Knowledge base overview
Quick answer
To improve your agent's answers:
- Open your agent and select Knowledge.
- Add files or FAQ entries.
- Review Couldn't answer for missed questions.
- Check an answer with Test a question.
Your agent is only as good as what it knows. The knowledge base is where you give it your real answers: price lists, menus, policies, opening hours and the questions customers ask most. During a call the agent searches this material and answers from it, rather than guessing.
Shared knowledge and agent knowledge
Type | Use it for | Where to manage it |
|---|---|---|
Shared knowledge | One library every agent uses, such as company policies and opening hours. | Agents › Knowledge base, or Knowledge › Shared knowledge on any agent. |
This agent's knowledge | Files only one agent uses, such as one branch's menu or one service's prices. | The agent's Knowledge tab › This agent's knowledge. |
The Knowledge pages
Open an agent and select Knowledge, then use the Knowledge pages menu:
- Overview: everything the agent can use.
- Shared knowledge: library files every agent uses.
- This agent's knowledge: files only this agent uses.
- FAQ entries: short answers the agent gives on calls.
- Couldn't answer: questions callers asked that it missed.
- Test a question: see how it would answer.
Add FAQ entries
FAQ entries are short question-and-answer pairs the agent can give without searching a document. They're ideal for things callers ask every day.
- Open the agent, select Knowledge and choose FAQ entries.
- Add a question as a caller would ask it, for example "Are you open on Sundays?"
- Write the answer in one or two spoken sentences.
- Mark it Shared if every agent should use it, then save.
Fix what the agent missed
- Select Couldn't answer to see questions callers asked that the agent couldn't answer from your material.
- Add the answer as an FAQ entry, or upload the document that covers it.
- Open Test a question, type the question and check the preview answer.
The test shows a text preview, not a real call, so it's quick and doesn't use minutes.
Callers rarely use your exact wording, so try two or three phrasings of the same question. If one phrasing misses, add it as an FAQ entry or make the document's wording clearer.
Add files
Upload PDF, DOCX, CSV or TXT files, or import from Google Docs and Drive. See How to upload knowledge files and Import from Google Docs and Drive.
What makes good knowledge
- Specific facts: real prices, durations, addresses and opening hours rather than general descriptions.
- One topic per section: a document with clear headings is easier for the agent to search than one long paragraph.
- Customer language: include the words callers actually use, such as "check-up" as well as "consultation".
- What you don't do: list services you don't offer and areas you don't cover, so the agent can say no clearly.
Use files for detailed material, such as a full menu or a price list, and FAQ entries for the short answers callers need most often. Together they cover both the everyday questions and the detailed ones.
Common questions
How quickly do changes reach my agent?
New files and FAQ entries are available to your agent shortly after you add them. Use Test a question to confirm before you rely on a change.