A practical starting point
Work through these checks in order. Use the results to decide what needs to change in your own workflow.
- Define how unsupported questions are recognized and handled.
- Explain what information is missing without pretending certainty.
- Offer an escalation route or a request for clarification.
A question about an unannounced service should be routed to its owner rather than answered from similar historical offerings.
A mistake to avoid
Do not force the model to produce a definitive answer for every input.
How to check progress
Track unanswered-question categories to guide legitimate knowledge improvements.
Your action checklist
Use this checklist while reviewing your own setup. Checkmarks are temporary and stay in this open page.
Need the wider workflow?
This quick note covers one decision. For a worked example, decision table and a fuller implementation workflow, read When retrieval is the right addition to an AI assistant.
Further reading
Official background resources for this topic. The workflow above is general guidance, not a guarantee of a particular result.
AI-assisted editorial content. Examples are illustrative, not client case studies. Read our editorial policy or report a correction.
