Knowledge source: what it means for an AI chatbot
A knowledge source is a document, web page, product list or policy that your AI assistant reads in order to answer customers. The assistant answers only from what is in your sources, so the more complete and correct they are, the more you can trust its replies.
What kinds of knowledge source are there?
| Type | What you provide | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Website | Your store's web address | Imports the whole site and recognises products and policies; the page cap depends on your plan |
| File | PDF, DOCX, TXT or CSV | XLSX is not accepted; scanned PDFs are read with OCR in Vietnamese and English |
| Written answer | A short passage you write yourself | Takes priority over text imported from a site or file |
| Store sync | A WooCommerce connection | Products, variants, prices and stock |
Shopee product sync is not available.
You can also fix a wrong answer straight from the Improve answers page, and your correction is saved to your knowledge as a written answer. The number of sources and website pages each plan allows is on the pricing page.
How are knowledge sources kept up to date?
- Websites are re-checked weekly on the free plan and daily on paid plans.
- Policy changes that touch money or time terms, such as refunds, fees or delivery days, wait for your approval before they are used.
- Every version of a source is kept and can be restored.
- Price and stock on products imported from a website are re-checked when a customer asks.
An example of a knowledge source in use
Say a shop imports its website, uploads a shipping policy PDF and writes one short passage by hand: "Orders over $50 ship free to addresses in the city." When a customer asks "does free shipping cover my order in the city?", the assistant answers from that written passage. If no source mentions the question, the assistant does not guess and hands the chat to your team.
To start adding sources, follow the getting started guide. To write sources the assistant can answer from accurately, read writing good knowledge for your chatbot.
Frequently asked questions
Does the assistant answer from outside its knowledge sources?
It is built to answer from your sources. When they do not cover a question, the assistant says it is not sure and, depending on the handoff rule you chose, passes the chat to your team.
Which sources should I add first?
Start with what customers ask most: shipping, returns and your product catalog. The easiest route is to import your website, then write short answers by hand for anything that is not written down.
Can I upload an Excel spreadsheet?
Not as an XLSX file. Save the sheet as CSV, or use PDF, DOCX or TXT.
What if a source changes and the answer goes wrong?
Every version of a source is kept, so you can restore an earlier one. Policy changes that touch money or time terms also wait for your approval before the assistant uses them.