FAQ pages, which are being introduced on corporate websites, are a means of quickly solving customer questions and unclear points. However, if the quality of the FAQ is not high, the users may end up stressed.
In this article, I will introduce the points for creating content to be posted on the FAQ site using Excel.
[Get an overview of the FAQ site]
●What is FAQ?
It is an acronym for Frequently Asked Questions.
Literally translated, it is a collection of frequently asked questions.
It is a waste of time for both parties to receive the same question from many people over and over again in the inquiry content that enters the call center or help desk. Frequently asked questions and answers are extracted and posted on the website with displays such as “Frequently Asked Questions” and “FAQ”.
● Utilization of FAQs that can reduce the workload of the help desk and support departments
There are two main uses for FAQ sites, or FAQ templates.
- Use as an internal FAQ:
Cases where answers are not posted on the website but are used as model answers for operators and employees
- Use as a FAQ site for customers:
Cases posted as a collection of frequently asked questions in the “customer inquiry page” of the website
there is.
Depending on the scene to be used, the creation correspondence will change somewhat, but the purpose of “solving the problem that many people feel that they do not understand” does not change.
Let’s take a look at what to keep in mind when creating an actual FAQ.
[Points when creating FAQ]
●Assuming appropriate situations to increase the effectiveness of the FAQ
・Who is it prepared for? (Set the persona for use)
Let’s take a closer look at “Who will read the FAQ?” first.
For example, in basic terms
- Age group
- sex
- Presence or absence of IT knowledge
etc. must be pressed.
In addition, Japanese English, which is well known in the IT industry and in the younger generation, is often not recognized by the elderly.
It is important to be aware of the target audience and explain in plain language or in Japanese.
* Persona is
a term used in the marketing industry.
In order to increase the success rate of business, it refers to a method of taking a marketing approach after assuming the person’s image in detail in order to narrow down the target layer to the most effective layer when sending something to the other party. It has become an important marketing method along with the change from the era of mass consumption to the era of diverse needs.
・Consider the amount of information required depending on the situation
If you think that it is largely divided into customer-oriented and internal-oriented, it will be information suitable for the situation if you think as follows.
- FAQ for reducing the number of customer inquiries and improving efficiency
Customers want clear answers. In the case of text, it is useful to “
convey from the conclusion in short sentences” and “develop guidance from brief explanations to diagrams and website guidance” .
- FAQ for internal knowledge and information sharing
Internal FAQs are used for training and improving human resources.
It is a material for all inquiries to become “experts” for customers.
In order to acquire deeper information, information density is required rather than conciseness .
●Categorize FAQ by item
・Determine category classification and posting order before creating FAQ content
For example, let’s assume the case of a patient who wants to use a large hospital.
- As a new patient How to apply/reservation for the first visit
- As a continuing patient Change or cancel re-examination appointments
- Procedures for payment of medical fees Confirmation of means of payment for medical fees
It is necessary to imagine that the questions assumed in the series of workflows will be born.
If the events are displayed in chronological order, the stress of the reader will be reduced, regardless of whether it is a customer or an internal company. On the other hand, if the parts are scattered, people will not want to read it at that point.
The fact that the FAQ is constructed in line with the business flow order greatly improves the comprehensibility.
・FAQ content should be centrally managed by the person in charge/administrator
FAQ content should be wide-ranging.
By being aware of the completeness of information, a lot of information is aggregated in multiple genres. As a result, the effectiveness of communicating in an easy-to-understand manner as an FAQ is halved, and it may end up being just a collection of Q&A.
There can be more than one person with the role of adding questions.
However, it is important for administrators who are conscious of overall organization and optimization as FAQs to see the overall balance of FAQs . Let’s aim for an FAQ that is organized with the awareness that there are no duplications without so-called omissions.
If it is an FAQ based on this administrator system, it is possible to avoid errors in genre classification, and similar questions lining up that make it difficult to understand.
[Advantages/disadvantages of creating FAQ templates in Excel]
Let’s list the advantages and disadvantages as points when creating FAQ templates in Excel, which is the theme of this article.
Advantages of creating FAQ templates in Excel
- Many business people know how to use Excel, and it is easy to prepare for introduction
- In recent years, online sharing by multiple people has become possible at low cost, eliminating the inconvenience of collaborative editing.
● Disadvantages of creating FAQs in Excel
- Human error is likely to occur because there are many manual management and changes
- Due to the restriction of format uniformity, explanations will inevitably be text-based
I have explained the points for creating FAQ templates using Excel, but there are both advantages and disadvantages. Some of you may have felt that it would take more time and effort than the FAQ operation that you imagined.
If you have created FAQ content with an Excel template, you should be able to extract most of it as FAQ content.
From that stage, it is also a good idea to put the contents into the FAQ site dedicated system and use it as an IT system. In the next chapter, let’s take a look at tools related to FAQ site creation.
[It is also beneficial to consider using the FAQ site system]
In recent years, the DX of IT tools related to FAQ has been remarkable.
for example
- An IT system that builds a FAQ site that has existed as a conventional system
- Automatic response system using AI called chatbot
etc. exist. In addition, a system is appearing that uses AI to collect FAQ content. Some systems have just come out on the market, so it is necessary to know more about the merits and demerits of the above systems when considering introduction.
However, the current situation is the latest development that makes us feel that there is a great possibility for future FAQ correspondence, and further development is expected in the future.
[Improving the quality of the FAQ content itself is the key to the success of the FAQ site]
The point when creating FAQ content for FAQ site and internal sharing
- Prepare accurate questions and answers by considering the persona (detailed persona) of the person using the FAQ
- Maintain content quality by appointing a person responsible for updating FAQ content
- The FAQ information is organized in order according to the chronological order of customer behavior.
There is a point.
Creating the FAQ format in Excel, which everyone often uses, has the advantage of being easy to use, but it also has the disadvantage of requiring too much human intervention as a system aiming for DX conversion.
It is becoming a reality that the latest technologies such as AI, which have evolved remarkably in recent years, will provide more advanced and convenient solutions.
It is certain that the evolution will continue in the future, so it is a good time to consider building a new FAQ site or updating it.
