By Nudge team · Updated · 4 min read
A knowledge base is simply the information your AI uses to answer customers. Start with your services, prices, opening hours and policies. You do not need a huge manual. A short set of correct answers is a better starting point than a folder of old documents.
- 1Write the facts
- 2Add the conditions
- 3Test the answers
Start with the questions you hear every day
Look through recent enquiries and list the questions that come up often. For each one, write the answer your best teammate would give. Include the next step: visit the shop, share a postcode, choose a time or wait for a quote.
Explain what is included in each service, where you offer it and what the customer needs to know before booking. If customers use a nickname for a product, add that too. Use short headings so someone on your team can find and update each answer.
- What you sell and what is included
- Opening hours, location and service area
- Current prices, or how a quote is worked out
- Booking, payment, return and cancellation rules
Put important conditions beside the price
‘Cleaning costs ₹2,000’ is unclear if that price only covers a one-bedroom flat. State what the price covers, what costs extra and who confirms the final quote. Do the same for delivery times, discounts and booking rules.
If the answer depends on the customer’s address or the work needed, explain that. Do not turn a rough estimate into a fixed promise. Remove old offers instead of keeping two versions and expecting the AI to choose the right one.
Say when someone must check
List decisions that need a person: refunds outside your policy, special discounts, unusual orders or payment disputes. Give the agent a short message it can use while passing the request to your team.
Written information cannot confirm changing facts. A list of products does not show today’s stock, and opening hours do not show a free appointment. Use a supported live connection for those checks. If there is no connection, the reply should explain that the team will confirm.
CustomerCan you clean my flat on Friday?
BusinessWhich neighbourhood is it in, and how many bedrooms does it have? Our team will check availability and confirm the quote.
The answer uses the business rules and leaves unconfirmed availability to the team.
Turn a vague note into a useful answer
A useful entry explains what you do, what to ask and what the agent must leave to a person. Here is a sample for a home-cleaning business. Adapt the format; do not copy the prices or rules into a different business.
Keep the information current
Choose one person to approve changes to prices, hours and policies. Add a review date and remove replaced text. If the website changes, check whether the agent’s information needs the same update.
Once a week, look at questions the agent could not answer and replies your team corrected. Add the missing information, then test those questions again. Ask in a few different ways: ‘Are you open Sunday?’ and ‘Can I visit at the weekend?’ should both lead to a correct answer.
Start small in the trial: add one service, its price and your opening hours. Ask five questions, including one the information cannot answer. A useful agent should know when to ask for help.