How much time does your business spend answering customer questions?

Do you find many of those inquiries are often repetitive?

If so, it might be time to look at supplementing your website with a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.

Not only will this page free up time for your customer service representatives (CSRs) to complete other tasks, it allows consumers to obtain answers instantaneously to a variety of questions – which often help them decide whether or not to complete a purchase right then and there.

Still, there are many other benefits to adding an FAQ page to your site, which we will take a look at below.

FAQ Page Benefits

Besides allowing your CSRs the time to carry out other projects and lowering customer service costs, an FAQ page can be beneficial in ways such as:

• Highlight Relevant Information – This space is another opportunity to highlight key information for consumers, such as contact details and pertinent selling points. Every consumer is not going to find your site in the same way. Therefore, if someone stumbles upon your page but has never heard of your company, it’s a great place to spotlight material that may keep them clicking through your site.
• Builds confidence and trust in a brand – Taking the time to create an FAQ Page shows consumers you are invested in helping them find solutions. This goes a long way in building loyal customer relationships.
• Improves site navigation – Though the answer a consumer is looking for may be embedded elsewhere on your site, it might not be easy to find. An FAQ page is an opportune location to link answers to more detailed explanations. This could also lead to the consumer perusing something they usually would not have clicked on, such as a blog post.
• Valuable asset for content creation ideas – What better place to find pertinent and valuable content to your consumer than those questions/problems repeatedly brought up on an FAQ page?
• Allows resolution of new customer issues – An FAQ page enables you the flexibility to update continuously. Therefore, any new problems/questions that may arise can be answered or resolved at once in a timely and efficient manner.

An FAQ page can reap continued benefits for your company when appropriately created. At the same time, a poorly constructed or lacking page can harm your brand name and see a decrease in potential new consumers.

Good vs. Bad FAQ Page

You don’t want your FAQ page to be the length of a book. Still, you need to offer enough information that won’t leave a visitor asking more questions.

So what should be included on a successful FAQ page?

First, you’ll want to research and uncover your most commonly asked questions. These can be compiled through a collection of consumer questions sent via email or direct message, recorded CSR conversations, social media comments, or service tickets if you have implemented such a system within your business.

Once you’re ready, you’re writing answers to these questions. Keep answers short and concise. Add links to other areas where more detailed explanations can be obtained.

Splitting the questions into categories can help customers find answers quickly. Anything over ten questions is a good place for breaking to begin. Different categories are billing, shipping returns, etc. Anything you can implement to save a customer time is a plus.

Also, make sure your page is up-to-date. Outdated information will deter a consumer and could easily find them clicking off your page and onto someone else’s. Updated information shows a visitor you value them by taking the time to keep them correctly informed. They are more likely to refer others when they know first hand the details received from your company are current.

FAQ Page Tips

You’ll want to keep a few other points in mind during the creation of this page:

1. Be completely open and honest with your answers. Customers don’t want to find themselves railroaded later on because of information being misrepresented or simply left out.
2. An FAQ page should not replace customer service. You will want to provide additional avenues for contact. An FAQ page is not going to be able to answer every question. Therefore, it’s important to supply the consumer with other methods to seek out what they are searching for.
3. Research industry keywords. Develop questions you can answer on this page relevant to your industry. This information can help increase potential new customer visits to your page.

It’s advantageous to establish this as a go-to destination for your customers – a place that will keep them updated and adequately informed about products, services, procedures, and all other significant information related directly to your business and industry.

Though it may seem inconsequential and often overlooked by many small businesses, an FAQ page can be one of the most beneficial to create. Not only does it aid in bringing overhead costs down, but it is an additional resource that can drive new traffic to your website, build trust in your brand, and bolster your company’s online presence.