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Module 02 — Practical AI for everyday work

Build your answer bank

You'll collect the questions customers actually ask and turn them into approved answers that your whole team — and any AI tool — can reuse.

  • 4 min read + 30 min exercise
  • Lesson 3 of 3
  • Free · No sign-up

The problem

The same twenty questions arrive every week, and every week someone answers them from scratch — a little differently each time. One person quotes last year's price. Another forgets the cancellation rule. The customer notices.

Why it matters

The answer bank is the most reusable thing you'll build in this course. Your first replies (lesson 4.2), your saved replies (lesson 5.2), any AI assistant and your weekly posts (lesson 6.3) all draw from it. Keep one bank current and every channel improves at once.

1 The method: collect, approve, maintain

  1. CollectReal questions, in the customer's own words — not the ones you imagine.
  2. ApproveOne correct answer per question, checked by whoever owns the facts.
  3. MaintainA date on every answer and a 15-minute review each month.

2 Step by step

  1. Collect 30 real questions

    Search your email, texts and messages from the last 60 days. Copy every question a customer asked, word for word. Don't tidy them up yet.

  2. Group them into topics

    “How much for a 2-bed?” and “what do you charge?” are the same topic: price. Most businesses end up with 10 to 20 topics. Keep two or three of the customer's phrasings for each — they help people and AI recognize the question.

  3. Draft the answers from your facts sheet

    Use the prompt below with the facts sheet from lesson 2.1. The AI drafts; it doesn't decide.

  4. Approve every answer

    Read each draft against reality. Correct it, shorten it, and mark it approved with today's date. If the answer depends on judgment — refunds, exceptions — write “Person decides” instead of an answer.

  5. Put it where replies happen

    A shared doc or spreadsheet that everyone can open from a phone. Lesson 5.2 turns the top answers into one-tap saved replies.

  6. Review it monthly

    Prices and policies change. Fifteen minutes on the first Monday of the month: update, re-date, and add the new questions that came in.

Example · illustrative

The cleaning company's first five topics

TopicApproved answerCustomers ask
PriceA standard clean for a 2-bedroom is $140. Deep cleans are quoted from a few photos.“How much for a 2-bed?”
DaysWe clean Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.“Do you work Saturdays?”
SuppliesWe bring everything. Tell us if you prefer specific products.“Do I need to buy anything?”
ChangesFree changes up to 24 hours before. Later: person decides.“Can I move my booking?”
PetsNo problem — let us know so we can plan around them.“I have a dog, is that OK?”

Five answers covered more than half of their weekly messages. The late-change rule stayed with the owner on purpose: it's a judgment call.

Your exercise · about 30 minutes

Build version 1 of your answer bank

Template · Answer bank
TOPIC | HOW CUSTOMERS ASK IT (2–3 phrasings) | APPROVED ANSWER (1–2 sentences) | LONGER ANSWER OR LINK | OWNER | LAST CHECKED
Price |  |  |  |  |
Availability |  |  |  |  |
How to book or buy |  |  |  |  |
What's included |  |  |  |  |
Payment |  |  |  |  |
Changes & cancellations |  |  |  |  |
Area served |  |  |  |  |
[your topic] |  |  |  |  |
Prompt · Draft answers from my facts
Below are my facts sheet and a list of real customer questions.
For each question:
1) name the topic in 1–3 words,
2) write a short answer (max 2 sentences) using ONLY the facts sheet,
3) if the facts sheet doesn't cover it, write [PERSON DECIDES] or [CHECK: what's missing].
Group questions with the same topic. Output a table: Topic | Customers' words | Short answer.

FACTS SHEET: [paste]
QUESTIONS: [paste the 30 questions]

Answer it once. Approve it. Reuse it everywhere.

Your next action

Send the answer bank link to everyone who replies to customers, with one instruction: check it before typing from memory.