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Building your AI knowledge base

How to set up and maintain your AI voice agent's knowledge base for accurate, brand-consistent answers on every call.

Before you start

  • Your AI agent must be created (AI Agents > Create Agent)

  • Shopify must be connected (Settings > Integrations) — the AI auto-syncs your product catalog and customer information

Why the knowledge base matters

Your AI agent's quality is only as good as its knowledge base. The agent uses RAG (retrieval-augmented generation — a technique where the AI searches your knowledge base to find relevant information before answering) to find relevant information and answer questions accurately. A well-structured knowledge base means fewer wrong answers, fewer unnecessary transfers, and more calls resolved end-to-end.

Two types of knowledge sources

Website sources

Consio automatically scrapes your Shopify-hosted content — product pages, FAQ pages, shipping policies, return policies, and terms. This is the fastest way to get started.

To add a website source:

  1. Go to AI Agents > select your agent > Knowledge Base tab

  2. Your Shopify store is already synced. To add other pages, click Add a knowledge source and paste the URL. You should not need to add any pages hosted on your main shopify store.

  3. Add top-level pages hosted on subdomain, ie : help.consio.ai

  4. Click Refresh any time you update your website content

The Knowledge Base page showing website and text sources

Limitations:

  • Only works with publicly accessible pages (no password-protected content)

  • Shopify-hosted pages work best.

  • You can manually add other website

Text sources (rich text)

For information that isn't on your website — internal policies, agent scripts, escalation rules, seasonal promotions — add text sources directly.

To add a text source:

  1. Go to Knowledge Base tab > Add a knowledge source

  2. Select Text

  3. Give it a clear name (e.g., "Returns & Refunds Policy")

  4. Paste or type your content

  5. Save

How to structure your content

The AI reads structured, specific content far more accurately than long paragraphs. Follow these rules:

Organize by theme

Create separate sources for each topic instead of one giant document:

  • Shipping & Delivery — timelines, regions, carriers, tracking, exceptions

  • Returns & Refunds — window, conditions, process, edge cases

  • Promos & Codes — active promotions with dates, exclusions, stacking rules

  • Product FAQ — [Collection Name] — sizing, compatibility, usage, care

  • Escalation Rules — when to transfer, to whom, what to say

Write for the AI

Do

Don't

"Free shipping on orders over $50 USD"

"Free shipping on large orders"

"Returns accepted within 30 days of delivery"

"Returns accepted within a reasonable time"

"If customer requests a price match, transfer to a supervisor"

"Use your judgment on price matches"

"Holiday shipping cutoff: December 15, 2026 for standard delivery"

"Holiday shipping cutoff coming soon"

Agent detail page showing the name, greeting, and behavioral guidelines configuration

Always include exceptions

Every rule should have its edge cases documented:

Returns: Accepted within 30 days of delivery. Item must be unused, in original packaging. Exceptions: Final sale items are non-returnable. Underwear and swimwear are non-returnable for hygiene reasons. Gift cards are non-refundable. Damaged items can be returned at any time — transfer to support team.

Include promotion details with dates

Promotions without expiration dates create problems:

Summer Sale: 20% off sitewide with code SUMMER20. Valid June 1 – August 31, 2026. Excludes gift cards and subscription boxes. Cannot be combined with other offers. No retroactive discounts on previous orders.

Remove expired promotions immediately — outdated promo info is the #1 source of AI inaccuracy.

Testing your knowledge base

After adding or updating sources:

  1. Open the Test Agent panel

  2. Ask 10–15 real questions your customers would ask:

- "What's your return policy?"

- "Where's my order?" (have a test order number ready)

- "Do you have this in a size large?"

- "Can I use two discount codes?"

- "I need to change my shipping address"

  1. Check each answer for accuracy and tone

  2. If the agent gives a wrong answer, update the relevant source and test again

  3. Look for contradictions between sources — if your returns page says 30 days but a text source says 14 days, the AI may give inconsistent answers

Maintenance

  • Remove expired promotions the day they end

  • Assign one owner (Support Ops or CX Lead) responsible for KB accuracy

  • Update same-day when policies change — the AI will use old info until you update

  • Monthly mini-review: Check the top 10 questions customers ask vs. what the AI answers. If there's a gap, add or update a source

  • After every website update: Click Refresh on website sources to re-scrape

Common issues

AI gives wrong pricing info — If you have multiple Shopify stores, the AI only syncs from one. Contact support to configure which store to use.

AI can't answer product questions — Make sure product pages are public and your Shopify store is connected under Settings > Integrations.

AI contradicts itself — Check for duplicate or conflicting information across sources. Split large sources into focused topics.

Related articles

  • Setting up your AI Voice Agent — initial agent creation and configuration

  • AI agent behavioral guidelines — controlling agent behavior beyond knowledge

  • What your AI agent can do: actions & capabilities — all available agent actions

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