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Start Chatting with Documents and Collections
Start Chatting with Documents and Collections

The video demonstrates how to chat with documents in Team AI, showing two methods: directly uploading individual PDFs for quick analysis and accessing permanent document collections through the internal mode for team-wide knowledge sharing.

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Written by Christopher Varner
Updated over a week ago

TeamAI offers powerful features that allow you to interact with your documents through natural conversation. This guide will show you how to upload and chat with individual documents, as well as access shared document collections across your team.

By following these instructions, you'll be able to quickly extract insights and information from PDFs and other files without having to manually search through lengthy documents.

Materials or Requirements

To follow this guide, you'll need:

  • An active TeamAI account

  • PDF documents or other compatible files you want to analyze

  • Access to your team's workspace (for accessing shared collections)

  • Basic understanding of the information you're seeking from your documents

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Uploading a Document for a Temporary Chat

The quickest way to start chatting with a document is by uploading it directly in the chat interface. This method is perfect for one-off document analysis or when you don't need to permanently store the document.

  • Click the "+" button at the bottom of the chat interface

  • Select "Upload a PDF" from the options

  • Choose the PDF file from your computer and confirm the upload

  • Once uploaded, type a query like "Give me a summary of the doc"

TeamAI will process your document, even if it's hundreds of pages long, and respond to your query based on the document's contents. This process might take a moment for larger documents, but it allows you to extract information without reading through everything manually.

Remember that documents uploaded this way are not permanently stored in your TeamAI collections. You can reference them again within the same chat session, but they won't be automatically available in future chats or to other team members unless you add them to a collection.

2. Accessing Your Team's Document Collections

For documents you reference frequently or need to share with your team, TeamAI offers permanent document collections. These collections can contain multiple documents, websites, and other resources that are accessible across your workspace.

  • Look for "Data Controls" in the sidebar (second option down)

  • View your available collections, which might include client details or other team resources

  • To access these collections in a chat, click on the "Modes" section at the bottom of the chat interface

  • Select "Internal" mode from the available options

  • Choose the specific collection you want to chat with from the sidebar that appears

By selecting a specific collection, you're telling TeamAI to search only within those documents for answers to your questions. This creates a more focused and relevant conversation based on your own internal knowledge.

3. Searching Within Collections Without Pre-Selection

TeamAI is smart enough to find the right documents in your collections even if you don't pre-select them. This capability makes accessing information even more seamless.

  • Click on "Internal" mode at the bottom of the chat interface

  • Without selecting specific collections, simply ask your question

  • For example: "Tell me how Google measures helpful content"

  • TeamAI will automatically search across your collections to find relevant information

When you ask a question this way, TeamAI shows you which documents it found and their relevance percentage (e.g., "100% match" or "78% match"). It then provides an answer based on the most relevant information from those documents.

This approach saves you time by eliminating the need to know exactly which document contains your answer - TeamAI does the searching for you. It's particularly useful when you have extensive collections and aren't sure where specific information might be stored.

Tips and Warnings

Tips:

  • For one-time document analysis, use the direct upload method to avoid cluttering your collections

  • Ask specific questions to get more precise answers from your documents

  • You can follow up with additional questions to dig deeper into specific aspects of the document

  • Use the internal mode when you need to search across multiple documents simultaneously

  • The more specific your question, the more relevant the document matches will be

Warnings:

  • Documents uploaded via the "+" button are not permanently stored in your collections

  • Very large documents may take longer to process

  • If TeamAI isn't finding the right information, try rephrasing your question or being more specific

  • Document collections must be set up in advance for the internal mode to work effectively

Conclusion

TeamAI offers flexible ways to chat with your documents, whether through quick one-time uploads or by accessing permanent collections shared across your team. The direct upload method is perfect for immediate needs, while the internal mode allows you to leverage your team's knowledge base efficiently.

This guide covered the basics of document interaction in TeamAI, but there's much more to explore. Future capabilities include uploading entire resource libraries, creating custom collections, and managing data across your workspace.

By mastering these fundamental techniques, you've taken the first step toward more efficient document management and information retrieval.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What types of documents can I upload to TeamAI? A: While the demonstration focused on PDFs, TeamAI supports various document formats including text files, spreadsheets, and other common business document types.

Q: How secure are my documents in TeamAI? A: Documents in collections are securely stored and only accessible to members of your workspace with appropriate permissions.

Q: Is there a limit to how many documents I can upload? A: TeamAI can handle extensive document collections, but there may be storage limits depending on your subscription plan.

Q: Can I organize documents into different categories within collections? A: Yes, you can create multiple collections for different purposes (e.g., client information, product details, research) to keep your documents organized.

Q: How does TeamAI know which documents to search in my collections? A: TeamAI uses advanced matching algorithms to identify the most relevant documents based on your query, ranking them by relevance percentage.

Q: Can I chat with websites or online resources in addition to uploaded documents? A: Yes, TeamAI allows you to include websites and other online resources in your collections, which was briefly mentioned as a capability that would be covered in future videos.

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