F#ck the FAQ
That’s not exactly language fit for a lady, is it? No, you’re right. Sorry in advance. But sometimes it just slips out. I get so frustrated when I’m searching for an answer on a website. When I get lost in the Frequently Asked Questions yet again.
FAQ is a widely accepted English term in the world of customer experience. I totally get that, because V.G.V. — as in “Frequently Asked Questions” — sounds a bit odd. It also sounds too much like the TGV, and let’s be honest, few customers experience their digital search on websites as if they were riding a high-speed train. It’s more like an old-fashioned slow train chugging along between the moors and the seaside.
So off I went. On a journey through the FAQ. Just to quickly find an answer to a question I had: how to change my subscription. I didn’t understand the information I got. I also felt like this answer didn’t address my question or problem. Of course, I kept searching, frantically clicking through, and after a few minutes—yes, I can be impatient sometimes, and I’m not the only customer—I decided to call. Maybe this was the shortcut I needed, because I couldn’t figure it out on my own. It felt like a sign of weakness. Of course, I would have preferred to find the answer myself. The company would have preferred that I not call, either. Not only did they try to hide their phone number (but I’m a master Googler, HA!), the employee also made that clear over the phone. In no time at all, she found the answer and couldn’t understand why I hadn’t figured it out myself by clicking around. She told me I could have found it in the “My” section as well.
If you lose me in your own FAQ, that’s not my fault, is it? Too often I see that the flow is designed from an internal perspective. Or that it contains words I, as a customer, don’t use. Or that I want to do something that isn’t allowed online. Like canceling a subscription. That can only be done during business hours and by phone. That FAQ remains a mystery to me. If I pronounce it the Dutch way, we also say EF, EE, KIOE. But then shouldn’t there be periods in between? Which, by the way, few companies do. To me, it’s just the FAQ. If you look at it phonetically, it sounds a lot like F#CK. Unfortunately, I can’t make anything else of it.
This blog was written for CustomerFirst and published on May 30, 2018
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Nienke Bloem is often referred to as the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress.
She is a global CX thought leader, educator, and keynote speaker who inspires audiences with best practices and proven methodologies. She runs a speaking practice, a CX game company, and a training business; she lives and breathes Customer Experience and is the author of two books on CX.
Her two-day Customer Experience Masterclass is known as the best program to prepare for the CCXP, and she is the go-to person for CX leaders who want to advance their leadership and achieve immediate results from their Customer Experience transformation programs. Since 2020, she has been hosting a CX Leadership Masterminds program and helping leaders enhance their leadership skills and deliver an engaging CX story, including a solid CX strategy. In addition, she is a modern-day pilgrim and has drawn parallels between her journey and leading customer-centric transformations.
With over 20 years of corporate experience, she speaks the language of business. Her keynote speeches and training programs on customer experience are inspiring and practical. She is one of the few Recognized Training Partners of the CXPA, and her mission is to make customer experience work and help you achieve business results.
