The knowledge base and the boundaries
Collect the questions the business actually gets, write approved answers in its voice, define what the bot must never say, and set the hand-off rules before touching any tool.
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Full lesson & technical details
Collect the questions the business actually gets, write approved answers in its voice, define what the bot must never say, and set the hand-off rules before touching any tool.
Where the questions come from
Phone staff (“what do people ask every day?”), the inbox, Google Business Profile questions, reviews, the current FAQ page, and the owner’s sales calls. Thirty to sixty questions covers a small business; group by category.
Approved answers
One answer per question, in the business voice, with the facts the owner signs off: hours (including holidays), location and parking, services with what is and is not included, prices only where the owner approves exact quoting, booking steps, cancellation and refund policies, insurance and payment, what to bring, timing. Each row has a source and a date; the sheet is the single source of truth, and the owner approves it by email.
The never-list
Medical, legal or financial advice; diagnoses; guaranteed outcomes; prices not on the sheet; competitor comparisons; anything about a specific customer’s record; promises about availability it cannot see. The bot says “I can’t answer that here” and offers the hand-off.
Hand-off rules
- Booking: link to the booking page or capture name, phone, preferred time and send to the inbox.
- Complaints or anger: apologize once, collect contact details, promise a human reply time, notify the owner.
- Out of scope: “I don’t have that information. Would you like me to pass this to the team? Leave your email and the question.”
- Emergencies (clinics): tell them to call the number or emergency services, every time.
Persona
A first name, “virtual assistant for
Worked example
Q: Do you take my insurance? · A: We accept most PPO plans; we don’t accept Medicaid. Tell me your plan name and I can check, or call the front desk at (512) 555-0190 and they’ll verify your benefits before your visit. · Category: insurance · Source: Dr. Ruiz, Nov 2. Q: How much is a cleaning? · A: A new-patient exam, X-rays and cleaning is $129. Other treatment is quoted after the exam. · Category: pricing · Source: Dr. Ruiz, Nov 2. Never-list: no diagnoses or treatment advice (“Does this tooth need a crown?” → book an exam), no prices other than the sheet, no claims about pain-free procedures.
Instructions you can copy (prompts)
Copy the instructions, replace the words inside {braces} with your details, and paste them into your AI tool. Check and edit the answer.
From these raw materials for {business} (FAQ page, policy text, staff notes, reviews): {paste}, build a knowledge base table: question written as a customer would ask it, approved answer under 80 words in this voice {voice}, category (hours, pricing, booking, policy, services, location, other), facts that need owner confirmation marked ASK. Aim for 30–60 rows. Then write the never-list for this business type ({type}) and the hand-off rules for booking, complaints, out-of-scope and emergencies with the contact details {contacts}.
Build the knowledge base for Brightside Family Dental (capstone page) or a real business, with the never-list and hand-off rules. Paste 10 rows, the never-list and one hand-off rule.
Done when: A sourced, voiced knowledge base with ASK flags, boundaries and hand-offs ready for owner approval.. Sign up to save your work to your account.
Quick knowledge check
3 questions, 60% passes. Checkpoints, the certification exam (three versions) and the reviewed final project are unlocked with a free account.
- The bot answers from:
- A medical question gets:
- Each knowledge-base row carries: