Knowledge Base Assistant
Answers from your own documents, with sources.
Knowledge Base Assistant
Productivity & Projects
- RuleDone:
You pick the folders it may read.
- RuleDone:
It indexes them and keeps them up to date.
- RuleDone:
A staff member asks in Slack or Teams.
- RuleDone:
It finds passages the person is allowed to see.
- RuleDone:
It answers with a source for every fact.
- RuleWaiting for approval:Waiting for you
Unanswered questions go to a gaps list.
For example: A 120-person manufacturing company connects its HR and purchasing folders.
Waiting for you. Nothing has changed yet.
Review for important actions. Customer-facing and record-changing actions are reviewed first.
What is Knowledge Base Assistant?
In shortKnowledge Base Assistant is an AI automation for Productivity & Projects teams that works with Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint and Slack. Staff ask in Slack or Teams and get answers from approved company documents in seconds, with source links. It says "I don't know" when unsure. It is built for operations heads, HR heads and support leads and content owners.
Last reviewed
Key facts
- Department
- Productivity & Projects
- Starts when
- Someone asks a question in Slack, Teams, the web widget or the API
- Works with
- Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, Slack
- Run modes offered
- Shadow, Draft, Assisted and Auto
- Human control
- Review for important actions
- Status
- Available now
The problem today
The same 50–200 questions, like the leave policy or how to raise a PO, are asked again and again in chat. Today: a senior person spends 3–6 hours a week answering them, and wrong answers come from old PDFs.
What it does
It keeps an index of the folders you approve in Google Drive or SharePoint, and respects who can see each file. When someone asks, it finds the right passages and writes a short answer where every fact cites a source. If the documents do not hold the answer, it says so, shares a contact and logs the gap for content owners. Other Charviam automations can use the same approved knowledge.
How does Knowledge Base Assistant work?
How it works- Rule you set
- AI step
- A person decides
- Step 1Rule
You pick the folders it may read.
- Step 2Rule
It indexes them and keeps them up to date.
- Step 3Rule
A staff member asks in Slack or Teams.
- Step 4Rule
It finds passages the person is allowed to see.
- Step 5Rule
It answers with a source for every fact.
- Step 6Rule
Unanswered questions go to a gaps list.
What you get
Key features- Source link for every factual sentence
- Honest "I don't know" with an escalation contact
- File permissions respected for every answer
- Index updates every 15 minutes, plus a nightly check
- Reads Docs, Sheets, Slides, PDF, Word, PowerPoint and more
- Weekly gaps digest for content owners
- Personal data screened out of the index
How much does it do on its own?
Run modesPick a mode to see what Knowledge Base Assistant would do at each step.
Every automation starts in Shadow. Move it up when you are ready, and back down at any time. How run modes work
Knowledge Base Assistant in Shadow
Runs on real data and shows what it would have done. No app is changed and no message is sent.
- Rule
You pick the folders it may read.
Watches for it
- Rule
It indexes them and keeps them up to date.
Runs on real data, read only
- Rule
A staff member asks in Slack or Teams.
Runs on real data, read only
- Rule
It finds passages the person is allowed to see.
Runs on real data, read only
- Rule
It answers with a source for every fact.
Runs on real data, read only
- Rule
Unanswered questions go to a gaps list.
Shown to you as a suggestion
Shadow vs Auto for Knowledge Base Assistant
Auto is the most it can do on its own. Here is each step side by side.
| Step | Shadow | Auto |
|---|---|---|
| In short | Runs on real data and shows what it would have done. No app is changed and no message is sent. | Runs without approval, with limits, alerts and a kill switch. Unlocks after a trial period in Assisted. |
| Step 1You pick the folders it may read. | Watches for it | Runs on its own within your limits |
| Step 2It indexes them and keeps them up to date. | Runs on real data, read only | Runs on its own within your limits |
| Step 3A staff member asks in Slack or Teams. | Runs on real data, read only | Runs on its own within your limits |
| Step 4It finds passages the person is allowed to see. | Runs on real data, read only | Runs on its own within your limits |
| Step 5It answers with a source for every fact. | Runs on real data, read only | Runs on its own within your limits |
| Step 6Unanswered questions go to a gaps list. | Shown to you as a suggestion | Runs on its own within your limits |
| True in every mode | Never answers without a retrieved source or from general web knowledge. | |
What it will never do on its own
Safety & human control- Never answers without a retrieved source or from general web knowledge.
- Never shows a document to someone who can't open it.
- Refuses questions about a named person's salary, health or performance.
- Harassment, grievance and whistleblower questions get the HR contact only.
- The public widget always needs an agent's approval, in every mode.
- You approve before it acts
- Your data stays yours
- It knows its limits
- Stop anytime
What will you see on your dashboard?
Results you can trackTargets are quality goals the automation is built to reach. Estimates are calculated from your own volumes.
- Tracked
Questions answered without a human
Measured on your own data
- Estimate
Hours saved (answers × minutes per question, default 6)
Worked out from your own volumes
- Tracked
Top 20 unanswered topics
Measured on your own data
- Target
Helpful rate (target ≥ 75% thumbs-up)
A goal it is built to reach
- Tracked
Stale documents count
Measured on your own data
- Target
Citation validity: target 100%
A goal it is built to reach
- Target
Correct "I don't know": target ≥ 95%
A goal it is built to reach
- Target
Permission leaks: target 0
A goal it is built to reach
A 120-person manufacturing company connects its HR and purchasing folders. A new hire asks in Slack, "How do I raise a PO above ₹5 lakh?" and gets the three steps with a link to the purchase policy. A question about a colleague's salary is politely refused.
Who is Knowledge Base Assistant for?
- Operations heads
- HR heads
- Support leads and content owners
Industries: Any industry, SaaS & tech, Professional services, Healthcare & clinics, Education & training, Manufacturing & distribution
Also useful for: HR & Recruiting, Customer Support & Success
Connects to the apps you already use
Works withApp names are trademarks of their owners. Charviam connects to them; it is not a partner or reseller.
- Google Drive
- Microsoft Teams
- SharePoint
- Slack
Better together
Automations that hand work to Knowledge Base Assistant, or pick up where it stops.
What do you need to set it up?
Setup- Connect Google Drive or SharePoint and pick the folders
- Mark which collections are safe for customer-facing use
- Connect Slack or Teams
- Set the escalation and HR contacts and escalation keywords
- Choose 2–3 experts to approve answers during the pilot
Typical setup
- 01Connect your apps
- 02Configure the rules
- 03Run a watch-only trial
- 04Go live
Not included
- Writing or editing your documents
- Answering from the open web
- Personal data lookups (salary, leave balance)
Questions about Knowledge Base Assistant
FAQSee Knowledge Base Assistant on your own data
WalkthroughIt starts in Shadow, where it only watches and suggests, so nothing changes in your apps until you say so.