How to write a knowledge sheet your AI assistant can rely on

An AI assistant is only as good as the facts you give it. A knowledge sheet is a short document with everything it is allowed to say about your business. Write it well and the assistant answers clearly and accurately. Skip it and the assistant fills the gaps with guesses.

01Start with the basics customers ask about

Write down your business name, what you do, where you are, your opening hours and the best way to reach a person. Include holiday hours and anything that changes by season. These questions make up a large share of what customers ask, so get them exactly right.

02List your services and prices the way you want them quoted

For each service, write one or two plain sentences and the price or price range. If a price depends on the job, say so and say what it depends on, for example "from $80, final price after a quick look". If you don't want the assistant quoting prices at all, write that down clearly instead.

03Write out your policies in full

Cancellations, deposits, refunds, late arrivals, warranties, payment methods. Customers ask about these at the moments that matter most, so the assistant needs the exact rule, not a summary. If a policy has exceptions, list them, or tell the assistant to pass those questions to a person.

04Answer your top 15 questions

Look back through your emails, messages and calls and write down the questions you get every week, each with your best answer. "Do you take walk-ins?", "Is there parking?", "Do you work weekends?" Fifteen good answers cover far more conversations than you might expect.

05Say when to hand off to a person

Be specific. Complaints, refunds, medical or legal questions, anything urgent, and anyone who asks for a person should go straight to you or your team. Write down how the hand-off works: a phone number, an email, or a message that someone will call back within a set time.

06Write down what it must never say or do

This is the most important section. Common examples: never promise a discount, never confirm a booking that isn't in the calendar, never give medical, legal or financial advice, never share another customer's details, and never guess. "I'm not sure, let me get someone who can help" is always a good answer.

07Keep it current

Put one person in charge of the sheet and add a "last updated" date at the top. Review it whenever prices, hours or policies change, and at least once a month. Out-of-date facts are one of the most common reasons an assistant gives a wrong answer.

✓A simple layout to copy

• About us: name, what we do, location, hours, contact
• Services and prices: one line each, with price or range
• Policies: cancellations, deposits, refunds, payments
• Top questions: question and answer, one per line
• Hand-off rules: what goes to a person, and how
• Never: things the assistant must not say or do
• Last updated: date and who owns the sheet

Most small businesses can write a solid first version in an afternoon. It's worth the time: the sheet becomes the single source of truth for your assistant, your website and your team.