Why Your Knowledge Base Matters
When a customer calls or chats with your Hello Gubby agent, the knowledge base is where it finds answers. Think of it as training your best employee on everything they need to know about your business.
A comprehensive knowledge base helps your agent handle more calls independently, reduces the need for transfers to your team, and ensures customers get consistent, accurate information every time they reach out.
Three Ways to Build Your Knowledge Base
Hello Gubby offers three methods for adding information to your agent's knowledge base. You can use any combination of these approaches.
Method 1: Website Scraping (Automatic)
The fastest way to populate your knowledge base is to let Hello Gubby learn from your existing website. During setup, you can enter your website URL, and the system will automatically extract information about your services, hours, location, team, and more.
Go to Settings and select Knowledge Base
Navigate to your dashboard and click on Settings in the left sidebar, then select Knowledge Base from the submenu.
Enter your website URL
In the Website Scraping section, enter your main website URL. Hello Gubby will crawl your site and extract relevant business information.
Review extracted content
After scraping completes, review the extracted information. You can edit, add, or remove any content before saving.
Tip
Website scraping works best when your site has clear, well-organized content. Pages like About Us, Services, FAQ, and Contact are particularly helpful sources.
Method 2: Document Upload
If you have existing documentation, training materials, service catalogs, or FAQ documents, you can upload them directly. Hello Gubby accepts PDF, Word documents, and plain text files.
Click Upload Documents in the Knowledge Base section
You'll find this option in the same Knowledge Base settings area.
Select your files
Choose one or more files from your computer. Supported formats include PDF, DOCX, DOC, and TXT.
Review and organize
After upload, review how the content has been parsed. You can organize it into categories or edit any sections that need clarification.
Method 3: Manual FAQ Entry
For the most control over your knowledge base, you can manually add questions and answers. This is ideal for adding specific information that isn't on your website or in existing documents.
Click Add FAQ in the Knowledge Base section
This opens a form where you can enter a question and its corresponding answer.
Enter the question exactly as a customer might ask it
Write the question naturally, the way a real customer would phrase it. You can add multiple variations of the same question.
Write a clear, complete answer
Provide the answer your agent should give. Include all relevant details without being overly long.
Assign a category (optional)
Organizing FAQs into categories helps keep your knowledge base manageable as it grows.
Essential FAQs Every Business Should Include
Regardless of your industry, certain questions come up repeatedly. Make sure your knowledge base covers these basics.
Business Information
Business hours (including holiday hours)
Physical address and directions
Parking information
Contact methods (phone, email, website)
Service area (for businesses that travel to customers)
Services and Pricing
List of services offered
Service descriptions
General pricing or price ranges
What's included in each service
Payment methods accepted
Scheduling and Appointments
How to book an appointment
Cancellation and rescheduling policies
What to expect at an appointment
Preparation instructions (if applicable)
Late arrival policies
Policies
Refund and return policies
Warranties or guarantees
Privacy policies (brief summary)
Insurance and licensing information
Industry-Specific FAQ Examples
Beyond the basics, your knowledge base should address questions specific to your industry. Here are examples for common verticals.
Home Services (HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical)
Question | Answer Should Include |
|---|---|
"Do you offer emergency service?" | Availability, response time, emergency rates if different |
"What brands do you work on?" | Brands serviced, any specializations |
"Do you provide estimates?" | Free vs paid estimates, what's included, scheduling process |
"Are you licensed and insured?" | License numbers, insurance coverage, bonding information |
Medical and Dental Practices
Question | Answer Should Include |
|---|---|
"What insurance do you accept?" | List of accepted insurances, self-pay options |
"Are you accepting new patients?" | Current availability, how to become a patient |
"How do I request a prescription refill?" | Process, timeline, portal information |
"What should I bring to my first appointment?" | Documents needed, arrival time, forms to complete |
Salons and Spas
Question | Answer Should Include |
|---|---|
"Can I request a specific stylist?" | How to request, availability considerations |
"What should I do before a facial?" | Preparation steps, what to avoid |
"Do you offer gift cards?" | How to purchase, denominations, expiration |
"What's your cancellation policy?" | Notice required, fees if applicable |
Property Management
Question | Answer Should Include |
|---|---|
"How do I submit a maintenance request?" | Process, response time expectations, emergency vs routine |
"When is rent due?" | Due date, grace period, late fees |
"How do I schedule a showing?" | Available times, what to bring, application process |
"What's the application process?" | Steps, requirements, fees, timeline |
Writing Effective FAQ Answers
The quality of your answers directly impacts how helpful your agent will be. Follow these guidelines for best results.
Be Conversational
Write answers the way you would speak to a customer. Avoid overly formal or legal language unless necessary. Your agent will deliver these answers in a natural voice, so they should sound natural when spoken.
Instead of: "Our establishment maintains operational hours from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays."
Write: "We're open Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM. We're closed on major holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas."
Be Complete but Concise
Include all the information a customer needs, but don't pad your answers with unnecessary details. Long answers can feel frustrating for callers.
Include Common Variations
Customers ask the same question in many different ways. When adding FAQs, include alternate phrasings to help your agent recognize the intent.
Primary question: "What are your hours?"
Variations:
"When are you open?"
"What time do you close?"
"Are you open on weekends?"
"Are you open right now?"
Update Regularly
Your knowledge base should be a living document. Set a reminder to review and update it monthly, or whenever something changes in your business (new services, updated hours, policy changes).
Teaching Business-Specific Terminology
Every business has its own terminology, whether it's service names, product lines, or industry jargon. Your agent needs to understand these terms to communicate effectively.
Create a terminology section in your knowledge base
Add definitions for any specialized terms your customers might use or ask about.
Include pronunciation guidance if needed
For unusual names or terms, add phonetic spelling so your agent pronounces them correctly.
Document common abbreviations
If customers commonly use abbreviations (AC for air conditioning, PT for physical therapy), make sure your agent recognizes them.
Handling Questions Your Agent Can't Answer
No knowledge base covers everything. Configure how your agent should handle questions it can't answer.
Option 1: Acknowledge and Offer Alternatives
Your agent can acknowledge it doesn't have that specific information and offer to take a message, schedule a callback, or transfer to a human.
Option 2: Provide General Guidance
For questions that vary case by case, your agent can provide general information and suggest speaking with your team for specifics.
Option 3: Direct to Resources
Point customers to your website, email, or other resources where they can find detailed information.
Important
Never train your agent to guess or make up answers. It's always better to acknowledge uncertainty and offer to connect the customer with someone who can help.
Testing Your Knowledge Base
After setting up your FAQs, test them thoroughly before going live.
Use the Test Call feature
From your dashboard, initiate a test call and ask your agent the questions you've added. Verify it provides the correct answers.
Ask questions in different ways
Try various phrasings to make sure your agent recognizes the intent behind questions, not just exact matches.
Test edge cases
Ask questions that aren't in your knowledge base to see how your agent handles them. Make sure it responds appropriately rather than providing incorrect information.
Have others test it
Ask team members or trusted customers to test your agent. They'll often phrase questions differently than you would.
Organizing Your Knowledge Base
As your knowledge base grows, organization becomes important. Hello Gubby allows you to categorize FAQs for easier management.
Recommended Categories
General Information: Hours, location, contact details
Services: What you offer and how it works
Pricing: Costs, payment methods, quotes
Scheduling: Appointments, availability, policies
Policies: Cancellations, refunds, guarantees
Technical: Industry-specific questions
Need Help?
If you're not sure what FAQs to include for your industry, contact our support team. We can provide templates based on your business type to help you get started quickly
