Sources Overview

How to add, manage, and organize sources so your AI agent can answer questions accurately

Sources Overview#

Your agent's sources are the foundation of its intelligence. The more relevant, well-organized content you provide, the better your agent can answer customer questions accurately and helpfully.

Source Types#

AlonChat supports multiple types of knowledge sources, each designed for different kinds of content:

TypeDescriptionBest For
FilesUpload PDF, Word, Excel, CSV, or Markdown filesProduct manuals, policies, guides, reports
TextPaste or type text content directlyQuick FAQs, announcements, policies, notes
Q&A PairsDefine specific question-answer pairsCommon customer questions with exact answers
WebsiteCrawl and index website pages automaticallyHelp centers, documentation sites, blogs
Google DriveSync files directly from Google DriveShared documents that update frequently
Facebook ImportImport conversations from Facebook MessengerLearning from real customer interactions
Instagram ImportImport conversations from Instagram DMsLearning from real customer interactions
Structured DataConnect Google Sheets with products, services, or pricingProduct catalogs, menus, price lists
Time-Sensitive ContentContent with start and expiration datesPromotions, events, seasonal offers

How Training Works#

When you add a source and train your agent, here is what happens at a high level:

  1. Content is processed -- text is extracted from your files, web pages, or data
  2. Content is indexed -- processed content is organized and indexed for fast, intelligent retrieval
  3. Agent is ready -- your agent can now search its sources to answer questions

Processing time depends on the size and type of source. Most sources are ready within a few minutes.

Adding Sources#

Files#

  1. Go to Sources in your agent dashboard
  2. Open Files
  3. Click Add Source
  4. Upload your file (supported formats: PDF, Word, Excel, CSV, Markdown)
  5. Click Add to queue for processing

Text#

  1. Open Sources > Text
  2. Click Add Source
  3. Enter a descriptive name (e.g., "Return Policy")
  4. Paste or type your content
  5. Click Add

Q&A Pairs#

  1. Open Sources > Q&A
  2. Click Add Source
  3. Enter a question and its answer
  4. Optionally add alternative question phrasings and an image
  5. Click Add

Website#

  1. Open Sources > Website
  2. Click Add Website
  3. Enter your website URL
  4. Configure crawl settings (maximum pages, URL patterns to include or exclude)
  5. Click Start Crawl

Google Drive#

  1. Open Sources > GDrive
  2. Click Connect Google Drive and authorize access
  3. Browse and select files to link
  4. Files sync automatically when you train your agent

Facebook Import#

  1. Open Sources > Chat Training
  2. Click Connect Facebook and authorize your Page
  3. Select conversations to import
  4. Review extracted Q&A pairs and communication patterns

Instagram Import#

  1. Open Sources > Chat Training
  2. Click Connect Instagram and authorize your account
  3. Select conversations to import
  4. Review extracted Q&A pairs and communication patterns

Structured Data#

  1. Open Sources > Structured Data
  2. Connect a Google Sheet or enter data manually
  3. Map columns to data fields
  4. Configure sync frequency

Time-Sensitive Content#

  1. Open Sources > Time-Sensitive
  2. Click Add Content
  3. Enter your content with a start date and expiration date
  4. The content will automatically become active and expire on schedule

Source Status#

After adding a source, it goes through a processing pipeline:

StatusWhat It Means
NewSource has been added and is waiting to be processed
ProcessingContent is being extracted and indexed
ReadySuccessfully processed -- your agent can use this knowledge
ErrorSomething went wrong (check the error message for details)

Best Practices#

Do:

  • Add specific, relevant content that your customers actually ask about
  • Use Q&A pairs for your most common customer questions
  • Keep all sources up-to-date with current information
  • Train your agent after adding or changing sources
  • Use descriptive names for sources so you can manage them easily
  • Combine multiple source types for comprehensive coverage

Don't:

  • Upload irrelevant or outdated documents
  • Add duplicate content across multiple sources
  • Forget to retrain after making changes
  • Add overly broad content that is not related to your business

Next Steps#