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Maximize the Zive Chat

Learn how to use the settings of the Chat to your advantage and optimize your results

Updated this week

1. Guide the Chat to the right sources

Tell the Chat where to search

What makes the Zive Chat special is that it can use your company knowledge as well as external knowledge from the web if required. By default both of these options are available to the Chat which is indicated by the buttons below the prompt input being selected.

If these options are used, and which of them is still dependent on your prompt, the Chat will not use the search capabilities just because they are enabled. This means that if you have a clear idea of where the Chat should look for information, you can deselect the areas it shouldn't search, thereby removing that capability.

Define the relevant sources

In the default mode whenever the Zive Chat performs an internal search it will show you the relevant sources it has identified before generating the answer. This provides you transparency on what the Chat found and would use to generate the answer.

Adjust the sources used

In certain scenarios, you may want to limit the Chat to only extract information from specific sources e.g. when you just want information summarized from a specific pdf file.

There is a total of 3 ways you can adjust the sources the Chat uses to answer your prompts:

1. Manually edit sources on Chat answers

When using the general Chat, you have the possibility to manually select or deselect sources to be used by clicking on "Pick sources" and regenerate the answer based on your selection. This can be helpful if you know exactly which documents you do and do not want to have considered for your prompt.

2. Utilize prompt attachments

The second option to adjust the sources used by the Chat is to make use of prompt attachments, to define the context for the entire thread.

By clicking on the plus icon in the bottom left, you may either choose to attach files that are already on Zive or upload your own local files. Once you send off a prompt with an attachment, the Chat will exclusively pull its information from the given file(s), until you decide to remove the attachment.

3. Choosing a different entry point

The last option to define the Chat's sources is to choose a different entry point than the pure Chat view.

  • Chat on collection level: You can activate the Chat for each knowledge collection which provides a Chat inside of the collection. Starting a conversation here will automatically start a new Chat thread with the respective collection as the defined scope.

  • Chat on file level: If you have one specific file in mind, from which you want to get information, it might be best to search for this file, open it, and use the Chat on file level, which then only considers this specific file as a source.

Tips & takeaways

  1. Use the buttons for "Search in" to define the Chat's search capabilities

  2. Check the sources used by the Chat

  3. Make use of the flexibility you have to define the scope of the Chat

2. Optimize the wording and structure of your prompts

There are a few generic tips to get better results using AI, which also apply to the Zive Chat. Additionally, there are also some smart solutions we provide to make it even easier for you to optimize the wording of your prompts in Zive.

Find the right balance

Generally, the goal of wording your prompt correctly is always to avoid leaving room for misinterpretation. In order to achieve this you should try to be precise and detailed while writing your prompt, meaning to include relevant context, information or specifications.

At the same time try to keep your prompt short and concise to ensure clarity, which is often hard to balance out. Avoid adding irrelevant information that distracts from the main point or topic. While the Chat is able to handle multiple tasks within a prompt (e.g. summarizing and then drafting something), you should make sure that your instructions are not ambiguous or contradicting.

Here is an extreme example to make the point clear:

Scenario: You want to gather information about the development of your core Sales KPIs in the US market for each quarter of this year.

Prompt

Detailed and precise?

Short and concise?

How did we do in Sales in the US?

Lacks important specifications (e.g. core Sales KPIs, timeframe)

Yes

I'm trying to gather some insights into the development of our Sales team. Because the US is the most important market for us I would like to start with only the US market first. My boss told me that some of my previous evaluations were too detailed, so maybe this time I should focus only on the core KPIs. Could you please evaluate everything on a quarterly basis, because this is the internal standard? Also, it might be interesting for my colleagues to see if there are any specific patterns or trends compared to other markets.

Yes

Unnecessarily long and complex (e.g. irrelevant context and background information)

Ambiguous instructions (e.g. US market vs. comparison between markets)

Create an overview of the development of our core Sales KPIs in the US market for each quarter of this year.

Contains all specifications

Keeps it simple and easy to understand

Specific terms and abbreviations

On top of that, you often have very specific terms that might not be universally valid and understood but are hard to describe in different words. We got you covered with our Glossary, which you can use to define the meaning of company-specific terms and abbreviations to be considered in Chat conversations.

Tips & Takeaways

  • Be precise and detailed for important requirements and specifications

  • Avoid unnecessary additions and aim for a short and clear structure

  • Make sure to add specific terms and abbreviations to the Glossary in order to use them in Chat conversations

3. Identify and define the required output

Identify objective and audience

It always helps if you make up your mind about what exactly you want and need. If you have a clear picture in mind it becomes easier for you to translate this into a good prompt. Especially when it goes beyond a simple question you will get better results and more value by defining your objective and audience.

Objective: Research, Drafting, Analyzing, Decision-making, ...

Audience: Me, Colleagues, Executives, Customers, ...

Define format and add context

Tip: You can easily define the output format via the buttons below your prompt.

With an objective and audience in mind, the picture of the expected output often becomes clearer. This enables you to define the desired output format and include it in your prompt or simply select one of the format options provided to you.

You then might want to add more context to be considered for the output, like specifications, constraints, or background information.

  • "Draft a German email in a polite tone to customer ..."

  • "Create a meeting agenda for our HR team meeting and consider the format and tasks from last week's meeting"

  • "Analyze the quarterly development of our Sales KPIs in a table and highlight significant changes since the new competitor entered the market in Q3."

Sounds like a lot to be considered. The good news, not all of this has to be defined in your initial prompt. You can always use the conversation with the Chat to follow up with specifications.

Tips & Takeaways

  • Use the format options to define your expected output

  • Add relevant specifications and context

  • Don't be afraid to use a conversation to follow-up and finalize your result

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