Are these the best FAQs in the world by LINGsCARS?

FAQs can be found on many websites and typically they are presented in standard text format.

Maybe there is a suggestive search facility to aid the visitor’s ability to find relevant answers quickly and efficiently.

But what if you wanted to make your FAQs more memorable, more unique and provide a reason for your visitors to use these rather than picking up the phone and asking customer services a question?

Enter stage left LINGsCARS and what are labelled “The best FAQs in the world!”

By Paul Rouke August 6th 2014 15:32

Having previously provided a detailed analysis of the how LINGsCARS persuades people to buy, I thought I would take a look to see whether or not the site’s FAQs are as good as they claim.

At the end of this post I’ve shared a range of lessons that can be learnt for delivering customer-centric FAQs on your website.

An admission

Since late 2013 I have been a customer of LINGsCARS, so I have experienced first-hand many of the behind the scenes customer service approaches the company employs, including its Lingo system.

For those who would rightly question the overall brand proposition, one thing I can say is that this business is full of substance once you move beyond the unique, over the top website experience.

The importance of delighting customers and being memorable

In my experience, one of the common missing ingredients of brands is truly delighting customers and providing memorable experiences.

For anyone who read my last LINGsCARS article or has seen the website, being memorable and providing delighters is very much rooted in the LINGsCARS experience.

What about FAQs? Are FAQs usually memorable? Do customers find them useful? How important (or not) are FAQs? Does your customer service team answer questions on the phone which are already available within your FAQs?

I’ve taken a look at how Ling approaches answering her customers’ common questions and whether or not they are memorable – hint, quite possibly.

Explore for yourself and get ready to find quite a few Easter eggs.

Why have FAQs been delivered in this way?

As part of my evaluation I have had some feedback from Ling, explaining the business case for delivering FAQs in this way. Here is some of what she has shared…

I have made 64 movies (25 to 55 seconds long) as answers instead of the usual ultra-boring text sh*te. No-one else has anything like this and no-one else has ever put this much effort into an FAQ section.

As ever it is designed to grab emotional attachment from viewers who will be compelled to watch more and more of the movies (as they are charming and funny).

Homepage impressions and visibility

Upon landing on the homepage and to my complete surprise I couldn’t help noticing the banner shouting out “JUST CLICK! The BEST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS IN THE WORLD!” despite everything that is competing for your attention.

Just as I was taking this in, the auto play music kicked in to add a new dimension to my viewing experience – who said auto play music was bad?

Clicking into other pages of the website, I could see that they provide a consistent promotion of the FAQs in the top right corner.

Landing on the FAQs

When you first arrive in the FAQs the first thing you realise is this is quite a comprehensive section. You also get the sense that this isn’t going to be your usual FAQ area.

Looking through the categories of FAQs available, the site seems to have addressed most, if not all of the important areas when it comes to leasing a car.

Finally another important point is that the questions all appear to be written in plain English which encouraged me to explore more in the knowledge I was getting answers to specific, relevant questions.

Memorable videos

I’ve not had the time to watch all 64 movies but of the many that I have watched, here are some of the memorable ones in case you have a spare few minutes.

Tip – if you are in work you may want to use headphones, some of the audio could raise a few eyebrows.

What’s the best car deal?

How is the car delivered?

Can I cancel my order?

So are these the best FAQs in the world?

This is still up for debate, but what I do know is they are the most memorable and creative ones I have come across online.

What lessons can be learnt?

In all seriousness, what can businesses take from the approach used by Ling in delivering FAQs to visitors? Here are seven lessons for you to consider:

If you are going to provide FAQs make them comprehensive to cover all the major areas of your service.
If you provide videos, also provide text for them as an alternative way of consuming the content.
If you provide a list of all your FAQs make it clear which FAQs have been seen to avoid confusion.
If you have invested time and effort in developing an important new area of your website, make sure you provide intuitive and prominent access to this content.
Understand your customer and visitor questions and concerns to determine what FAQs you should provide – speaking to customer service staff can uncover hidden opportunities.
Provide transparency of your most important proposition areas to increase customer confidence and trust.
Keep FAQ videos short, between 30 and 60 seconds, to maintain interest.

Questions for you

How do you create memorable experiences for your visitors?
How important are your FAQs and do visitors use them?
Do you have common questions that visitors ask via telephone when they could self serve?
Which is your favourite FAQ video on LINGsCARS and why?