Getting better answers from the assistant
Three habits that turn vague assistant replies into precise, sourced answers.
This article is for members of an organisation that uses Portava.
The assistant does its best work when the question gives it something to work with. Three habits help.
Ask in plain language, with specifics
Full questions beat keywords. "What grants are available for taking on an apprentice?" gives the assistant far more to match against than "grants".
Include the specifics that matter, such as a date, a topic or a type of business. Ask one question at a time. Two questions in one sentence usually gets one of them answered.
Treat it as a conversation
You do not have to restate everything. If the first answer is close but not quite right, follow up with "is there anything more recent?" or "which of those applies to a business with no employees?"
The assistant keeps the thread of the conversation, so each follow-up sharpens the result rather than starting over.
Check the sources
Answers cite the published pages they came from. For anything you are going to act on, such as a deadline, a price or an eligibility rule, open the source and confirm it there. The assistant is a fast route to the right page, and the page is the authority.
If a question keeps coming back with no useful source, tell your organisation. It means the answer is not published anywhere yet.