Help customers find the answer themselves: seven steps to an FAQ page that really helps

"What are your opening hours?" "How long does delivery take?" "Can I return it if I don't like it?" If you run a business, from a hotel or restaurant to a shop or a service office, you probably answer these questions several times a week. Answering customers is good work, but answering the same question for the hundredth time takes your team's time and keeps the customer waiting.

The FAQ page is an old and familiar format. In an article by Susan Farrell, Nielsen Norman Group, a well-known user-experience research firm, notes that the format dates back to 1982, and that this familiarity is exactly why people reach for it without much thought. The same article points out that FAQs work around the clock and take repetitive load off your support staff. These seven steps help you build one that really helps.

1. Start from real questions, not made-up ones

Nielsen Norman Group is blunt that made-up questions, ones no customer ever asked, are a common mistake. If you listen to your customers, you know their questions. For one week, note every question that comes in by phone, message, email or at the counter. Ask your sales and support colleagues too; as the same article says, every good salesperson already knows the pre-sales questions.

2. Write in your customers' words

Your customer doesn't search for "returns policy"; they ask "what if it doesn't fit?" The Nielsen Norman Group article warns that your vocabulary and your users' vocabulary often talk past each other, and that people search for their problem, not your solution. Phrase questions in the words customers actually use. That also helps search engines match your page to what people type.

3. Group questions by topic so they're easy to scan

Nobody reads an FAQ page like a book. Nielsen Norman Group suggests chunking questions by topic so readers can rule out most topics quickly and read only the part that matters to them. For short pages, a list of questions at the top followed by the answers is still the best layout. If answers are long or need screenshots, give each topic its own page. Set the questions in a different style from the answers so they're quick to scan.

4. Write answers plainly and directly

Digital.gov's plain-language guide, "Writing for understanding", gives a few clear rules: shorter words, short sections, active voice and the present tense. Active voice makes it clear who does what; instead of "the request must be submitted", write "you submit the request" or "we reply within one working day". Give the main answer in the first sentence and the explanation after it.

5. Be honest, including about limits

The Nielsen Norman Group article reminds us that FAQ readers aren't only looking for an answer; they're judging you too. Do the answers seem factual and frank, or like marketing hype? Do you openly acknowledge the problems and limitations everyone already knows about? If you don't deliver during holidays, or don't offer a service yet, just say so plainly. Honesty on this page builds trust before the purchase.

6. Always leave a way to reach a real person

An FAQ page isn't meant to replace talking to you. One of the unspoken questions in a reader's mind, according to Nielsen Norman Group, is whether they can get an answer easily or end up in "an endless loop of unhelpful documentation and no contact information". Under each section, or at least at the end of the page, say clearly how and when people can reach you if they didn't find their answer.

7. Keep the page alive

Another reader question, according to the same article, is how fresh the latest information is. Review the questions that still come in: if one keeps repeating, it belongs on the page. Nielsen Norman Group also notes that frequent questions can point to a problem in the product or service itself; if everyone asks "where's my invoice?", maybe the invoice belongs somewhere more visible. Answer the question, and pass the underlying problem to whoever can fix it.

One task for this week

From today until the end of the week, write down every question customers ask, in their own words, on one sheet. At the end of the week, pick the five that came up most and write a short, plain answer for each. Those five questions are the first version of your FAQ page.

Sources

• FAQs Still Deliver Great Value, Susan Farrell, Nielsen Norman Group, 21 December 2014
• Writing for understanding, Plain language guide, Digital.gov

A good answer, like a friendly shopkeeper, is always right where you need it. Here's to a week of good questions and clear answers.