Use knowledge sources with a chatbot

Use a webpage

You can add a webpage as a knowledge source, and the chatbot will scrape the content and use it to answer questions. 

1. From the Chatbots home, select your chatbot.
2. In the sidebar, click Knowledge.
3. Click + Add source.
4. On the Type section, click Webpage. A dialog box will open.
5. Paste an address in the Public URL field.
   • Optional: Select the Crawl this link for all subpages checkbox to get a list of subpages for that URL.
6. Click Continue. It may take a moment to sync.

If you select the checkbox Crawl this link for all subpages, a list of available subpages will be displayed. Select the checkbox beside each page you want to use as a knowledge source.

The number of pages you can select depends on your plan limits and the number of other knowledge sources already connected. The maximum number is displayed at the top of the dialog box.

Note

The Select first XX pages button will select as many pages as possible, within the number of available knowledge sources. The pages are selected in the order that they appear in the dialog box, from top to bottom.

Limitations 

• The chatbot can only use publicly available pages. It cannot log in to a website.
• Images and videos cannot be crawled.

Add files

When you use a text-based file, the chatbot will scrape its content and use it to answer questions.

1. From the Chatbots home, select your chatbot.
2. In the sidebar, click Knowledge.
3. Click + Add source.
4. On the Type section, click File. A dialog box will open.
5. Find and select the file you want to use.
6. Click Add source. It may take a moment to process, depending on the file size.

Limitations

• Maximum file size: 2MB.
• Accepted file formats: .txt, .csv, .json, .pdf, .doc, .docx, .pptx.
• Maximum number of files: the number of files depends on your Chatbots plan.

Use Zapier Tables

You can add a Zapier table as a knowledge source and sync it either automatically or manually to pick up changes.

1. From the Chatbots home, select your chatbot.
2. In the sidebar, click Knowledge.
3. Click + Add source.
4. On the Type section, click Table.
5. Click the Table field and start typing to find and select the table.
   • Click Create new Table to start a new table and use it as a knowledge source.
6. Click Add source. It may take a moment to sync.

Limitations

• Chatbots only use the first 10,000 records of your table and up to 50 columns.
• Only tables you own are available as knowledge sources for your chatbots.

Use Google Docs

Available on plans:

Free

Pro

Advanced

1. From the Chatbots home, select your chatbot.
2. In the sidebar, click Knowledge.
3. Click + Add source.
4. On the Type section, click Google Doc.
5. If you have not used Google Docs with Zapier before, click Select an account to create a connection. A new window or tab will open.
   • If you already have a Google Docs account set up, select a connection from the dropdown menu, or create a new connection by clicking Manage connections.
6. Once you've selected a connection, in the Google Doc text field, search for and select the document you want to use as a knowledge source.
7. Click Add source.

Limitations

• Chatbots can sync up to 96,000 words.
• The chatbot cannot read images and videos included in the document.

Use Notion pages

Available on plans:

Free

Pro

Advanced

1. From the Chatbots home, select your chatbot.
2. In the sidebar, click Knowledge.
3. Click + Add source.
4. On the Type section, click Notion.
5. If you have not used Notion with Zapier before, click Select an account to create a connection. A new window or tab will open.
   • If you already have a Notion account set up, select a connection from the dropdown menu, or create a new connection by clicking Manage connections.
6. Once you've selected a connection, in the Notion page text field, search for and select the page you want to use as a knowledge source.
7. Click Add source.

Limitations

• The chatbot can only sync text.
• Zapier Chatbots is optimized to answer questions that your customers or users may have, such as "Do you deliver to Sydney, Australia?". If you need an analysis or want to gain insights into a file's contents, try using Zapier Agents.