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Ecco reads FAQs, documents, web pages, property fields, and procedures together. When the same information is written in several places with different words or values, the assistant may mix them and give an answer nobody decided.
A real case. In one knowledge base, the time it takes to send check-in instructions appeared in 24 places, with different versions: “10-15 minutes”, “15 minutes”, “15-20 minutes”, “about 30 minutes”, “noon”, “in the morning”. The assistant answered with one version one time and another the next. The fix was to keep a single version, in the FAQ, and remove the others.
There is one rule: every piece of information has one main place, and that is where you write it in full. If it also appears somewhere else, for example in a property field, it must say exactly the same thing.

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Where each piece of information goes

FAQ or procedure? The FAQ says what the rule is (“Check-in is from 3:00 PM to 10:00 PM”). The procedure says what the assistant does, step by step (“Ask for the booking number, then hand the conversation to an operator”).

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How Ecco helps prevent conflicts

Ecco compares information by meaning, not only by matching words.

FAQ conflicts

When a new, edited, or reactivated FAQ conflicts with an active FAQ, Ecco names it, explains why, and blocks the change.

Account-wide information

When a general field conflicts with an FAQ, Ecco shows a warning with the reason and a link to the related FAQ.
A warning means the information was saved. Open the related FAQ and make both versions agree. Fields for one apartment are not compared with the FAQs, because they can contain valid local details or exceptions.

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FAQs

  • One FAQ per topic. If there is already an FAQ about late arrival, update it instead of creating another one.
  • One question per FAQ, phrased the way a guest would ask it. A text about check-in, deposit, tax, and parking should be split into four FAQs.
  • The complete rule: exact values, explicit conditions (“If you arrive after 10:00 PM, …”), and what the guest must do.
  • Short: keep it to about 800 characters. If you need more, split the FAQ or move the details to a document.
  • No repeating other FAQs. If the check-in FAQ also repeats the tourist tax, one of the two will be out of date when the tax changes.

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Property fields

  • Each field describes that apartment. It is the right place for access, codes, Wi-Fi, parking, and amenities.
  • General rules in one line. Some fields ask for a rule that is the same for everyone, such as check-in times, and help complete the property. The FAQ stays the source: in the field, write only one line with the same value (“Check-in from 3:00 PM to 10:00 PM”), never the full FAQ text or an email. When the rule changes, update the FAQ and these lines together.
  • Explicit exceptions. If the apartment is an exception to a rule, say so clearly in its field: the assistant uses the exception for that apartment and the FAQ for all the others.
  • Copy to others… works well for information that is truly identical across apartments, for example in the same building. When it changes, copy it again with Replace existing values, so no apartment keeps the old version.

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What not to add

A text like “We confirm that payment for booking 29780 has been received” pasted into the tourist tax field becomes, for the assistant, a rule for every guest. Write the rule, not the message.
Booking numbers, guest names, and stay dates are not information about your property. Ecco reads each booking’s details directly from your PMS.
A field or document with ten questions and answers is hard to use and to keep up to date. Turn each question into an FAQ.
When a rule changes, delete the old version. Two different versions of the same rule are the most common cause of wrong answers.
Write only what the assistant can tell the guest. Avoid notes for your team (“ask Marco”) and promises you cannot guarantee (“we’ll call you back within 5 minutes”).

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When something changes

1

Start with the FAQs

General rules should all be there. Update the FAQ for that topic.
2

Check the properties

Look for the old value in the property fields, especially those copied with Copy to others…, and update it everywhere it appears.
3

Check documents and web pages

Update or delete documents with the old version. For web pages, update your website first, then select Refresh now.
4

Text imported from your PMS

Documents with the PMS badge, for example Kross, are updated from the PMS itself.

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When you accept a suggestion

  • Choose the right place. If the information applies to every apartment, select This applies to every property and save it as an FAQ. If it applies to one apartment, save it in that property’s field.
  • Follow the consistency notice. Ecco names a related FAQ and explains any conflict. Open that FAQ before deciding what to keep.
  • Update instead of adding. If the suggestion matches an existing FAQ, choose Update existing FAQ instead of Save as new FAQ.
  • Don’t lose information. If you edit the text before accepting it, check that you have not removed parts that are still needed: Ecco saves the text exactly as you leave it.