Start from information, not phrasing

Don't write a separate answer for every way a question could be asked. The assistant understands variations on its own. What it needs is one source of truth per topic.

For opening hours, for example: regular hours, special days, holiday hours, and how someone can reach you outside them.

Vague versus clear

The difference isn't short versus long, it's vague versus clear. A hypothetical example:

  • Vague: "Cancellations are possible under certain conditions."
  • Clear: "Cancel at least 14 days before the course: full refund. Less than 14 days: credit for a future course."

From the first version, any honest assistant can only say "I'm not sure". From the second, it can answer correctly every time.

You don't have to write everything down

The assistant answers general questions about your field on its own: what a term means, how a process usually works, what to ask before making a choice. You don't need to document things any expert could explain.

Focus on what's specific to your business: prices, dates, opening hours, conditions, policies. That's where the assistant may not fill in from general knowledge, so your documents make the difference.

Keep topics separate

Prices, schedules, required documents and cancellation policies change for different reasons, and are usually updated by different people. Put them in separate documents or sections. That keeps everything easy to update, and easy for the assistant to find.

Write answers that actually resolve the question

A good answer has three parts: the direct answer, the key condition and the next step. No marketing tone. If a rule isn't settled yet, better not to write it at all than to write it vaguely.

Decide who keeps the information up to date

Most problems aren't caused by missing information, but by nobody owning it. Give each topic an owner, and review the documents whenever a price or rule changes.

A practical step for this week

Pick your 5 most common topics. For each, note 5 real customer questions, one clear main answer, and who approves it. That's already a good knowledge base.