Knowledge base for an AI phone agent
Here we go through how you build the knowledge base that guides the AI phone agent. You learn which sources are needed and how you correct errors.
The knowledge base is the material from which an AI phone agent retrieves its answers. It consists of the company's texts and instructions on how different matters should be handled. The agent reads this information to give the caller an accurate reply.
What forms the foundation?
The AI phone agent needs texts to read. You gather the material that your first line staff already use. This can be questions and answers from your website, internal documents or price lists.
Previous replies from your staff also work well as a foundation. You send your material exactly as it is. We then build a demo agent that you call and try.
Why the text needs explicit answers
An AI phone agent does not draw its own conclusions between the lines. It is designed to understand what the caller wants. It then looks up the right facts. Therefore, every text section in the base needs to provide an explicit answer to its own question.
If a routine requires three steps, all three steps must be written out. The agent then knows exactly what to say. If a piece of the puzzle is missing from the instruction, the conversation stops.
How a gap in the information shows
Sometimes customers ask about things that lack answers in your documents. Such a gap becomes visible when we review the calls. The agent cannot answer. It instead places the call as overflow to your staff.
You access all your call data through our MCP. There you see which questions lead to a transfer. You then know exactly which texts you need to add.
How you keep everything up to date
When a routine changes, the material needs updating. You appoint people in your organisation who get access to the base. They go in and correct things when the agent answers incorrectly.
Real Talk can read the company's own web pages and turn them into part of the knowledge base, and can do so on an ongoing basis. The agent's knowledge can then follow along when your pages change.
Before a new instruction goes out, you try the change in a test environment. The work is similar to how you update a manual for the staff. The difference from an older voice bot is that you do not need to record new voice files.
Where the material is processed
All data is stored and processed in data centres within the EU. The content is encrypted both when it is sent and when it is stored. You decide yourselves if the calls are recorded.
Frequently asked questions
What does the agent do if a question lacks an answer?
It explains that it does not have access to that information. The agent then transfers the call to your staff. The employee receives a summary and can take over.
Is technical knowledge required to change the material?
No. You update the texts using ordinary written English. The agent understands the instructions without you having to write code. It works like editing a regular text document.
Do we need to structure the data before sending it?
No. You send your existing material exactly as it is. We read it in and handle the setup for your AI phone agent. We then build a demo agent that you call and try.
Does the knowledge base work in a chat too?
Yes. When you update your knowledge base, it takes effect for both phone and chat. Our chat bot uses the exact same material.
This guide is written by Real Talk, the Nordic AI phone agent.