Ask questions of your own documents

What it is

It is a way to ask questions of your own documents and get answers that point to the page. Someone types a question the way they would ask a colleague. The answer comes back in plain language, with the name of the document and the page it came from, so they can open it and check.

What a firm could use it for

These are possibilities, not a list of what other firms have done. It depends on which documents you want included.

Specifications. Find the section that covers a product or method without opening every file.
Office standards and details. Check how the firm does something without interrupting a senior colleague.
Past project records. Look up how a similar question was handled on an earlier project.
The codes you work to. Ask about a requirement and see the provision it comes from. Our free building code questions tool shows what that looks like.

How it works for your staff

They ask in plain words. They do not need to know which document holds the answer.
Every answer shows where it came from. The document and the page are listed with the answer.
It answers from your documents. We set it up to answer only from what it finds there, and to say so when it finds nothing.
They still check. Answers are written by AI and can be wrong. The page reference is there so the answer can be checked before anyone relies on it.

Where your documents stay and who can see them

Our approach is to set it up in your firm's own Microsoft 365 or Azure environment where possible, and to limit access to your firm's staff. Before we start, we agree with you which documents are included and who should have access.

What we need from you to start

The documents. Or where they are kept, so we can look at them together.
Who should have access. Everyone at the firm, or a named group.
A few real questions your staff ask. They show us what a useful answer looks like for your firm.

Questions firms ask

Can we try the idea first?

Yes. Our free building code questions tool works the same way, over Canadian building codes. You ask in plain words and the answer cites the article and page. It gives you 10 questions a month.

Which documents can it work over?

That is the first thing we would look at with you. Likely candidates are specifications, office standards and details, past project records, and the codes you work to. Tell us what you have and we will tell you plainly whether it is a good fit.

Who can see our documents and the answers?

Our approach is to set it up in your firm's own Microsoft 365 or Azure environment where possible, and to limit access to your firm's staff. You tell us who should have access.

Can an answer be wrong?

Yes. Answers are written by AI from your documents, and they can be wrong or incomplete. That is why every answer shows the document and page it came from, so your staff can check it before they rely on it.

Talk to us about it

Tell us which documents you have in mind and what your staff would want to ask. There is no obligation. If it is not a good fit, we will say so.