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Document IQ - Tips and Troubleshooting

Get better answers from Document IQ with proven strategies for document organization, effective questions, and troubleshooting common issues.

C
Written by Customer Success
Updated over a month ago

Document IQ - Tips and Troubleshooting

🎯 Getting the Best Results

Document IQ helps you find answers in your uploaded documents quickly. The better you organize your documents and phrase your questions, the more useful your answers will be.

This guide covers:

  • What types of documents work best - file formats and content that perform well

  • How to ask effective questions - get precise answers faster

  • Understanding answers - source citations and confidence levels

  • Document organization - naming and categorizing for better search

  • Common issues - solutions to frequent problems

📄 Document Best Practices

Setting up your document library correctly from the start saves time and improves answer quality.

Supported File Types

File Type

Best For

Notes

PDF

SOPs, manuals, reports, certificates

Works best when text is selectable (not scanned images)

DOCX

Procedures, policies, guides

Excellent text recognition

TXT

Simple text documents, notes

Fastest processing

Documents That Work Best

  • Text-based PDFs - Documents where you can highlight and copy text perform much better than scanned images

  • Well-structured content - Documents with clear headings, sections, and numbered lists

  • Consistent formatting - Standard fonts and layouts without complex design elements

  • Focused content - Documents covering specific topics rather than general overviews

💡 Tip: If your PDF was created by scanning paper documents, use OCR software to convert it to searchable text first. This dramatically improves search accuracy.

Documents That May Be Challenging

  • Scanned images without OCR - Text in images cannot be read

  • Complex tables and charts - Data-heavy visuals may not be interpreted correctly

  • Handwritten notes - Handwriting is not recognized

  • Password-protected files - These cannot be processed

Organizing Your Documents

Good organization makes it easier to find answers and helps Document IQ understand context.

Use Clear, Descriptive Names

Instead of...

Try...

SOP_v3_final.pdf

SOP-Harvesting-Procedures-2024.pdf

Document1.docx

Drying-Room-Temperature-Guidelines.docx

scan_001.pdf

Health-Canada-License-Certificate.pdf

Include Key Information in Filenames

  • Document type (SOP, Manual, Policy, Guide)

  • Topic or department

  • Version or date if applicable

Keep Documents Focused

Several focused documents perform better than one massive document. If you have a 200-page operations manual, consider uploading it as separate sections:

  • Cultivation-SOPs.pdf

  • Processing-SOPs.pdf

  • Quality-Control-SOPs.pdf

  • Packaging-SOPs.pdf

💬 Asking Effective Questions

The way you phrase your question directly affects the quality of your answer.

Good Question Characteristics

  • Specific - Ask about one topic at a time

  • Clear - Use the same terminology as your documents

  • Contextual - Include relevant details when helpful

Question Examples

Less Effective

More Effective

Why It Works Better

"What are the rules?"

"What are the temperature requirements for the drying room?"

Specifies the exact topic

"Tell me about harvesting"

"What is the step-by-step process for harvesting cannabis plants?"

Asks for specific information format

"SOP info"

"What PPE is required according to our extraction SOP?"

References the document type and specific detail needed

"How long?"

"How long should plants stay in the curing room according to our procedures?"

Provides context and specifies the source

Types of Questions That Work Well

Procedural Questions

  • "What are the steps for sanitizing equipment?"

  • "How do I calibrate the moisture meter?"

  • "What is the process for receiving inventory?"

Compliance Questions

  • "What records must be kept for waste disposal?"

  • "What are the security requirements for the vault?"

  • "How often must we conduct inventory reconciliation?"

Reference Questions

  • "What is the acceptable humidity range for storage?"

  • "Who is responsible for approving batch releases?"

  • "What training is required for new employees?"

💡 Pro Tip: If your first question does not give you what you need, try rephrasing it. Use different words or add more context. You can also ask follow-up questions to dig deeper into a topic.

✨ Tips for Better Answers

Get more accurate and useful responses with these proven strategies.

Use Document Terminology

Match the words used in your documents. If your SOP says "decontamination procedure," use that phrase rather than "cleaning process."

Ask One Thing at a Time

Instead of "What are the temperature, humidity, and light requirements for the flower room?" try asking each separately for more detailed answers.

Reference Document Types

Mentioning the type of document can help focus the search:

  • "According to our quality SOPs..."

  • "Based on the employee handbook..."

  • "What does our security policy say about..."

Be Specific About What You Need

  • "List the steps for..." - Gets a numbered procedure

  • "What is the requirement for..." - Gets a specific rule or guideline

  • "Summarize the section about..." - Gets an overview

  • "What are all the instances of..." - Gets a comprehensive list

Use Follow-up Questions

After getting an initial answer, you can ask follow-up questions to:

  • Get more detail on a specific point

  • Ask about related topics

  • Clarify something that was unclear

📖 Understanding Answers

Know how to interpret the answers you receive and when to dig deeper.

Source Citations

Document IQ shows you where answers come from. Look for:

  • Document name - Which file contained the information

  • Relevant sections - The specific parts that were used

Always review the source references to verify the answer is based on the right document and section.

When the Answer Says "I Don't Know"

If Document IQ cannot find an answer, it means:

  • The information is not in your uploaded documents

  • The question might use different terminology than your documents

  • The topic may be spread across multiple documents in a way that is hard to connect

What to do:

  1. Try rephrasing your question using different words

  2. Check that the relevant document has been uploaded

  3. Review your document to confirm the information exists

  4. Ask a more specific or narrower question

Verifying Answers

Document IQ is designed to help you find information quickly, but you should:

  • Check the source citation to confirm the answer comes from the right document

  • Review the original document for critical compliance or safety decisions

  • Use Document IQ as a starting point, not the final word on important matters

⚠️ Important: Always verify critical compliance, safety, or legal information by reviewing the source document directly. Document IQ is a productivity tool, not a replacement for careful document review.

❓ Troubleshooting

Quick solutions to common issues.

I am not getting relevant answers

Try these solutions:

  • Rephrase your question using words from your actual documents

  • Be more specific about what information you need

  • Check that the relevant document has been uploaded and processed

  • Break complex questions into simpler, single-topic questions

The answer is incomplete

What to do:

  • Ask a follow-up question for more detail

  • Rephrase to be more specific about the information you need

  • Check if the information is spread across multiple documents

Document upload failed

Common causes and fixes:

  • File too large - Try splitting into smaller documents

  • Unsupported format - Convert to PDF, DOCX, or TXT

  • Password protected - Remove password protection before uploading

  • Corrupted file - Try re-exporting or re-saving the document

Answers reference the wrong document

Solutions:

  • Use more specific terminology in your question

  • Reference the document type or name in your question

  • Review document names to ensure they are descriptive and distinct

Search is slow

Tips to improve performance:

  • Ask more specific questions

  • Remove outdated or duplicate documents from your library

  • Wait for document processing to complete before searching

I cannot access Document IQ

This feature requires permission. Contact your system administrator to request access to Document IQ.

💬 Still stuck? Contact GrowerIQ support and include:

  • The question you asked

  • What answer you received (or expected)

  • The name of the document that should contain the answer

Our team is happy to help you get the most from Document IQ.

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