Customers prefer using search engines for pre-purchase research

According to PwC, 55% of consumers rank search as their top source for pre-purchase information which means how you show up on the search engine results page matters. So, if website experience and SEO aren’t already a part of your support strategy, now’s the time to add them to your priorities.

Did You Know? 88% of customer experience professionals improved their self-serve resources, including help centers, to meet customer expectations.

How to use customer concerns to create a strong Help Center

A help center is a knowledge database of articles addressing common questions about your products, services, and brand. It’s also an ingenious way to promote brand awareness.

1. List your top customer concerns

Jump right into where the magic chaos happens: your inbox. Why are customers reaching out to support? What are their concerns? Are they always asking about your return policy? Are they confused about how to use your product? Compile your list of concerns as it’s guaranteed to solve customers’ most frequently asked questions immediately.

Pro Tip: Carefully read your negative reviews. The complaints, criticisms, and feedback found in these reviews are a direct way to identify customer concerns.

2. Create an article for each concern

Write every article using easy-to-read language along with clean formatting. For instance, including step-by-step instructions in a numbered list and breaking up long paragraphs increases readability. Enhance your articles with visual elements like GIFs and video tutorials to be as comprehensive as necessary.

Pro Tip: Organize your articles into categories like Product, Orders & Shipping, Returns & Exchanges, and Account & Billing Discounts.

3. Optimize your articles for SEO

For an extra boost of optimization, insert relevant and related keywords into your articles, including the heading and subheading. Customers won’t always use the same search query, so anticipating their phrasing will help direct traffic to your pages no matter how they look for it.

4. Spread the word

Maximize the visibility of your Help Center articles by turning to the rest of your website and other communication channels:

• Chat: Toggle article recommendations in chat so customers can find in-depth answers to their questions.
• Product pages: Add relevant help center articles to certain product pages to help customers make the most out of your product, whether that’s with usage instructions or a troubleshooting article.
• Customer communications: Link to articles in customer interactions to provide detailed assistance.
• Email newsletters: Feature links to articles in your marketing emails and newsletters to notify existing customers about new or updated resources. For example, a follow-up email can include a help center article to help customers use your product.
• Social media: Share your articles on social media to reach a broader audience.

What success looks like: Dr. Bronner’s

Dr. Bronner's, the leader in natural soaps and body care, was keeping up with an influx of new customers and higher ticket volumes. They looked to Gorgias’s Help Center and AI Agent to improve their customer experience. Within 30 days, they were able to automatically resolve 30% of customer interactions.

Emily McEnany, Senior Customer Experience Manager at Dr. Bronner’s, says, “We have really extensive ingredient glossaries, certification glossaries, packaging glossaries. If you want to know what kind of plastic or paper we're using in our packaging, you'll find it. And if you have any other questions, we're ready for you.”