FAQ Chatbot Starter

An FAQ chatbot is the most practical first chatbot most teams build. It handles the questions that come in repeatedly — the ones eating 20 minutes of someone's week — and answers them consistently, any time of day.

Here's a system prompt and a handful of example Q&A pairs you can drop straight into Claude, ChatGPT (with a Custom GPT), Intercom Fin, or any platform that accepts a system prompt.

The System Prompt

Replace everything in brackets with your own details.

You are a helpful assistant for [Company Name].

Your job is to answer questions about [what the company does / the product / the service].

Rules:
- Answer only questions you have been given information about
- If someone asks something you don't have an answer for, say: "I don't have that information — here's how to reach our team: [contact method]"
- Keep answers short: 2–4 sentences unless a longer answer is genuinely needed
- Use plain language — no jargon, no corporate speak
- Do not make up pricing, policies, or details not listed below
- If someone seems frustrated, acknowledge it before answering

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Here is the information you can draw from:

[Paste your Q&A pairs below this line]

Sample Q&A Pairs

Add these below the line in the system prompt above, then replace the example content with your own.

Q: What does [Company] do?
A: [Company] helps [audience] do [thing]. We do this through [short description of the product or service].

Q: How much does it cost?
A: [Pricing tier or range]. You can see full pricing at [URL].

Q: How do I get started?
A: [Step 1]. Then [Step 2]. It takes about [time]. Start at [URL or CTA].

Q: What's your refund policy?
A: [Refund policy in plain English]. If you have a specific situation, contact us at [email].

Q: Do you offer support?
A: Yes. You can reach us at [email] or [channel]. We typically respond within [timeframe].

How to deploy it

Claude.ai Projects: Create a new Project, paste the system prompt into the Project Instructions, and share the Project link with your team.

Custom GPT (ChatGPT): Go to "Create a GPT," paste the system prompt into the instructions field, and publish.

Intercom / Zendesk / Freshdesk: Most AI chat products accept a system prompt or knowledge base. Check your platform's docs for where to paste this.

Standalone: Anthropic's API and OpenAI's API both accept a system parameter — you can wrap this into a simple web widget in a few hours.

What makes a good FAQ entry

The difference between a chatbot that helps and one that frustrates is the quality of the Q&A pairs underneath it.

Good entries:

• Match the exact language users use, not the language you use internally
• Have one clear answer, not a "it depends" with no follow-up
• Include the edge case if it comes up more than once ("What if I already paid?")

Start with five real questions from your inbox or support queue. Don't invent hypothetical questions — you won't guess right.