> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.servicebooked.ca/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Training the AI Receptionist

> Add knowledge-base entries — write good questions, write good answers, get better AI replies.

Building out your knowledge base is the single highest-leverage investment in AI quality. 30 minutes of typing FAQ entries can lift response quality from "decent" to "feels like a real receptionist."

## Add an entry

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Knowledge Base">
    From your dashboard, click **Knowledge Base** in the side nav.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click 'New entry'">
    Top-right.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Write the question">
    Phrase it like a customer would. Bad: "Service area definition." Good: "What areas do you cover?"

    The AI matches incoming customer messages against entry questions semantically, so close-but-not-exact phrasing still matches. But starting from a customer-shaped question helps you stay in their headspace.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Write the answer">
    In plain conversational language. Like you're talking to the customer.

    Bad: "Service area: Greater Ottawa region as defined by the regional municipality, plus the western suburb of Kanata and the southern suburb of Barrhaven."

    Good: "We cover Ottawa, Kanata, Barrhaven, and Nepean. If you're outside those areas, we can still come — we charge a \$50 trip fee."

    Length: 1–4 sentences usually. Long enough to be specific, short enough that the AI Receptionist can paraphrase.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add tags (optional)">
    Tags help YOU organize; the AI Receptionist mostly ignores them. Useful if you want to find "all pricing entries" later.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Entry goes live immediately. The next AI response can pull from it.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What good entries look like

A few examples for a hypothetical residential plumbing business:

### Entry 1

* **Q**: "How much do you charge for emergency calls?"
* **A**: "Our weekday rate is $125/hour with a 1-hour minimum. After-hours and weekend calls are billed at 1.5× — so $187.50/hour with the same minimum. Travel within Ottawa is included."

### Entry 2

* **Q**: "Do you do drain cleaning?"
* **A**: "Yes — we handle all standard drain cleaning, including kitchen sinks, bathroom drains, and main line snaking. For cracked or collapsed sewer lines, we work with a partner company since that needs specialized equipment."

### Entry 3

* **Q**: "Are you licensed and insured?"
* **A**: "Yes. We're fully licensed in Ontario (license #ABC123) and carry \$2M liability insurance. Happy to email proof on request."

### Entry 4

* **Q**: "Do you offer free estimates?"
* **A**: "Yes for jobs over $500. For smaller jobs, we charge a $50 service-call fee that's waived if you proceed with the work."

### Entry 5

* **Q**: "What's your warranty?"
* **A**: "All our work comes with a 1-year labor warranty. Manufacturer warranties on parts vary — typically 1–10 years depending on the brand."

## What entries to write first

Start with these top 10:

1. **Service area** — where do you go?
2. **Pricing basics** — base rate, minimum, what's included
3. **Emergency / after-hours** — do you take them, what do they cost
4. **Free estimates** — yes/no, conditions
5. **Warranty** — what you stand behind
6. **Insurance / licensing** — proof if asked
7. **Payment methods** — what you accept
8. **What you don't do** — services you decline
9. **Lead time** — how soon can you typically come
10. **Materials** — do you bring or does the customer supply

These ten cover \~70% of customer questions in most service-business categories.

## Editing entries

From the Knowledge Base list, click any entry to edit. Changes go live immediately — no redeploy.

You can also delete entries (sometimes a policy changes and an old entry is misleading; remove it).

## Importing entries from a doc

If you have an existing FAQ doc you want to import, paste each Q/A pair as a separate entry. We don't currently support bulk-import from a single document — that's a manual copy-paste exercise. Once entries are in, they live in our system and you can edit normally.

## Quality > quantity

You'll see better results from 20 well-written, accurate entries than from 200 vague ones. Focus on:

* **Accuracy** — outdated entries are worse than no entries
* **Specificity** — actual numbers (rates, miles, days) rather than vague language
* **Clear scope** — say what you DO and DON'T do

When entries contradict each other, the AI Receptionist gets confused. Audit your entries quarterly to remove duplicates and fix anything that's drifted out-of-date.

## Next

You're done with Knowledge Base. Next:

<Card title="Team & Roles" icon="users" href="/team/inviting-members">
  Add teammates and assign permissions.
</Card>