Train on docs

Training on text and documentation gives your chatbot knowledge that may not exist on your website or in any PDF. It is the most flexible training method because you control the exact content, structure, and wording the AI learns from.

What counts as docs

Any text content your chatbot should know about:

• FAQ lists - Common questions and their answers
• Product descriptions - Feature details, specifications, use case descriptions
• Pricing details - Plan names, prices, feature limits, upgrade paths
• Return/refund policies - Conditions, timelines, how to request
• Onboarding instructions - Step-by-step guides for new users
• Internal SOPs or processes - How your team handles escalations, edge cases
• Corrections and overrides - Explicit answers to questions the AI gets wrong

This is particularly useful for content that doesn't exist on your website or in a PDF - things you'd otherwise have to write from scratch. Think of it as "directly telling your chatbot" what to say.

Add text content

1. Go to your chatbot's Training tab
2. Click Add Source → Text / Docs
3. Give the source a name (e.g., "Pricing FAQ" or "Refund Policy")
4. Paste or type your content in the editor
5. Click Save & Train

Training typically completes in under 2 minutes. You can add as many text sources as you need - each one becomes a separate, manageable block of knowledge.

Formatting tips

The way you structure your content directly affects how well the AI can retrieve and use it:

• Use clear headings - Structure content with headings so the AI can locate relevant sections quickly. Think of each heading as a "topic label" the AI uses to find the right answer.
• Q&A format works best - Writing as "Q: How do I cancel? A: Go to Settings → Subscription → Cancel" gives the chatbot explicit question-answer pairs. This is the single most effective format for training.
• Be specific with numbers - "Our Pro plan costs $19/month and includes 5,000 email sends" is far better than "Our plans are competitively priced." Concrete facts produce concrete answers.
• Include edge cases - If customers frequently ask about specific scenarios (international shipping, student discounts, enterprise plans), document them explicitly.
• Keep it concise - Shorter, focused paragraphs perform better than long walls of text. Break complex topics into multiple short entries.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Vague or marketing-heavy language - "We offer the best-in-class solution" teaches the chatbot nothing useful. Write factual, direct content instead.
• Duplicate content across sources - If the same info appears in your website crawl AND a text source, the AI may get confused. Use text sources only for net-new information.
• Forgetting to retrain - After editing a text source, you must click Save & Train again. Edits are not applied until you retrain.
• Overly long documents - A single 10,000-word text source is harder for the AI to search than ten 1,000-word sources with clear topic labels.
• Missing context - "Yes, we do." is not helpful on its own. Always include the question or context: "Q: Do you offer refunds? A: Yes, we offer full refunds within 30 days of purchase."

Real-world examples

Here are three patterns that work well for most teams:

Example 1: Pricing FAQ

Q: What does the free plan include?
A: The free plan includes 1 AI chatbot, live chat, lead capture, and 100 email sends/month. No credit card required.

Q: How much does the Pro plan cost?
A: Pro costs $19/month. It includes 3 chatbots, 5,000 email sends/month, and priority support.

Q: Can I cancel anytime?
A: Yes. There are no annual commitments. Cancel anytime from Settings > Subscription.

Example 2: Feature correction

Q: Does Grivo integrate with Slack?
A: Yes. Grivo sends real-time Slack notifications when a visitor requests human help or a new lead is captured. Configure this in Settings > Integrations > Slack.

Example 3: Policy document

# Refund Policy

We offer a full refund within 30 days of any paid purchase. To request a refund:

1. Go to Settings > Subscription
2. Click "Request Refund"
3. You will receive a confirmation email within 24 hours

Refunds are processed to the original payment method within 5-10 business days.

Combine with other sources

Text sources work alongside website crawl and PDF uploads. A common best-practice setup:

• Website URL for your public-facing content (marketing pages, blog, help center)
• PDFs for detailed product manuals, whitepapers, and long-form guides
• Text/docs for FAQs, edge cases, corrections, and anything not covered by the above

The AI searches across all sources when answering a question. It does not prioritize one source type over another - so make sure your sources don't contradict each other.

Troubleshooting

• Chatbot gives wrong answer after adding text source - Make sure you clicked Save & Train. Edits are not applied until you retrain. If the issue persists, check for conflicting information in your other training sources.
• Chatbot ignores my text source - The AI prioritizes the most relevant source for each question. If your website crawl contains similar (but different) content, the AI may use that instead. To force priority, make your text source's Q&A pairs very specific to the question.
• Training seems slow - Large text sources (10,000+ words) take longer to process. Consider splitting into multiple smaller sources for faster training and better retrieval.

See also: Train on website · Train on PDF