Prepare and verify inventory information

Step 1

Choose the authoritative source

Decide where each changing fact is maintained: product identity, stock, rental availability and price may have different owners. Choose a source your team already trusts rather than creating another independent stock list without an update process.

Expected result: every inventory-dependent answer has a known source and owner. If you cannot identify the source, use a team-confirmation response instead of suggesting the agent has live availability.

Step 2

Match records and define availability correctly

Use stable product identifiers to match inventory records with catalogue products. Check units, locations and variants. For rental, distinguish physical stock from availability during the customer’s requested period; one does not automatically establish the other.

Expected result: the same identifier refers to the same item across systems. Resolve duplicate identifiers and ambiguous units before any connection is enabled.

Step 3

Confirm the supported update method

Check which update method is actually available to your account. It might be a supported manual update, file-based process or configured connection, but none is asserted by this draft. Record the agreed refresh frequency and who handles failed updates.

Do not paste API keys into Knowledge Base or a support chat. If connecting an external service requires credentials or broader access, use its approved authorisation process. A basic agent can still answer approved static knowledge while inventory-dependent questions require confirmation.

Step 4

Test fresh, missing and unavailable information

Choose a record whose current value your data owner can confirm. After an authorised update, compare the source, the connected product view where available and the agent’s answer. Record the timestamps rather than assuming updates are instantaneous.

Also test an unavailable item, a missing value and a request outside the supported location or date range. Expected result: the agent distinguishes confirmed information from unknown information and offers an appropriate enquiry or handover, without promising stock that has not been checked.

Step 5

Define what happens when data is stale

Agree how the team will detect and investigate a failed or delayed update. Do not document monitoring or notification automation unless it actually exists in your account.

If freshness cannot be established, stop treating the value as current and use a confirmation-needed response until the cause is resolved. Re-run the affected questions after an approved repair.

Troubleshoot common onboarding problems →

Completion checklist

• Product identifiers and availability meanings are consistent.
• The supported update method, owner and expected freshness are recorded.
• Unknown or stale information does not become a confirmed price or availability promise.

Common questions