A video FAQ is a short video, usually 30–90 seconds, that answers one common customer question by showing the steps rather than describing them. Contact centres use video FAQs to let customers solve routine problems themselves, such as reading a bill, registering on a portal or finding a meter. Fewer customers call about those topics, and the calls that do come in are shorter.
Most FAQ pages are written by the business, for the business. They use internal terms, pack several processes into one answer and assume the reader is calm and focused. Customers arrive stressed, on their phones, and skim. When they can't follow the text, they call. We cover this in more depth in Top 7 Reasons Contact Centre FAQs Fail.
Video isn't the only option. We compare five formats on cost, accessibility and upkeep in 5 Alternatives to Text FAQs for Contact Centres, Compared.
| Organisation | What they made | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Severn Trent | 40+ videos on bills, meters, leaks and frozen pipes | Used by about 2,500 customers a month; peak contact reduced |
| Cambridge City Council | One video on registering for the housing portal (1,800 calls a week, over a third of which could self-serve) | 18% lower average talk time; more customers registering on the portal |
| BPP | 30+ videos replacing text-heavy student instructions | 30,000 views of one video in its first month |
Start with the questions that are high volume, step-by-step and stable. A good shortlist comes from three places:
Leave out anything that changes monthly or needs account-specific advice. Those stay with agents.
Measure video FAQs by the contact they prevent, not just by views. Track, for each topic, before and after:
Views tell you the video is being found. The contact numbers tell you it's working.
Building in-house suits teams with a video producer and time to keep content current. A managed service suits contact centres that want videos live in weeks without drawing on internal resource. With Premier CX's Video Managed Service, we handle scripting, production, accessibility and edits, and edits turn around in days.
A short video answering one common customer question by showing the steps.
Shorter than you'd imagine! Under 90 seconds for a simple question, no longer than a few minutes for longer queries.
Yes, on the topics they cover, when customers can find them and the process is stable. Measure contact volume per topic before and after launch.
They can be more accessible than text when they include captions, audio description and plain language.
With a managed service, videos can be delivered in weeks and edits in days.
Related: How to Replace Text FAQs in Contact Centres · Fewer Calls, Happier Customers: Using Video and WhatsApp in Service