Visitors judge a talking host on two things: whether she sounds natural, and whether her answers are right. The first is our job. The second depends mostly on the information you give her. A host that knows your services, prices and limits well will outperform a cleverer one fed with a messy website.
Here is how to prepare that information, whether you work with us or build your own.
1. Start from real questions
Don't start from your brochure. Start from what people actually ask:
- Ask your front desk for the 20 questions they answer most often, word for word.
- Read your inbox and chat logs from the last few months.
- Check your Google Business Profile: the questions and reviews show what people want to know before they come.
- Note the questions that lead to a sale: "Is there parking?" matters less than "Can I book a free consultation this week?"
This list becomes the backbone of her knowledge, and later her test set.
2. Gather the facts, in one place
For most businesses the knowledge fits in a few pages. Collect:
- Services or products: what each one is, who it's for, how long it takes, what it costs (or "from" prices), what is included.
- Practical details: address, opening hours, parking, accessibility, payment methods, languages spoken.
- Policies: booking, cancellation, refunds, guarantees.
- Offers and materials: current promotions, brochures and presentations she can put on screen.
- Next steps: how a visitor books, calls or gets a quote, and what happens after.
Short, plain sentences work better than marketing copy. "A first consultation is free and takes 30 minutes" is easier to use well than a paragraph about "our holistic approach".
3. Write answers the way she should say them
A host speaks, so her answers should sound good out loud:
- Lead with the answer. "Yes, breakfast is included, from 7 to 10:30" beats a preamble.
- Keep it to two or three sentences, then offer more: "Would you like the details?"
- Use your own words for your services, the way your team describes them.
- Avoid tables, long lists and URLs in spoken answers. She can show those on screen instead.
4. Set the limits
What she must not do is as important as what she knows. Write down:
- Topics she declines, such as personal medical, legal or financial advice, or questions about other clients.
- What she never invents: prices, availability, discounts, promises. If it isn't in her knowledge, she says so and offers a person.
- When she hands over: complaints, urgent cases, large orders, anything emotional.
- How she introduces herself: as an AI assistant, at the start of every conversation. In the EU this is now a legal requirement; see what your website must tell visitors.
5. Decide her personality
A host represents your brand. Agree on a few points:
- Name and role: "Riya, the studio's consultation host".
- Tone: warm and brief, formal and precise, playful?
- How she sells: suggests the next step once, never pushes.
- What she remembers: whether returning visitors are greeted as such, and with what notice.
6. Test before launch, and keep it fresh
Run the question list from step 1 against her and check every answer. Then:
- Ask it the hard way: rephrase, add typos, ask two things at once, ask what she can't know.
- Have someone outside the project try her for ten minutes.
- Read a sample of real conversations each month. Each question she couldn't answer is a gap to fill.
- Update her when things change: new prices, seasonal offers, holiday hours.
How long it takes
For a typical clinic, hotel or showroom, gathering and writing the knowledge takes a few days of your team's time, spread over the first week of a project. The more of it exists already, in a FAQ, price list or brochure, the faster it goes.
With Lobbyface, this is the first step of every project: we run the discovery call, turn your material into her knowledge and rules, and test her with your questions before launch. To see the result on a real business, watch Riya's demo or read AI avatar vs chatbot.