What should I do when my business information changes?

When your business information changes, update the source that your AI agent relies on.

Examples include:

• Prices
• Policies
• Product details
• Inventory
• Opening hours
• Appointment availability
• Service information
• Contact details
• Business rules
• Links
• Customer instructions

The safest approach is:

Update the source of truth → Check related settings → Test → Publish or verify

Start with the source of truth

Before changing anything, ask:

Where does this information currently live?

For example:

• Policy → Article, Document, or PDF
• Price → Data File or Product
• Availability → Calendar
• Product description → Product
• Business rule → AI Instructions
• Current public information → Live Web Search

Update the authoritative source first.

Avoid changing the same fact in several places

If the same information appears in multiple sources, it can become inconsistent.

For example, a price may exist in:

• A Product
• A spreadsheet
• A PDF
• AI Instructions

If one source changes and the others do not, the AI agent may return conflicting information.

Where possible, keep one clear source of truth.

Updating a policy

If a business policy changes, update the written knowledge source that contains it.

This may be:

• An Article
• A Word document
• A PDF
• Another written source used by Document Search

For example, if the cancellation period changes from 24 hours to 48 hours:

1. Update the policy source
2. Remove or update conflicting old versions
3. Check AI Instructions for references to the old rule
4. Test cancellation questions
5. Publish or verify the latest version

Updating prices

Price changes may affect several parts of AskHandle.

Check whether the price is stored in:

• Products
• Data Files
• Calculations
• Articles
• Documents

Update the source that actually controls the customer-facing answer.

For example:

Product Card price

Update the Product.

Structured price lookup

Update the Data File.

Formula-based price

Update the relevant Calculation inputs or formula.

Pricing explanation

Update the relevant Article or document.

Updating Products

When a product or service changes, review:

• Name
• Description
• Price
• Photos
• Options
• Option-specific pricing
• Category
• Link
• Button label

If the Product is no longer available, remove or update it so the AI agent does not continue showing outdated information.

Updating inventory or structured records

When inventory, customer records, rates, or lookup tables change, update the relevant Data File.

Then verify:

• New records are present
• Removed records are gone
• Values are current
• Column names are still correct
• Join keys still match
• Related datasets still work

Test Data Search against known records.

Updating business hours

First decide what type of hours changed.

Public opening hours

If they are stored as business knowledge, update the relevant Article or document.

If the AI agent should retrieve current public hours from a website, review Live Web Search behavior.

Appointment availability

Update Calendar.

Do not maintain appointment availability in a document when Calendar is the source of truth.

Updating Calendar availability

Review:

• Weekly hours
• Timezone
• Appointment length
• Gaps between appointments
• Time-slot capacity
• Minimum booking notice
• Booking window
• Open for appointments

Then test AI Answer with Scheduling enabled.

Updating contact details

Contact information may appear in several places.

Check:

• Articles
• Documents
• AI Instructions
• Product links
• Calendar alerts
• Human Handoff configuration

Examples include:

• Email address
• Phone number
• Support contact
• Sales contact
• Location information

Make sure old contact details are removed where they are no longer valid.

Updating links

Links can exist in:

• Products
• Articles
• Documents
• Customer instructions

Examples include:

• Product page
• Booking page
• Support page
• Checkout page
• Property page
• External resource

Test the updated destination after changing the link.

Updating AI Instructions

Use AI Instructions when the business rule or behavior changes.

For example:

Old rule:

Ask every customer for their location.

New rule:

Ask for location only when the answer depends on it.

Update the instruction and then test realistic conversations.

Updating escalation rules

If your Human Handoff policy changes, update:

• AI Instructions
• Router behavior
• Human Handoff configuration
• Any intake flow before the handoff

For example, if refund requests must now always go to a person, make sure the workflow reflects that rule consistently.

Updating what your AI agent can do

When you add or remove a capability, review both configuration and instructions.

Examples include:

• Add Scheduling
• Remove Live Web Search
• Add Product Cards
• Add Calculations
• Change Human Handoff behavior

After making the change, test both:

• Requests that should use the capability
• Requests that should not use it

Updating public information

If information changes frequently and is publicly available, consider whether it should be retrieved through Live Web Search instead of maintained manually.

Examples include:

• Weather
• Events
• Public travel information
• Current opening hours from approved websites

Do not manually maintain fast-changing public information if a live source is more appropriate.

Updating Articles

If the information is stored in an Article:

1. Open the Article
2. Edit the content
3. Review the changes
4. Publish the updated Article
5. Test Document Search if the Article is used there

Remember that published Articles are public.

Updating uploaded documents

If the source is an uploaded file, replace or update the file used by the AI agent.

Then check:

• The new source is ready
• The old version is no longer active if it conflicts
• Document Search points to the intended source
• The updated answer is returned correctly

Remove outdated sources

Updating a new source is not enough if an old conflicting source remains active.

For example:

Old PDF

Returns accepted within 30 days.

New Article

Returns accepted within 14 days.

If both remain available, the AI agent may encounter conflicting information.

Remove or retire outdated knowledge when appropriate.

Check related sources

A business change can affect more than one system.

For example, a new service price might also require changes to:

• Product Card
• Data File
• Calculation
• Article
• Sales instructions

Think through the full customer journey.

Example: service price change

Suppose a service changes from $99 to $119.

Check:

1. Is the price shown in Products?
2. Is it stored in Data Search?
3. Is it part of a calculation?
4. Is it written in an Article or PDF?
5. Do AI Instructions mention the old amount?

Update the source of truth and remove outdated references.

Then test the customer questions that depend on the price.

Example: new opening hours

A location changes from:

9 AM–5 PM

to:

8 AM–6 PM

Check:

• Public Article
• Uploaded guide
• Live Web Search restrictions
• Calendar if appointment hours also changed

If customer-facing hours and appointment hours are different, keep those distinctions clear.

Example: service is discontinued

If a service is no longer offered:

• Remove or update the Product
• Remove it from Data Files
• Update written knowledge
• Update Router paths if needed
• Remove related skill instructions
• Test requests for the old service

The AI agent should not continue offering something that no longer exists.

Example: new business location

Adding a location may require updates to:

• Articles
• Data Files
• Products
• Calendar
• Router
• AI Instructions
• Human Handoff
• Live Web Search source restrictions

Think about what information is location-specific.

Check for location-specific information

When one location changes, do not accidentally update information that applies to all locations.

For example:

The Manhattan location closes at 7 PM.

should not become:

We close at 7 PM.

if other locations have different hours.

Keep location context explicit.

Check for temporary changes

Some changes are permanent.

Others are temporary.

Examples:

• Holiday hours
• Temporary closure
• Short-term promotion
• Seasonal service
• Staff availability

For temporary information, make sure you know when it should be removed or changed back.

Re-test after important business changes

After updating business information, test the questions customers are likely to ask.

For example:

• “How much does this cost?”
• “What is your cancellation policy?”
• “Are you open Saturday?”
• “Can I book tomorrow?”
• “Is this product still available?”

Compare the AI response with the updated source.

Test a fresh conversation

Start a new conversation after major changes.

Old conversation context may contain outdated information.

A fresh conversation helps confirm the AI agent is using the current configuration.

Publish when workflow changes are involved

Some business-information updates may also require workflow changes.

For example:

• New route
• New skill
• Updated instructions
• New handoff rule

After testing, publish the updated AI agent so customers use the latest workflow.

Create a simple maintenance routine

For important AI agents, review business information regularly.

You may want to check:

• Policies
• Prices
• Products
• Files
• Articles
• Data Files
• Calendar
• AI Instructions
• Links
• Contact information

The right frequency depends on how often your business changes.

A practical update checklist

When information changes:

1. Identify the source of truth
2. Update that source
3. Remove outdated or conflicting versions
4. Check related configuration
5. Test the affected customer questions
6. Publish if workflow changes were made
7. Verify in a fresh conversation

Tips for keeping business information current

• Keep one clear source of truth where possible.
• Do not duplicate important facts unnecessarily.
• Update structured data when exact values change.
• Update Products when customer-facing offerings change.
• Use Calendar for appointment availability.
• Use AI Instructions for behavior and business rules.
• Remove outdated documents and Articles when they conflict.
• Review temporary changes when they expire.
• Test after important updates.
• Verify the live experience from a fresh conversation.

Related guides

For more information, see:

• How should I organize my knowledge in AskHandle?
• How do I update an AI agent after it is already live?
• Why isn't my AI agent finding the right answer?
• How should I test my AI agent before publishing?
• What are Articles?
• How do I create and use Products?
• How do I set up and use Calendar?