it in, but the AI isn't working. What went wrong?

Almost always, the file was attached but the starter message was never sent. The system waits for that message before it does anything.

The Fix: With your BYOS file attached in a new chat, include and send the exact start message shown in the “How to Use This File” section at the top of your markdown (for example, “Help me build my SOP.” or “Let’s practice guest recovery.”) Note that you should submit the uploaded component file and the starter phrase in the same message.

I pasted the markdown, but the AI is acting like its normal self. Did I miss a step?

Did you send the starter message? Each BYOS markdown begins when you send the specific starter phrase shown in its “How to Use This File” section. It is not a generic keyword and the AI will usually not begin working with the component unless you include the starter phrase along with the upload.

The Fix: Type the exact starter message for your system. For example, the Guest Recovery Simulator starts with “Let’s practice a guest recovery.” and the SOP Builder starts with “Help me build my SOP.” You’ll find the exact phrase at the top of your downloaded file. Be sure to upload the component file and add the starter phrase in the same submitted message.

Why is my AI ignoring some of the BYOS instructions after a long conversation?

LLMs can occasionally suffer from "attention dilution" or drift during long conversations. If your AI starts slipping out of character or ignoring rules, try the following:

Download the current file: Download the current file you’re working on with the AI (i.e., the Hospitality Guide you’re building). To do this, you can tell the AI: “Provide me the current complete file as is” and download the file to your computer.

Refresh the context: Start a fresh chat session, attach the BYOS file again, upload the existing file you downloaded in the previous step, enter the starter phrase (in the same message), and click submit.

Can I customize the markdown I purchased?

Absolutely! The markdowns are fully editable. We encourage you to tweak parameters, adjust constraints, or add your own custom background knowledge to fit your exact workflow. However, note that the original performance and outputs of components may vary after you make changes to them. If you would ever like to revert to the original version of a component, simply re-download the original purchased component(s) and use those original versions.

Will the BYOS markdowns be updated occasionally?

Absolutely. Major AI platforms update their models and how they interpret instructions all the time. Whenever OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google roll out a major change, we benchmark our entire library. We do not automatically provide you with new versions, so if you would like to obtain the updated version of a specific component, you will need to re-purchase and re-download the component.

Can I share my purchased BYOS markdowns with others?

Each purchase of a BYOS markdown is licensed to a single user. If you are part of a team or enterprise, please contact us about our multi-seat or enterprise licenses to legally share BYOS systems across your organization.