FAQ pairs
FAQ pairs let you add specific questions and their exact answers directly to the knowledge base. Use them when you want Costello to answer a particular question in a specific way — word for word.
When to use FAQ pairs
FAQ pairs are most useful for:
- Common questions your team always gets — "Do you offer a free consultation?", "Is parking available?", "Do you take walk-ins?"
- Questions your other sources don't cover well — if your website doesn't mention something, a FAQ pair is the quickest fix.
- Questions that need a precise, consistent answer — special offers, booking policies, deposit requirements.
- Overriding something from a file or crawl — if a file is mostly right but has one wrong answer, a FAQ pair for that specific question takes precedence.
How to add a FAQ pair
- In Costello, open Knowledge Base → FAQ pairs.
- Click Add pair.
- Write the question as a customer would ask it (e.g. "Do you offer 0% finance?").
- Write the answer in full (e.g. "Yes — we offer Payl8r financing on treatments over £200. Ask us in clinic for details.").
- Click Save.
Costello retrains automatically after saving. The new answer is live within a few minutes.
Writing good questions
Write the question the way a customer would phrase it — not the way you'd write it in a brochure. If your customers ask "Can I bring my baby?", write that. Not "Are infants permitted on the premises?".
You can add multiple variations of the same question as separate pairs. If you've noticed customers phrasing things differently ("Do you have parking?" vs "Is there parking nearby?"), adding both helps Costello match either wording.
Writing good answers
Keep answers short and direct. Costello will weave the answer into a natural reply; you don't need to write it as a complete sentence (though you can).
Good:
Yes, we offer Payl8r financing on treatments over £200.
Also good:
Yes — free parking on-site, spaces behind the clinic.
Avoid:
We are delighted to inform you that our clinic does indeed offer a range of flexible payment options including Payl8r…
If an answer includes a URL (e.g. a booking link), paste the full URL. Costello will include it in the reply.
How many pairs do I need?
Start with your 10 most frequently asked questions. Most clinics cover 80% of common queries with 10–20 well-written pairs.
You don't need to anticipate every possible question — your files, website crawl, and structured opening hours handle the bulk of the knowledge base. FAQ pairs fill the gaps.
Editing and deleting pairs
Click any existing pair to edit the question or answer. Changes take effect after the next retrain (a few minutes).
To delete a pair, open it and click Delete. The question will no longer be answered using that pair; Costello will fall back to other sources or say it doesn't know.
Next steps
Still stuck? Submit a case →