The Power and Peril of your FAQ Page

Why does an FAQ work?

Your folks are used to seeing this everywhere they go, so they do tend to go right to that page. Research I read said it is the 2^nd most visited site after the Home Page. That’s scary, but good to know.  Isn’t it?

The first rule is to keep it simple. The FAQ page should not be something your designers play with. It needs to be easy to navigate with user friendly language. If it is a long list, give them keyword search options. If it is a short list, then list the questions for them to choose from. Make it dynamic for them to be involved in this section.  Put links back to your content; the FAQ should not stand alone.

The single most important fact:  your FAQ has to be updated regularly.  It needs to be current to show that you care, that you are relevant and that you are on top of your game!  Often this is created and forgotten, but if it is old information then you have just ruined your image!

A well crafted FAQ is powerful because it gives you an opportunity to do a few things:

1. Differentiate yourself from the competition
2. Test a special offer
3. Test a new product or feature you have added to an existing product
4. Track what your customers do really want to know
5. Pose questions you want them to ask and give them the answers

The downside of a FAQ page is that it has got to be current.  No use having a FAQ page, to  have someone call you because they cannot find information and be told, “Oh we get asked that all the time” …. do something about it.

The other downside is that if you have an FAQ page and they cannot find the answer, they will reach out to you. Depending on your market and their need, they may actually call you – and not just send in the Contact Us form. They will expect an answer, so be prepared.

The other downside is knowing how your market will search and if you cannot figure that out all of the time, give them an option to come back to you with a unique question electronically and RESPOND  promptly. Do not make them wait. They have bothered to do this, so respect that.

Prominent Call Centers make it a science to retrieve this information and manipulate their site and their FAQ’s to create business.  This section should not be ignored.

How have you put your FAQ to work for you?