ClerkChat
Sign In
FAQ deflection

The same twenty questions, answered without you

Look at last month's messages and you will find a short list repeating. Answering them faster is not the win; answering them without anyone noticing is. What is left over is the work that actually needed a person.

Is this you?

The questions below are the ones customers actually type.

Online courses and memberships

Access, certificates and refund windows account for most of the inbox, and every answer already exists in the terms.

  • How long do I have access for?
  • Do I get a certificate at the end?
  • Can I get a refund if I have started the course?
  • Does it work on mobile?

The policy questions are answered instantly and consistently, which also removes the risk of two people giving different refund answers.

Local services with a physical premises

Parking, access and opening hours are asked constantly, and usually by people who are about to visit.

  • Is there parking?
  • Are you wheelchair accessible?
  • Which entrance do I use?
  • Are you open on Sundays?

The practical questions that decide whether someone turns up are answered at the moment they are asked, including in the evening.

Subscription boxes

Skipping, pausing and changing an address generate a steady stream of identical messages.

  • How do I skip a month?
  • Can I change my address before the next box?
  • When is the cut-off to cancel?

Self-service answers replace a queue, and the ones that need an account change reach you with the details attached.

Professional services

Enquiries stall on process questions — how it works, what it costs, how long it takes — that a brochure page never quite answers.

  • How does your fee structure work?
  • Do you offer a free initial consultation?
  • How long does a typical matter take?

Process and fee questions are answered clearly, which both filters enquiries and builds enough confidence to make contact.

What it does

  • Answers from what you have already writtenYour site, your policies, your help pages. No flows to build and no rules to maintain when a price changes.
  • Gives the same answer everywhereOne source of truth across the website, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and Telegram, rather than a different bot per channel drifting apart.
  • Shows you what it could not answerThe conversations that escalate are a list of gaps in your own documentation, which is the most useful list you will get.
  • Handles the questions you never thought to scriptBecause it reads your material rather than following branches, it covers questions no flow builder would have anticipated.

Setting it up

  1. 1
    Find your actual twenty questionsRead the last month of messages rather than guessing. The real list is usually shorter and more boring than people expect.
  2. 2
    Fix the thin pages before blaming the agentWeak answers almost always trace back to source material that was never written properly. This is the work that improves answers most.
  3. 3
    Put it where the questions arriveIf most come through Instagram, a website widget will not help. Connect the channel people actually use.

What it does not do

  • It answers from your material, so anything you have not written down is a gap it cannot fill
  • It does not take actions on accounts — changing an address or cancelling a subscription needs a person or a custom action
  • Contradictory source material produces contradictory answers, so conflicting pages are worth resolving first

Questions

What share of questions can it actually handle?
It depends almost entirely on how much you have written down. A business with a real help centre deflects a lot; one with a thin contact page deflects little. The fastest way to find out is to take last week's messages and ask the agent each one.
Will customers mind talking to an agent?
For a question with a factual answer, most people prefer an instant one. The objection shows up when someone with a real problem gets trapped, which is why an easy route to a person matters more than the deflection rate.
How much maintenance does it need?
You update your source material and the answers follow, rather than editing branches in a flow builder. Reviewing escalated conversations monthly tells you what to write next.

Where it answers

For your industry

Related jobs

Get the repeat questions off your plate

Point it at what you have already written. Free plan, no card needed.

Start freeSee pricing