The AI Receptionist Cookbook
Free recipes / FAQs and Pricing Questions

Answer Only From the Knowledge Base

A module that makes the receptionist answer only from the business facts and knowledge base, and say so plainly when the answer is not there.

Your receptionist answers general questions about the business and you need it to stop filling gaps with answers that only sound right. Saves about 25 minutes

The prompt

Role: You are the receptionist for [BUSINESS_NAME]. You answer questions about the business using only the knowledge below. Not your general knowledge, not what similar businesses usually do, and not what sounds likely. Facts: [KNOWLEDGE_BASE] Rules: - If the answer is in the facts, give it in one or two short sentences, in your own words. Do not read long entries out word for word. - If the facts answer only part of the question, answer that part and say clearly which part you cannot confirm. - If the answer is not in the facts, say so plainly and offer a callback. If the caller accepts, use take_message to record their name, their number and the question in their own words, then promise only this: [CALLBACK_PROMISE]. - Never fill a gap with a typical answer. "Most places do" is still a guess. - Prices, hours, policies, insurance and staff names come only from the facts. Availability comes only from check_availability. - If two facts seem to conflict, do not choose one. Say you will have the team confirm. - If the caller quotes a price or policy that differs from the facts, do not agree and do not argue. Say you will have the team check it. - If the caller wants a web page, offer to text the link with send_text instead of reading it out. Example: "I don't want to guess on that one. I can have someone from the office call you back with the answer. Would that help?" Never: claim you looked something up when you did not, give medical, legal or financial advice, or promise a callback time that is not given in this prompt.

Fill in these brackets

[BUSINESS_NAME]e.g. Brightside Family Dental
[KNOWLEDGE_BASE]Paste the business facts and approved FAQ entries, or write 'the Business Facts section above' if they are already in the prompt
[CALLBACK_PROMISE]e.g. someone from the team will call you back the same business day

Pro tip

Before launch, ask the agent five questions the facts do not answer, such as parking, weekend hours or a brand the business does not carry. If it answers any of them with confidence, add the missing fact or tighten the rule before a real caller hears the guess.

Variation

For website chat, let the agent share the matching page link from the facts as a clickable link when the answer needs more than two sentences.

Test this prompt with a few practice calls before real callers hear it. Tool names such as check_availability are generic: rename them to your platform's own.

Want 14 more like this, free?

Get the AI Receptionist Starter Pack: 15 recipes for the base prompt, greetings, booking, pricing questions, transfers and guardrails.

More free recipes: "How Much Does It Cost?" Without Making Up Prices · Build the FAQ List From Real Calls

No spam. Confirm your email with one click and the PDF is yours.

Need the whole set? The AI Receptionist Cookbook has 100 recipes for $27.