Frequently Unanswered Questions.


While struggling with the shortcomings of the upgrade of The Times's online registration system, I have received a number of communications urging me to consult the FAQ page on their website.

But if your customers/users are asking a number of questions that frequently, maybe an FAQ page is not the best solution. Wouldn't it be better if those questions were answered (intuitively or explicitly) at the point when they occurred to them? The problem with frequently asked questions is that they need to be asked at all.

Their prevalence shows that the creators of a product/service have not only failed to put themselves in the shoes of the customer in the first place, but have also failed to react to the feedback that the frequency of those questions provides.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Make Marketing Amateur.

Image
"To me, an amateur photographer is one who is in love with taking pictures, a free soul who can photograph what he likes and who likes what he photographs." Erwin Blumenfeld (Popular Photography 1948)
Read more

A Closed Shave.

Image
You assumed I couldn't write another post about assumptions? This is the beautiful new hybrid razor or azor from King of Shaves that I recently picked up from their promotional bus. It's a company seeking to shake up a category and, as I am already a great fan of their shaving oil, I was intrigued to see if their promise that one could Shave Close, Longer, For Less would stand up. It did, but sadly it would force me to have a goatee, because I found all those areas that a goatee and moustache cover quite impossible to shave. However, they're definitely onto something because shaving the rest of my face with long smooth strokes was a revelation. Fast, soft and incredibly close. I'm not sure if my experience is typical, but if I shaved my legs I know what razor I'd use. If I'm right, I wonder if they'll start to think beyond their original assumptions and exploit another market in line with what the product does, rather than what they intended it to do. Many
Read more

On Hiatus Until Fall

Hello world. Sorry I haven't participated as much as I usually do both on this blog and in dialogue on other social media outlets. As I've accepted a new position as Managing Director of Milwaukee Repertory Theater, all of my energies have been focused on relocating to a new city and learning about my new theater. Looking forward to reentering the blogosphere in the fall, and to participating in conversations in the near future! Chad
Read more