Reader Question: Intent based FAQ bots vs knowledge based FAQ bots

A reader asked me this question recently:

Do you think the beta knowledge base within Dialogflow is useful? Or are their better ways in to implement a FAQ bot with Dialogflow?

The quick answer is - yes, you can implement an FAQ bot using just regular intents. [1] Let us call these intent-based FAQ bots, and those built using the knowledge connector feature as knowledge-based FAQ bots.

Dialogflow knowledge connectors is still a beta feature, but even when it becomes generally available [2], there are going to be some important differences between an FAQ bot created using plain intents vs an FAQ bot created using the knowledge connector.

Knowledge connector FAQ bot limitations

There are some limitations you should be aware of if you are going to be using a knowledge connector based FAQ bot.

Knowledge connector only permits one question

You cannot have multiple training phrases for a given question and answer pair in knowledge connector. There is only a single question.

Knowledge connector cannot support entities

Knowledge connector question and answers do not permit entities. While it is not likely you will have an entity-heavy FAQ bot, it still makes sense to use entities in some pure FAQ bots.

Knowledge connector bots do not use contexts

You cannot use contexts in a knowledge-based FAQ bot. This means there isn't any reasonable way to answer followup questions in knowledge connector based FAQ bots.

Knowledge connector will not allow you to "improve" training phrases

This is really related to point number 1, but it has an important ramification.

If you have built an intent-based FAQ bot, you can go to the Training tab and just add a question that Dialogflow missed and it will get added into the appropriate intent . There is no equivalent to this in knowledge connector based FAQ bots.

Can I combine an intent based FAQ bot and a knowledge based FAQ bot?

While this is technically possible, in my opinion it isn't a good idea. I go over why in my Knowledge Connectors course in a bit more detail, but the gist of it is that knowledge answers decrement the context lifespan, which means you cannot control the conversation flow very well in a hybrid bot.

Knowledge Connectors course

In my course on Dialogflow Knowledge Connectors (the link gives you $10 off as a launch discount till end of Friday September 20th 2019 IST), I go into this and a lot of other questions. If you are interested in an in-depth discussion of knowledge connectors, especially in comparison to intent-based FAQ bots, you should get the course.

Intent based FAQ bots vs Knowledge based FAQ bots

Material covered in the course:

How knowledge connectors work
Experiments on different FAQ pages to see what works and what doesn't
Knowledge Connector vs Dialogflow CSV Importer
Autogenerating Telegram FAQ bot from your WordPress content
Autogenerating Facebook Messenger FAQ bot from your WordPress content
Autogenerating FAQ bot from knowledge base content
Intent based FAQ bots vs Knowledge based FAQ bots

[1] You can use my Dialogflow CSV Importer tool to help you do this a lot more quickly

[2] It is possible, but not likely, that the knowledge connector will change drastically when it becomes generally available (that is, goes from beta to production ready) and make this article incorrect.