Ask your first question

Ready to try Search?

This guide will walk you through asking your first question in ollo, reviewing the answer and verifying the information using its original sources.

Estimated time: 5 minutes

What you'll learn

By the end of this guide you'll know how to:

• Ask a question using natural language
• Write questions that produce useful results
• Understand the answer you receive
• Review and verify source references
• Refine your question to get better results

Before you begin

Before running your first search, make sure:

• You're signed into ollo
• Your organisation's knowledge sources have been connected
• The relevant sources have finished syncing

If you haven't connected your knowledge yet, return to Getting started.

Step 1: Open Search

Navigate to New Chat from the main menu. You'll see the search bar where you can ask questions about your organisation's connected knowledge.

There's no need to use keywords or special commands. You can ask ollo questions in the same way you'd ask a colleague.

Step 2: Ask a question

Start with something simple that you know exists within your organisation's knowledge. For example:

• What is our annual leave policy?
• How do I submit an expense?
• What is our parental leave policy?
• Where can I find the employee handbook?
• How do I request new equipment?

Enter your question and submit your search.

Step 3: Review your answer

ollo will search across the knowledge available to you and generate an answer based on the relevant information it finds.

Read through the response and check that it answers what you asked. Depending on your question, your answer may bring together information from more than one source.

Step 4: Check the sources

An important part of Search is understanding where an answer has come from.

Review the sources referenced alongside the answer to see which documents or information ollo used to generate its response.

Step 5: Verify the information

Select a source to review the original information. This is particularly useful when:

• You need additional context
• The information is important or sensitive
• You want to read the original document
• You want to confirm that the answer is based on the right information

You shouldn't have to choose between getting a quick answer and knowing where it came from. Search gives you both.

Step 6: Refine your question

If the first answer doesn't give you what you need, try making your question more specific.

For example, instead of "What's our leave policy?" try "How many days of annual leave are UK employees entitled to?"

Or instead of "Expenses" try "What is the process for submitting a travel expense?"

Adding context helps Search understand exactly what you're looking for.

Tips for better searches

Ask complete questions

Write questions naturally rather than relying on individual keywords.

Instead of "parental leave", try "What is our parental leave policy?"

Be specific

Add relevant context when your question could have multiple answers.

Instead of "expenses", try "What expenses can I claim when travelling for work?"

Refine when needed

If the first answer isn't what you expected, rephrase your question or provide more detail.

Check your sources

For important information, always review the referenced source.

Remember what's searchable

Search can only use the knowledge that has been connected and made available to you.

What if I don't get the answer I expected?

If Search doesn't return the information you're looking for:

1. Rephrase your question.
2. Add more specific context.
3. Check that the relevant knowledge source has been connected.
4. Check that the source has finished syncing.
5. Confirm that the information actually exists within your organisation's connected knowledge.

If the information isn't available to ollo, Search won't be able to use it to answer your question.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to use specific keywords?

No. Ask questions naturally, just as you would ask another person.

Why should I check the sources?

Sources allow you to see where the information came from, verify the answer and access additional context.

What if my question is too broad?

Try narrowing it by adding more detail about the information, team, process or situation you're asking about.

Can I ask follow-up questions?

Where supported, yes. Follow-up questions can help you explore a topic without repeating all of the context from your original question.

Why can't Search find something I know exists?

Check that the relevant knowledge source has been connected, has finished syncing and is available to you.

Next steps

You've completed your first search. Now try asking a few questions relevant to your own work and experiment with making them more specific.

You may also want to explore:

• Search overview
• Agent Builder overview
• Search and Agent Builder together