Consulting Journal: Techniques - Frequently asked questions

Techniques: Frequently asked questions

by David Blakey

Are they frequent and are they answered?

[Monday 1 March 2010]

FAQs are frequently asked questions. Many corporate and some consulting websites have a page for FAQs, where they list the FAQs and provide answers to them. Sometimes, the web page headed frequently asked questions does not really contain the answers to questions that are most frequently asked. In fact, they may contain questions that have not actually been asked at all.

Easiest method

The FAQ page may sometimes be used to present small amounts of information to visitors.

Q: Is there a version for Linux?
A: Yes, and you can download it here ...

This is probably caused by faults in the website design. If there is not a clear way for visitors to navigate to downloads for various operating environments, then the easiest way to put content onto the website might be on the FAQs page.

The equivalent for this site would be if the link to Articles by subject was removed from the sidebar and replaced by

Q: Can I search for articles on a subject?
A: Yes, using the subjects page, http://www.consultingjournal.com/journal/subjects.asp.

It may be easier to add more content to the FAQ page rather than add more content to the site navigation. This can be caused by poor design or by poor documentation or by lack of training or lack of interest. The facility to change the navigation may be available, but the user has not learnt how to use it.

Diverting visitors

Visitors can be diverted from their naviagtion through the website. The worst instances of this are after a visitor has gone some way along the track to placing an order and has identified a single product from the range available. They think of a question about warranties and click on a link to FAQs. Once they have found the answer to their question, they may want to return to where they were. They may find a return link, which might not actually return them to where they were. They may find nothing, so that they have to backtrack through pages. Even with a direct return, they may find that they are not where they expected to be, which, in this case, is part-way through completing their order. In the very worst instances, they may be back on the homepage.

Real questions

Back in the real world, consider a conversation between you and someone else. The other person may ask you a question that you are frequently asked by other people you meet. In reply, you are unlikely to give them a standard, factual answer. Usually, you will turn the conversation round to ask a similar question of them. This is how real conversation works, unless you are a totally self-focused egotist. It is certainly how a conversation should go between you and a client: you should always steer the conversation back to them and what they want to tell you. You should not rush your answer. You should give them as much information as you think they need. Then you should steer the conversation back to them.

Q: Can I search your website for articles on a subject?
A: Yes. Any there any specific subjects you would like to search for?

Now there are many possibilities for how the conversation can continue. They might just want to know how to search for subjects, or they might to search for articles about writing, or they might want to know about writing FAQs on their website. As they continue to ask questions, I shall continue to try to provide answers that will satisfy their needs.

The same should be true of the information available on your website. Why does your visitor want to know if you a version for Linux? They might be using Linux. They might be considering switching to Linux. They might want to ensure that they can use Linux at home instead of Windows in their workplace and be able to use the same database.

If you wanted to answer all of these questions on the FAQ page, then you are going to start building a long list of questions and answers. There should be ways for your visitors to navigate to the answers they need about platforms and migrating to Linux and a single database.