AI Knowledge Assistant Manchester
An AI knowledge assistant is a private tool your staff ask questions in plain English, and it answers using your own policies, manuals and procedures, with a link to the document each answer came out of. We build them for Manchester organisations whose know-how is spread across shared drives and inboxes.
- Since 2003trading in Manchester
- 20,000+UK businesses helped
- Collect M8Unit 3, 116 Bury New Road
- A personchecks every file
Chatbots and assistants
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How the assistant finds the right answer
Most firms already have the answers written down. The problem is finding them: a new starter wants the expenses policy, and the office manager is asked the holiday carry-over rule again.
The assistant uses an approach called retrieval-augmented generation, or RAG. When someone asks a question, it first searches your documents for the most relevant passages, then a language model writes a short answer using only those passages. Each answer cites the source document and section, so staff can open the original and check it. If nothing relevant turns up, it says it does not know.
It connects to where documents already live, such as SharePoint, OneDrive, Google Drive or a wiki, and re-reads them on a schedule so answers follow the latest version. Unlike a customer-facing AI chatbot, it is only available to signed-in staff.
Where a knowledge assistant earns its keep
It suits organisations with plenty of written guidance to search.
- Construction and facilities firms with method statements, risk assessments and site procedures.
- Manufacturers with machine manuals and quality procedures on the shop floor.
- Housing associations and charities with long policy handbooks.
- Professional services firms wanting quick access to internal templates and precedents.
Building your assistant
Choose the document set
We agree which folders and sites are in scope, which are excluded, and who owns each set.
Tidy the sources
We flag duplicates, old versions and scans that need text extracted.
Set access rules
We mirror your existing permissions, so a person only gets answers drawn on documents they are already allowed to open.
Test with real questions
Your team supply questions they actually get asked, and we check each answer and citation against the source.
Launch and monitor
We roll out to one team first, log unanswered questions and fill the gaps in your documents.
What you get
- A private assistant your staff sign in to, in a browser or inside Microsoft Teams
- Answers with citations linking to the source document and section
- Permission-aware search that respects existing folder access
- Scheduled syncing so changed documents are picked up
- A report of questions it could not answer
Keeping answers accurate and your data private
The biggest risk is the documents: two versions of a policy give two different answers. So we set an owner for each document set, archive superseded versions, and show the document date alongside each citation so staff can see how current it is.
Permissions matter just as much, since nobody should reach HR or payroll files through the back door. We check each user’s access at the point of the question, not once at set-up, so a leaver or a role change is reflected straight away.
Your data stays with providers you agree to. The business API terms of the major providers say customer data is not used to train their models by default, and we check the current terms for whichever provider is chosen before building. We follow published data protection guidance; take your own legal advice where needed. If you also want the assistant to act, not just answer, see our AI agents work.
Frequently asked questions
Can it read PDFs and scanned documents?
Typed PDFs, Word files and spreadsheets read well. Scanned documents need text recognition first, which we run during set-up, and poor scans may need retyping. We list any files that could not be read so nothing is silently left out.
What stops it making things up?
It may only answer using passages found in your documents, and every answer shows its source. Where no passage matches, it says so. It can still misread a passage, which is why staff should open the citation for anything important.
Will staff see documents they should not?
No. The assistant checks each person’s access before searching, using the same permissions as SharePoint or Google Drive. If someone cannot open a file normally, the assistant will not use it to answer them.
How does it stay up to date when policies change?
It re-reads your document sources on a schedule we agree, often nightly or hourly, and removes deleted files. Answers show the document date, so staff can spot a source that looks old.
Could we use Microsoft Copilot instead?
If you already pay for Microsoft 365 Copilot, it may cover simple needs, and we will say so. A custom assistant makes sense for tighter control over sources and citations, or documents outside Microsoft 365.
Related services
- AI services: all of our AI work for Manchester organisations.
- AI document processing: pulling structured data out of paperwork rather than answering questions.
- AI readiness audit: checking your documents and tools before building.
- AI training: helping staff ask good questions and check answers.
- AI policy and governance: rules for how staff use the assistant.
Tell us where your documents live and get a fixed quote for a knowledge assistant, or speak to our team on 0161 315 1151 or WhatsApp 07737 902425.
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