How can I answer customer questions automatically using my website content?

Why answering customer questions automatically matters

Many businesses receive the same questions repeatedly, such as questions about products, services, policies, or documentation. Manually responding to these questions can slow down response times and increase support workload.

By answering questions automatically, businesses can provide consistent information, reduce delays, and allow customers to find answers on their own.

How automatic answering works

Automatic answering works by retrieving relevant information from your website content and using it to generate responses. The system does not rely on general knowledge or public data. Instead, it answers questions strictly from the content you provide.

This approach is described in more detail in how Chatref works and is based on retrieval-augmented generation, which limits answers to known information rather than assumptions.

Step-by-step: answering customer questions automatically

Step 1: Use your existing website content

The process starts with the content already available on your website. This can include landing pages, documentation, help articles, and FAQs. No changes are required to how the content is written.

This content forms the source of truth for the chatbot, similar to the setup described when adding an AI chatbot to a website.

Step 2: Make the content searchable

Once connected, the content is structured so specific sections can be found when a question is asked. This makes it possible to match user questions with the most relevant parts of the website.

This retrieval-based approach is explained further in why retrieval-augmented generation is used.

Step 3: Customers ask questions in natural language

Customers can ask questions using everyday language, without navigating menus or search fields. Questions can be specific or broad, depending on what the website content covers.

This experience is often described as letting customers chat with a knowledge base instead of browsing multiple pages.

Step 4: Relevant answers are generated

When a question is asked, the system retrieves the most relevant sections of the website content and generates an answer based only on that information. Irrelevant content is ignored.

This approach differs from general chat systems often compared on the comparison page, which may generate answers without checking a specific source.

How accuracy is maintained

Answers are generated only after relevant content is found. If the website does not contain the information needed to answer a question, the system does not guess or invent details. This behavior prioritizes reliability and is discussed further in the FAQ.

Where this approach is commonly used

Automatically answering customer questions is commonly used on:

• Business and marketing websites
• SaaS product pages
• Help and support centers
• Internal knowledge portals

It works best when the website content is clear and up to date.

What happens when an answer is not available?

If the website content does not include the requested information, the system responds by indicating that the answer is not available. It does not attempt to infer or generate speculative responses.

This ensures users receive accurate information and understand the limits of the available content.

Summary

Customer questions can be answered automatically by connecting existing website content, retrieving relevant information when a question is asked, and generating responses strictly from that content. This approach improves response speed, reduces repetitive support work, and maintains accuracy without hallucinations.