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On average 57% of consumers search online for solutions to their questions. Can you afford to have that many people frustrated with your business? Even if you could, I don’t think any business should. So if you run a business, ask yourself if there are certain support questions that keep popping up in your inbox. Is there an easy, generic answer to these FAQs? Then you’ll want to spend less time responding to these enquiries, giving you more time to do what you do best: running your business. So just put all the answers online, in a logical order, with search functionality and links to contact support. And in plain, easy-to-understand text. Anyone can slap a few FAQs on a webpage, but chances are the slapdash approach will get a slap happy reaction. Self-service shouldn’t be sadomasochism. It shouldn’t be hit and miss, or a long list of FAQs that forces the customer to read every point on the page until they find the solution they’re looking for. If your customers have a lot of questions, you need intuitive search functionality that delivers the right answer first time. A single search enquiry should produce the single best answer. Every answer should be jargon-free and as straightforward as possible. Don’t assume that your customers will understand what you’re talking about. Instead: ask them. With optional feedback or answer ratings, you can identify which answers are confusing your customers more than helping them. Most importantly, the support portal should be easy to find. Don’t be afraid to put a link to ‘help’ on each page that might raise questions to your customers: each shopping cart page, or even under each product listing. Make it as quick and easy as possible for your customers to get online answers. After all, they’re reason why your business exists in the first please. Don’t punish them - reward them.