How to Prepare your business for A Custom AI employee. This is the key to ansering every question everytime without missing a sale
Technical Checklist: Preparing Your Business for a Custom AI Employee
The power of a Custom AI Chatbot comes from its ability to instantly access and understand your unique business information. To get the best results, think of it as “downloading” your company’s brain into the AI.
Here’s a simple checklist of the key files and data sources you’ll want to prepare to train your CustomGPT.ai agent:
1. Your Website Content (The Foundation)
- What it is: The text, services, and product descriptions directly on your website.
- Why it’s crucial: This is often the first place customers look for information. Training your AI on your website content ensures consistency with your online brand.
- How to prepare: Simply provide the URL(s) of your key pages. CustomGPT.ai can often crawl your entire site automatically.
- Example: Your ‘Services’ page, ‘About Us,’ ‘FAQ,’ and ‘Contact’ pages.
2. Frequently Asked Questions (The Quick Answers)
- What it is: A collection of common questions customers ask and your standard, approved answers.
- Why it’s crucial: This is low-hanging fruit for instant customer satisfaction. Your AI will nail these questions every time.
- How to prepare:
- Existing FAQ Page: Provide the URL.
- Spreadsheet/Document: Compile a list of Q&A pairs in a Google Sheet, Excel, or Word document.
- Example: “What are your operating hours?” “Do you offer a warranty?” “What payment methods do you accept?”
3. Service/Product Catalogs & Descriptions (The Details)
- What it is: Detailed information about what you sell or offer, including features, benefits, and specifications.
- Why it’s crucial: Allows the AI to act as a knowledgeable sales assistant, guiding customers to the right solution.
- How to prepare:
- PDF Brochures/Catalogs: Upload these directly.
- Product Pages: Provide URLs if this info is on your site.
- Word Documents: Any internal documents detailing your offerings.
- Example: A PDF of your seasonal menu, a Word document outlining your consulting packages, or product spec sheets.
Your business knowledge is a Gold Mine
4. Policy & Procedure Documents (The Trust Builders)
- What it is: Your official policies on returns, refunds, privacy, shipping, terms of service, etc.
- Why it’s crucial: Builds trust and protects your business by providing clear, consistent answers to sensitive questions.
- How to prepare:
- PDFs/Word Documents: Upload these.
- Policy Pages: Provide URLs if these are on your website.
- Example: Your refund policy, privacy statement, shipping terms.
5. Training Manuals & Internal Knowledge Bases (The Deep Dive)
- What it is: Any internal documents you use to train new employees or keep your team informed.
- Why it’s crucial: This gives your AI a deeper understanding of your operations and allows it to answer more complex questions accurately.
- How to prepare:
- PDFs/Word Documents: Upload any relevant internal guides.
- Example: Employee handbook (with sensitive info removed), internal service guides, project management best practices.
Key File Formats CustomGPT.ai Can Scan:
- URLs (Webpages)
- .PDF (Portable Document Format)
- .DOCX (Microsoft Word Document)
- .XLSX (Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet)
- .CSV (Comma Separated Values)
- .TXT (Plain Text File)
Pro-Tip: Start Simple, Then Expand
Don’t feel like you need every single file on day one. Start with your website and FAQ. As your AI employee learns and you see the power, you can easily add more documents to expand its knowledge base.
Your business knowledge is your most valuable asset. Now, you have a clear path to make it work for you 24/7.
Blog By Peter Hanley Select-ai