FAQs: Training your AI
Contents:
Training success
Q. How can I create the best AI version of myself?
A. There are a few preparatory steps that will help you make an awesome AI.
- Define your approach - Think about what style of coach or mentor you'd like your AI to be. Get clear on how you want your AI to help your audience and you. If you're unsure about your AI use case, take our quick quiz to help you decide. Then define your mission!
Template mission statement:
"I'm creating [name] to [value it will add] for [your ideal customer profile], with the purpose of [goals for your business]."
- Select your best content - Gather together your most helpful and relevant existing content. Focus on materials that share your wisdom, convey your unique approach, and help solve your clients' specific problems. As you work through the training rooms, you'll see where to add all this brilliant information!
- Clear some time - It doesn't take long to make your AI. You could be completely set up within 60 minutes. But get intentional. Book a slot of time in your calendar, ready to get it done!
Q. What types of content work best for training my AI?
A. The best content for AI training includes articles, book chapters, website copy, blog posts, social media posts, course materials, podcast episodes, scripted videos and interviews.
It's best to avoid content with very complex information, data in tables, slides with lots of bullet points and images, or items in unusual formats, making them potentially challenging for AI to interpret.
Q. Should I make my AI less smart if I want it to generate leads and upsell coaching?
A. We believe you should always make your AI as smart and helpful as possible. Your AI will never be as knowledgeable or amazing as you. The more value people get from your AI for free, the more they'll want to work with the real you! Build reciprocity and trust, so people are more likely to take the next step to access your paid services.
That said, if you are planning to have two AIs, for example, one for lead gen and one for paid coaching, you might train the lead gen one with less knowledge than the other, so you have a natural upsell.
Q. I'd like to change the purpose of my AI from lead generation to providing value for my current clients. What steps should I take?
A. First, decide if you want to adjust your existing lead generation AI or whether you'd like to keep this and also train a second AI. If you'd like a second AI, let us know and we can add this.
If you want to adjust your existing AI, here are some suggested steps:
- Change the 'AI approach' in the style and tone room to 'Add maximum value' instead of 'Generate inquiries'.
- Review your AI's starter prompts in engagement and edit to reflect your current clients' common queries.
- Review any prompts and completions in your training data that might only be relevant to prospective enquirers, then edit or delete as relevant.
- Consider whether there's any other information you could train your AI on to make it as helpful as possible for your clients.
Knowledge
Q. What are the different ways I can add training data to my AI?
A. There are three ways to add training data to your AI:
- Upload documents to knowledge upload - This automatically generates prompt and completion pairs from your content. It's ideal for quickly adding large amounts of information from PDFs, Word documents, or text files. Note: the documents themselves are not stored, just the generated P&Cs.
- Upload a CSV file to your training data - If you've prepared a spreadsheet of prompts and completions, you can upload this directly to your training data. This can give you more control over your AI's data, as you can edit it first.
- Manually add to your training data - You can add and edit individual prompt and completion pairs one at a time in the training data room. This is perfect for filling specific gaps or adding particular questions and answers. You can also add P&Cs when reviewing client chats.
You could do all your training very efficiently using method 1, but for best results, use a combination of these methods to build comprehensive training data.
Q. What's the difference between the 'knowledge upload' and 'training data' rooms?
A. Knowledge upload is where you upload documents with your content and Coachvox automatically turns these into prompt and completion (P&C) pairs. You can upload PDFs, Word docs, or text files. Training data is more for reference. This is where you see those generated prompts and completions. You can also upload a CSV file of pre-prepared P&Cs here and make manual edits and additions.
Q. How can I ensure my AI formats its answers in the best way?
A. Your AI supports standard text formatting, including bold, italics, bullet points and numbering. You can include examples in your training data demonstrating the formatting you'd like to use. However, this isn't essential as your AI will present all its answers in the best way possible.
Q. Will my AI draw on other knowledge in addition to the data I've uploaded to respond?
A. Yes, its default is to use your training data and to also draw on its wider AI knowledge and communication skills to be as helpful as possible.
Q: Can my AI search the internet?
A: We use AI technology that's trained on data available on the internet and much more. However, it can't specifically search the internet live to gather real-time or very recent news, updates and information. Maybe think of your AI as a supportive mentor, rather than a search engine.
Q. Can I restrict my AI to only use my training data?
A. Yes, you can toggle on "use only my training data" in the engagement training room. Most of the time, it's better to leave this off, but it may be relevant in particular situations. For example, if your AI is trained on highly specific approaches and opinions, particularly if these differ from popular ones. If you wish to select this setting, make sure you've fully trained your AI first. Otherwise, it may not have enough training data to do this effectively.
Your AI will always aim to be helpful in your style, no matter what someone asks. But this setting will keep it focused on your topics!
Q. I'm concerned about my AI answering questions I haven't trained it for. How can I minimise my concerns?
A. Your AI will always try to be helpful no matter what someone asks, and we find our AIs generally handle unexpected questions pretty well! Here are some steps you can take:
- Test your AI yourself in the fine-tuning room with questions you haven't trained it on - have a bit of fun with it and be as challenging as you like!
- Add a disclaimer on your AI's share page or landing page.
- Tell your first users it's in alpha mode and ask for their feedback.
- Review client chats regularly and add training data for any questions your AI struggled to answer.
Q. How much training data do I need for a good AI?
A. Quality matters more than quantity. For most creators, around 500 prompt and completion pairs provide good coverage of their expertise. If you have multiple areas of expertise, aim for up to 3,000 pairs. This may sound like a lot, but they will rapidly increase as you upload documents using our knowledge upload tool.
We recommend keeping it under 5,000 pairs unless you have very specific requirements. Focus on training your AI on content that addresses your target audience's needs rather than uploading everything you've ever created.
Q. How many files can I upload to the knowledge upload room?
A. In a free trial period, this is limited to 30 files. This count includes any that have been deleted. If you want to begin your subscription early to lift the limit, just visit your settings page and click 'Graduate my trial now' under your plan details.
On a paid subscription, the upload limit is set to 100, but this can be increased whenever needed. Just get in contact, and we'll edit this.
Q. What's the maximum size for files I can upload?
A. Each file can contain up to 100,000 characters. If your document is longer than this, split it into smaller sections or chapters before uploading. This will help you with managing and reviewing the training data as you go.
Q. Can I view the documents I've uploaded to my AI?
A. The original files themselves are not stored, so you can't open or view them. The files are immediately turned into training data, and you see a log of the uploads for reference.
Q. How long can prompts and completions be?
A. Each combined prompt and completion pair in your training data can be up to 2,000 characters in total. This is to optimise your AI's performance. Your AI can actually give longer answers within the chat if relevant. Should a prompt and completion pair you're preparing or editing go over the character count, break the information into multiple shorter ones.
Q. Can my AI share files and links?
A. Your AI can't share files, but it can include links to web pages, online videos, file downloads and other resources within its text responses. Make sure to add the full links, including the https:// part, to your AI's training data.
Q. Do I need to generate a label for each prompt?
A. No, labels are optional. They're just for you to keep your data organised and help you find information later. Your AI doesn't infer meaning from them, so there's no need to add labels unless you find them helpful.
Q. Do I need to remove duplicate training data manually?
A. Your AI can handle some duplicate training lines. The main thing to avoid is duplicate prompts with contradictory answers. It's worth doing occasional spot checks when adding new items by searching for key terms to see what you already have on those topics.
Q. By training my model, am I also training other Coachvox AI models?
A. No, your model is completely discrete. The information you provide during training is used only for your model and is not used to instruct or develop any other Coachvox AI models. We may use your training data to help improve our processes and technology infrastructure to continue enhancing Coachvox AI as a product, but it won't be used for other AIs.
Q. What should I do if I have multiple different answers saved for the same starter prompt?
A. Your AI finds the closest match but doesn't prioritise between identical prompts. If you're happy with all the answers, that's fine. However, if some responses are outdated or no longer apply, remove these from your training data to avoid confusion.
Q. How do I train my AI to share multiple meeting booking/calendar links?
A. There are a few methods. As well as, or instead of, selecting to optimise your AI to 'Generate inquiries' in the AI approach section and adding one booking link here, train your AI to share different links in different scenarios. Here's a short video on this topic, with some prompts you can use to make some training data. Make sure the prompts and completions are specific enough for the AI to work out which link to share when.
Alternatively, you could add one booking link that goes to a page with a menu of options.
Q. How do I train my AI not to give guidance on specific topics?
A. There are a couple of ways to achieve this:
1 Train your AI on how you'd like it to reply if your audience asks questions on specific topics you don't want it to cover, which you know are likely to come up. Add some prompts with possible questions on these specific topics, and then add completions with responses such as “Sorry, I'm not trained to answer questions about [topic], but I can support you with [x,y,z].”
2 Set your AI to use only your content – Toggle on this option in your AI settings. Your AI should then say it's not trained on a topic when relevant, though it will always be as helpful as possible in your style.
Q. What happens if my AI gives incorrect information?
A. Neither you nor Coachvox are liable for any errors in AI responses. Users are informed that AI can make mistakes. We recommend adding a disclaimer next to your AI chat when placing this on your website.
Q. How do I delete training data?
A. To delete all the prompts and completions created by an uploaded document, head to knowledge upload, hover over the row for that file and click the 'X' button.
To delete just specific prompts and completions, head to training data, hover over a row, then click the 'X' button to delete that P&C pair. Or, select a number of rows with the tick box and then click the 'delete' button to remove them all at once.
Communication
Q. How do I get my AI to sound more like me?
A. To make your AI sound more authentically like you:
- Update your "personality and tone of voice" field within the style and tone training room with specific details about how you communicate. This has the second biggest influence on your AI's voice after your training data.
- Adjust the style sliders to match your coaching or mentoring approach.
- Add your common phrases, greetings and sign-offs in the conversation training room.
- Add a description of your coaching methodology in the engagement training room.
- Upload content where you're speaking naturally, such as interview transcripts or podcast episodes.
- Use fine-tuning to rate and edit responses, teaching your AI exactly how you'd phrase things.
- Review client chats and add particularly good examples to your training data.
Remember that getting your AI's voice right often takes several rounds of testing and refining.
Q. How do I set my AI to take a non-directive, coaching approach?
A. To create a non-directive coaching AI:
- Set the style slider towards the coaching side in the style and tone training room. You might also want to combine this with setting your AI's responses to be shorter.
- Include questions in your completions rather than just statements.
- Specifically, write that you take a non-directive approach in your "personality and tone of voice" field.
- Upload examples of coaching conversations showing your questioning technique.
Q. Can I train my AI to speak in languages other than English?
A. Yes! Your AI can communicate in more than 50 languages and will automatically respond in the language your client uses to start the conversation. For best results, upload some training materials in the languages you expect your clients to use.
The voice input feature also works in English, German, French and Spanish.
Additionally, you can set your AI to use British or American English spellings and grammar in the style & tone training room.
Q. Can I train my AI to give a custom welcome or onboarding experience?
A. There are a few ways you can create a tailored welcome experience:
- Add custom greetings to your conversation phrases.
- Add training data where the prompt is a user saying “hi [AI name]” and the response is your AI giving its welcome message.
- Create a specific landing page for your AI and add guidance on how clients can get the most from their conversations.
- Set up automated follow-up emails for new AI users by connecting your Coachvox account to your CRM/mailing system via Zapier, as explained here.
Fine tuning
Q. What's the best approach for fine-tuning sessions?
A. Focus on one topic area at a time and ask questions as your clients would, using the language and phrases they use when speaking with you. Start a fresh conversation at any point by clicking the 'new chat' arrow icon to test different scenarios.
Q. Is there any difference between rating a completion as 1, 2, 3 or 4 stars?
A. There is no difference in the fine-tuning room itself or for your AI's overall knowledge. Any rating lower than 5 stars will give you the option to edit the completion and save a new version. The difference in rating contributes to the overall training rating in your dashboard, which is just for you to track progress.
Q. How do I check my fine-tuning history?
A. Toggle on fine-tuning history to see the prompts and completions you've added through this method. Look for prompts where you've saved multiple different completions that might contradict each other, and remove any that are no longer relevant.
Q. Can I delete responses I've saved in fine-tuning?
A. Yes, any prompts and completions you add when fine-tuning will appear in your fine-tuning history, and you can delete them at any time.
Q. How often should I complete fine-tuning?
A. Return regularly to spot check your AI, especially after adding new training data or editing information and settings.
Training troubleshooting
Q. My AI is not responding as I'd like - what do I do?
A. If your AI isn't giving the responses you want, try these steps:
- Check you've clicked 'Save' at the bottom of the training data page - this is essential for updating your AI's knowledge after you've made any edits.
- Search your training data for similar phrases to check for gaps or conflicting information.
- Make sure you've trained your AI on your ideal answers to your starter prompts.
- Add more training data on the specific topics where your AI is struggling.
- Add or edit a description of your coaching methodology in the engagement training room.
- Use the fine-tuning room to test, rate and edit responses to teach your AI how to improve.
- Review your AI's style and tone settings to make sure they match your desired approach.
- Look at your conversation training room to update your conversation phrases.
For specific topics, you can also add examples directly from client chats to your training data.
Q. I can't upload my book, the system says it's too long. What should I do?
A. We recommend uploading one or a few chapters at a time. Not only does this make it possible to upload, but it also makes it easier for you to review the training data produced by each part.
Q. If a document gets stuck in 'processing' in knowledge upload, what should I do?
A. The system will try uploading the document for 1 hour. If it's still not processed after this time, hover over the file and click the 'X' button to delete it, then try again. If it fails on further attempts, contact us, sharing any error messages you see, and we'll look into it. (Note: You will need to wait up to 1 hour until the deletion option appears.)
Q. Why won't my CSV file upload?
A. Check where you are trying to upload the file. CSV files of prepared prompts and completions need uploading directly to your training data room, rather than knowledge upload like other documents.
Q. When I upload a CSV file to my training data, I get a message saying the prompt/completion field is missing.
A. Check your spreadsheet. If there are any rows above the column labels, remove these. Retype each column label (prompt, completion, labels) and resave as a CSV. Then try uploading it again.
Q. I'm seeing incorrect symbols in my CSV file of P&Cs. How do I fix this?
A. If you're seeing odd characters like ô, Äô, or ? instead of punctuation marks, the issue is usually due to character encoding. CSV files need to be saved using UTF-8 encoding to display special characters correctly. Here's how to fix this:
On a Mac: Open the CSV file in Numbers. Go to File > Export To > CSV. Save the file (Numbers automatically saves in UTF-8)
On Windows (Excel): Open Excel and go to Data > Get Data > From File > From Text/CSV. Select your file and choose 65001: Unicode (UTF-8) as the file origin if prompted. Load the data.
This ensures special characters display properly.
Q. My AI is sharing an incorrect link (URL) repeatedly. How do I stop this?
A. If the AI keeps sharing an incorrect link, it indicates that it must be there somewhere in the data. Resolving this is just a case of tracking it down, then editing or deleting it. Search in these two places:
- Training data – Type all or part of the URL into the search bar, or export the data and search the CSV file. If the link appears here, either edit the completion to update it with your preferred link or remove the entire prompt and completion row completely.
- Fine-tuning – Toggle on fine-tuning history and again search for the URL to check if any completions contain the incorrect link. If it appears here, delete the row (fine-tuning history entries can’t be edited). If you’d like your AI to share an alternative link instead, add this manually to your training data.
This should ensure your AI no longer uses the outdated link and always directs people to the right place 🙂
Next steps
Q. How do I know when my AI is trained and ready to share?
A. Your dashboard includes a readiness score that shows how prepared your AI is to represent your style and knowledge. This is calculated based on the amount of training data you've uploaded and how complete the other training rooms are.
The more you train your AI, the better it gets, though it will never be perfect (just like us humans!). Your dashboard will give you some pointers on how to improve your score.
We suggest aiming for at least 75% as a benchmark, but the right number depends on your use case, and you’ll be the best judge of when it feels client-ready!
Once you've completed the core training, test your AI out in the fine-tuning room with questions and statements your audience is likely to say.
Next, we recommend running an alpha test to gather feedback from a small number of people before officially launching your AI more widely.
Check out our guidance on sharing your AI for more next steps.
We're here to support your AI journey. If you can't find what you need in these FAQs, check out our other support resources.