> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.recepta.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Knowledge base

> The FAQs, policies, and specifics your agent answers from.

The knowledge base is where your agent gets answers to the questions the [business profile](/receptionist/business-profile) doesn't cover. It's the difference between a receptionist that takes messages and one that actually helps.

## Start with the real questions

Don't invent an FAQ. Get the ten questions your office answers every week — ask whoever works the phone, or read a week of call transcripts once you're live — and write those down with the answers you'd want given.

Common starting set for a service business:

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Money" icon="dollar-sign">
    Call-out fees, minimum charges, whether estimates are free, payment methods, deposits, financing.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Logistics" icon="truck">
    Arrival windows, how soon you can come out, emergency availability, weekend and holiday coverage.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Scope" icon="screwdriver-wrench">
    What you will and won't take on, brands you service, jobs you refer out, permits.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Trust" icon="shield-check">
    Licensing and insurance, warranty terms, how long you've operated, background-checked technicians.
  </Card>
</Columns>

## Writing answers that hold up on the phone

An answer that reads well can still sound wrong out loud. A few rules:

* **Lead with the answer.** "Yes, estimates are free" — then the caveat, not the other way round.
* **Keep it to a couple of sentences.** Long answers get interrupted, and interruptions lose the thread.
* **Say the number.** "Around $200–$400 depending on the unit" beats "it varies."
* **Name the boundary.** If you can't quote a job over the phone, the answer should say so and offer the next step — an on-site estimate — rather than trail off.

<Warning>
  Anything you put in the knowledge base, the agent will say to a customer. Don't stage internal notes, margins, or competitor commentary here.
</Warning>

## Keeping it accurate

A stale knowledge base is actively harmful — the agent quotes last year's price with complete confidence. Build in a habit:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Review transcripts weekly at first">
    Look for questions the agent handled poorly. Each one is a missing or wrong entry. See [Call logs](/receptionist/call-logs).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Update on every price or policy change">
    Make it part of the same routine as updating your website.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Use QA and learnings">
    Corrections captured during call review can be fed back in directly. See [QA & learning](/receptionist/qa-and-learning).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## One source, every channel

Knowledge is workspace-level. The phone agent, the [chat widget](/channels/chat-widget), and SMS replies all answer from the same entries — so a customer gets the same quote whichever way they reach you, and you only maintain it once.

<Note>
  Multi-location workspaces share the knowledge base but can override location-specific facts like hours and service area. See [Locations](/account/locations).
</Note>