Q&A Sources

Create specific question-answer pairs to give your agent exact answers for common customer questions

Q&A Sources#

Q&A sources let you define specific question-answer pairs for your agent. When a customer asks a matching question, your agent responds with the exact answer you provided. This is the most direct way to control what your agent says for your most important questions.

Why Use Q&A Pairs?#

Q&A pairs are different from documents or text sources in important ways:

  • High retrieval priority -- Q&A pairs are more likely to be used when they match a customer's question
  • Multiple question variations -- you can add different ways customers might phrase the same question
  • Image support -- attach images to answers (product photos, diagrams, screenshots)
  • Exact answers -- your agent uses the answer you wrote, giving you precise control

Step-by-Step: Creating a Q&A Pair#

1. Navigate to Sources#

  1. Go to your agent's dashboard
  2. Click Sources in the sidebar
  3. Open Q&A
  4. Click Add Source

2. Enter Your Question#

Question (required)

  • Write the main question as a customer would ask it
  • Use natural, conversational language
  • Examples:
    • "What are your business hours?"
    • "How much does the Pro plan cost?"
    • "How do I reset my password?"

3. Add Question Variations#

Alternative Questions (optional but recommended)

Customers ask the same question in many different ways. Adding variations improves the chances that your agent will match the Q&A correctly.

Click Add Alternative to add more phrasings. For example, if the main question is "What are your business hours?":

  • "When are you open?"
  • "What time do you close?"
  • "Are you open on weekends?"
  • "What are your operating hours?"

The more variations you add, the better the match rate.

4. Write Your Answer#

Answer (required)

  • Write a clear, complete response
  • Include all necessary details
  • Use step-by-step instructions when appropriate
  • Include relevant links or contact information

Good answer example:

Code
We're open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST.

Weekend hours:
- Saturday: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
- Sunday: Closed

Holiday hours may vary. We're closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

Poor answer example:

Code
check our website

5. Add an Image (Optional)#

Images are useful for:

  • Visual instructions (screenshots, diagrams)
  • Product photos
  • Charts or infographics
  • Step-by-step visual guides

Supported formats: JPG, PNG, GIF, WEBP

How to add:

  1. Click Add Image
  2. Drag and drop or browse for a file
  3. A preview of the image appears
  4. The image is included when your agent responds to matching questions

6. Configure Priority#

Priority (optional)

  • Q&A sources default to high priority
  • You can increase priority further for critical information
  • Usually no need to change the default

Mark as Price Information (checkbox)

  • Check this if the Q&A is about pricing
  • Pricing questions will prioritize this Q&A pair

7. Add and Train#

  1. Click Add Q&A Source
  2. The source appears with a "Processing" status
  3. Click Train Agent
  4. Wait for the status to change to "Ready" (usually 30-60 seconds)

Your agent will now use this Q&A pair to answer matching questions.

Bulk Import via CSV#

If you have many Q&A pairs to add at once, use CSV import:

  1. Create a CSV file with the following columns: Question, Alternatives (separated by pipes), Answer
  2. Use the bulk import feature on the Q&A page
  3. Review the imported Q&A pairs
  4. Train your agent

CSV format example:

csv
Question,Alternatives,Answer
"What are your hours?","When are you open?|What time do you close?","We're open Mon-Fri 9-5 PM EST."
"How do I cancel?","Cancel subscription|Stop billing","Go to Settings, then Billing, then Cancel."

Best Practices#

Writing Good Questions#

Do:

  • Write naturally, the way customers actually ask
  • Include several question variations
  • Use conversational language
  • Cover different phrasings of the same question

Don't:

  • Use only stiff, formal phrasing
  • Add only a single question with no variations
  • Make questions too narrow or too broad

Good example (multiple variations):

  • Main: "How do I cancel my subscription?"
  • Alt 1: "Can I cancel anytime?"
  • Alt 2: "What's the cancellation policy?"
  • Alt 3: "I want to stop my subscription"

Poor example (single, rigid):

  • "What is the process for subscription cancellation?"

Writing Good Answers#

Do:

  • Be clear and concise
  • Include all necessary details
  • Use step-by-step instructions when appropriate
  • Provide relevant contact information or links

Don't:

  • Be vague ("check our website")
  • Use jargon without explanation
  • Leave out important details
  • Make answers excessively long

Good answer:

Code
To cancel your subscription:

1. Log in to your account
2. Go to Settings, then Billing
3. Click "Cancel Subscription"
4. Confirm the cancellation

You'll retain access until the end of your current billing period.

Need help? Contact support@yourcompany.com

Poor answer:

Code
You can cancel in settings.

Using Images Effectively#

Images help when:

  • Showing step-by-step visual guides
  • Answering "What does it look like?" questions
  • Explaining with diagrams or flowcharts
  • Showing product features

Images are not needed for:

  • Simple text answers
  • Policies or rules
  • Contact information
  • Hours or pricing

Common Use Cases#

Pricing Questions#

Q: "How much does the Pro plan cost?"

Alternatives:

  • "What's the price of Pro?"
  • "Pro plan pricing"
  • "How much is Pro per month?"

Answer:

Code
The Pro plan costs $99 per month (or $990 per year -- save 2 months!).

Includes:
- 10,000 messages per month
- 5 agents
- Priority support
- Advanced analytics
- API access

Upgrade anytime from your dashboard: Settings then Billing then Upgrade.

Technical Support#

Q: "How do I reset my password?"

Alternatives:

  • "Forgot my password"
  • "Can't log in"
  • "Password reset"

Answer:

Code
To reset your password:

1. Go to the login page
2. Click "Forgot Password?" below the login form
3. Enter your email address
4. Check your inbox for a reset link (check spam if it is not there)
5. Click the link and create a new password

The reset link expires in 1 hour.

Still having trouble? Email support@yourcompany.com

Feature Questions#

Q: "Can I add a chat widget to my website?"

Alternatives:

  • "Website integration"
  • "Embed chat on my site"
  • "Add live chat to website"

Answer:

Code
Yes! You can embed a chat widget on your website.

How to set it up:
1. Go to your agent's dashboard
2. Click "Deploy" in the sidebar
3. Select "Website Widget"
4. Customize the widget appearance
5. Copy the embed code
6. Paste it into your website's HTML before the closing </body> tag

The widget is fully customizable -- colors, position, and greeting message.

Managing Q&A Sources#

Editing a Q&A Pair#

  1. Find the Q&A in the Q&A list
  2. Click Edit (pencil icon)
  3. Update the question, alternatives, answer, or image
  4. Click Save
  5. Retrain your agent for changes to take effect

Organizing Q&A Sources#

Naming convention:

  • Use descriptive names: "Q&A: Pricing", "Q&A: Password Reset"
  • Group related Q&As with prefixes: "Support: ...", "Billing: ...", "Product: ..."

Archiving:

  • Archive outdated Q&As (old pricing, deprecated features) instead of deleting
  • You might need them for reference later

Troubleshooting#

"Agent Not Using My Q&A"#

Common causes:

  • The customer's question does not match your Q&A variations closely enough
  • You did not retrain after adding the Q&A
  • The source is still processing

Solutions:

  • Add more question variations to cover different phrasings
  • Click the Train Agent button and wait for "Ready" status
  • Test with the exact questions you wrote to verify they match

"Image Not Displaying"#

Common causes:

  • Image file is too large
  • Unsupported image format
  • Upload was incomplete

Solutions:

  • Compress the image to a smaller file size
  • Convert to JPG or PNG format
  • Re-upload the image

Limits#

The maximum number of Q&A pairs, alternative questions per pair, and image sizes vary by plan. Check your plan details in Settings for the specific limits that apply to your account.

Next Steps#