Training Your Chatbot
Training is how your chatbot learns about your business. You add content in four ways, files, text snippets, website pages, and Q&A pairs, then retrain the agent so it can use them. This guide shows where to add each kind of content, the limits, and how saving and retraining work.
Where training lives
Open a chatbot and look at the left sidebar under Data Sources. You will see four screens: Files, Text Snippets, Website, and Q&A. Each one adds a different kind of content, and you can use any mix of them. On the right of every screen, a Data sources panel shows how much you have added and holds the Retrain Agent button.
If you created your chatbot from your website, you will already see some pages listed under Website. See creating a chatbot for how that works.
The four data sources
Here is what each source is best for and the limits that apply. Your plan sets how many of each you can add, and some size limits are fixed for everyone.
Files
Supported types: PDF, TXT, DOCX, XLSX. Up to 5MB per file.
Upload documents like manuals, product sheets, and policies. Drag files onto the upload box, or click to browse and pick them. Each file appears in a list with its type, size, and the date you added it, and you can remove any file you no longer need.
On some plans, file uploads are not included. If that is the case, you will see a prompt to upgrade. If you have used up your file allowance, you will see a note that the limit is reached.
Text snippets
A title plus up to 5000 characters of text per snippet.
Paste text straight into the dashboard. Give it a short title so you can find it later, then paste your content. This is handy for notes, short guides, or anything you do not have as a file.
Website pages
Add a page link one at a time, or fetch a whole website at once.
You have two options here. Paste a single page address and click Add to include just that page. Or click Fetch Website, enter a site address, and Inletbase crawls it and pulls in the pages for you. Both options count toward your plan's limit for website pages, so if a crawl finds more pages than your plan allows, Inletbase adds them up to your limit. Use Remove all to clear the list if you want to start over.
Q&A pairs
A question up to 200 characters and an answer up to 2000 characters.
Write a question and the exact answer you want the chatbot to give. This is the best choice when a reply needs to be worded a certain way, like pricing, refund rules, or anything with a fixed answer.
Saving your work and retraining
There are two separate actions, and it helps to know the difference:
- Save Changes (top of the page) saves your edits so they are not lost. On its own, saving does not change what the chatbot knows yet.
- Retrain Agent (in the Data sources panel) is what makes the chatbot actually learn from your latest content.
Whenever you add, edit, or remove content, Inletbase shows a reminder that says retraining is required for changes to apply. Click Retrain Agent when you are ready, and the chatbot updates to use your new content.
What happens during training
When you retrain, Inletbase reads all your content, breaks it into small pieces, and turns those pieces into something the chatbot can search quickly. While this runs, the chatbot status shows training and you will see a progress note. You can safely leave the page while it works. When it finishes, the status returns to active.
The Data sources panel also shows a running count of your files, text snippets, links, and Q&A pairs, along with the total size, so you can see at a glance how much the chatbot has to work with.
If training fails
If something goes wrong, the status changes to error and a message explains that training failed. This usually means one of your sources could not be read, for example a file that is not valid or a web page that cannot be reached. Check your files and links, remove anything that looks broken, and click Retrain Agent to try again.
Tips for good training data
- Keep content clear and to the point. Short, focused pages are easier for the chatbot to use.
- Use Q&A pairs for answers that must be worded exactly.
- Remove old or duplicate content so the chatbot does not mix up its answers.
- Check Knowledge Gaps to see the questions your chatbot could not answer, then add content to cover them.
Next steps
Once your chatbot is trained, try it out and shape how it responds:
- Test it in the playground and set its instructions.
- Customize the chat widget to match your brand.
- Deploy it to your website when you are happy with the answers.
Frequently asked questions
What file types can I upload to train my chatbot?
PDF, TXT, DOCX, and XLSX files, up to 5MB each. These are good for manuals, guides, policies, and spreadsheets.
Do my changes take effect right away?
No. First save your edits, then click Retrain Agent so the chatbot learns them. Inletbase shows a reminder when a retrain is needed.
Why can I not upload files?
Two common reasons. Your plan may not include file uploads, in which case you will see a prompt to upgrade. Or you have reached the file limit for this chatbot.
How much content can I add?
Your plan sets how many files, text snippets, website pages, and Q&A pairs you can add. Some size limits are fixed: files are up to 5MB, a text snippet holds up to 5000 characters, and a Q&A answer holds up to 2000 characters.
What happens while the chatbot is training?
Inletbase reads your content, breaks it into small pieces, and turns it into something the chatbot can search. The status shows training while this runs, then active when it is done, or error if something went wrong.