Q&A Pairs and Tuning in Studio
Q&A Pairs and Tuning
Q&A pairs give an exact answer to a specific question. Tuning gives the bot simple instructions about how to answer. Both live in Studio under Advanced. Most bots need few or none of either, because most answers should come from your knowledge sources.
When Should I Use A Q&A Pair?
Use a Q&A pair when one specific question must always get the same answer, word for word. For example:
- An answer to a preset question button
- A legal or compliance statement
- A policy where the exact wording matters
When a visitor's question matches a Q&A pair, the bot returns your stored answer exactly as written. The AI doesn't rephrase it.
A question matches when the visitor's message contains your question's wording, or asks almost exactly the same thing in slightly different words.
How Do I Add A Q&A Pair?
- Go to Advanced → Q&A and choose Add Q&A.
- Enter the Question, for example "What are your business hours?"
- Enter the Answer the bot should give. You can use markdown:
**bold**,*italic*, lists, and[links](https://…). - Save.
You can edit or delete a pair at any time.
What Should I Watch Out For With Q&A Pairs?
- Q&A pairs answer first. If a pair matches, the bot uses it instead of your knowledge sources. If an answer seems stuck on old wording, check your Q&A pairs.
- Keep questions specific. A very short question, like "hours", can match messages that only happen to contain that word.
- Keep them current. A Q&A answer doesn't update when you change your authoritative text or website. Update both.
Why Don't I See Every Q&A Pair In Studio?
Studio shows the simple Q&A pairs you manage yourself. If our team set up more advanced pairs for your bot, such as ones that match a pattern like an order number or pull a live answer from your systems, those don't appear in your Studio list. If an answer seems to come from somewhere you can't find, contact us.
Can I Add Clickable Buttons To An Answer?
Yes. Put text in double square brackets inside an answer, and it shows as a clickable button in the chat:
[[Book a call]]shows a button that sends "Book a call" when clicked.[[Book a call:I want to book a call]]shows "Book a call" but sends "I want to book a call".
This is most reliable in Q&A answers, because they're returned word for word.
What Is Tuning?
Your bot already includes standard instructions, so most bots don't need tuning. Use Advanced → Tuning for short, special instructions, such as:
- "Be extra warm and patient."
- "Ask one follow-up question before answering."
- "Never discuss price."
Tuning has room for up to 6,000 characters.
What Can't Tuning Do?
Tuning is instructions only. It doesn't connect to your systems, call an API, look up data, or run a multi-step workflow. For those, see MCP Gateway and talk to our team.
Put facts in your authoritative text, not in tuning. Tuning is for how the bot answers; authoritative text is for what is true.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make my Authava bot give the exact same answer every time?
Add a Q&A pair in Studio under Advanced → Q&A. When a visitor's question matches, the bot returns your answer word for word.
Why is my bot ignoring a change I made to my knowledge?
A Q&A pair may be matching the question first. Check Advanced → Q&A for a pair covering that question and update or delete it.
Should I put my business facts in Tuning?
No. Put facts in Configure → Knowledge → Authoritative Text. Use Tuning only for instructions about tone and behavior.
Can Tuning connect my bot to another system?
No. Tuning doesn't call APIs or databases. Connecting to your systems is done through integrations our team sets up, such as the MCP Gateway.