What is a Q&A platform?
Q&A stands for “question and answer”. Q&A platforms are online discussion platforms that allow employees or customers to ask and answer questions.
Businesses use these tools as a searchable knowledge base, either internally for employees or externally for customers, to archive common questions and answers. Employees typically ask questions about how they can get their job done, while customers ask questions about products, services, and customer support.
While Q&A platforms are used as a knowledge repository, they differ from traditional knowledge base tools. The main difference between the two tools is length. Q&A platforms stick to a basic question-answer format rather than long-form.
How Q&A platforms are used?
Internally, employees use Q&A tools to ask questions and receive answers from colleagues. Externally, customers use them to ask questions and receive answers from a customer support team.
This knowledge management format can help managers, colleagues, and customer service teams quickly answer customer questions. The content collected on Q&A platforms also lets businesses build a knowledge base that highlights common questions from employees or customers.
Benefits of Q&A platforms
From building consumer reassurance to increasing revenue, there are many benefits to having a Q&A platform. Q&A platforms can:
- Build consumer trust: Consumers trust reviews as much as they trust a recommendation from a friend. A good Q&A tool incorporates user advice through replies or questions. This information gives customers an idea of how others feel about the product and builds customer trust and reassurance.
- Facilitate customer support: When potential customers see a Q&A section where brand advocates and peers answer questions quickly and professionally, they are more likely to trust the brand. Accurately answering a consumer question helps customers feel supported by the sales team and the brand.
- Increase engagement and conversions: Q&A gives customers another way to interact with the site. Answering common questions is a great way to improve a customer’s time on the site. The more information and positive interactions they encounter, the more likely they are to make a purchase.
- Serve as a comprehensive source: Answering common customer questions and having all the information a customer needs in one place deters them from leaving the site and, in some cases, buying from a competitor.
- Help with SEO: Besides allowing customers to find relevant information about the products they’re considering purchasing, Q&A software is great for boosting search engine optimization (SEO). By providing helpful content, search engines naturally rank the content based on keywords and activity. This helps current customers and also draws in new leads.
- Allow for better control of online reputation management: In today’s world filled with review forums and online communities, even one bad review may cause a customer to think twice before purchasing. Using a Q&A platform helps brands take control of the narrative, address misinformation, and perform digital damage control. Directing customers to the site’s Q&A ensures they see both sides of the story.
Amanda Hahn-Peters
Amanda Hahn-Peters is a freelance copywriter for G2. Born and raised in Florida, she graduated from Florida State University with a concentration in Mass Media Studies. When she’s not writing, you’ll find Amanda coaching triathletes, cuddling up with a good book, or at the theater catching the latest musical.
