Most WhatsApp enquiries are not conversations. They are lookups: do you have parking, are you open Sunday, how much is it, do you cover my postcode. Typing those out individually is the single biggest time cost of running support on WhatsApp, and an FAQ is the thing that removes it.
Below are real questions, by industry, with answers written at WhatsApp length. Use them as written where they fit, and swap in your own specifics where they do not.
What the FAQ does and what WhatsApp does
The split that works is boring and it holds up everywhere:
| Handled by the FAQ | Handled in WhatsApp | |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of question | Same answer for everyone | Depends on this customer |
| Examples | Hours, prices, policies, what is included, how it works | Where is *my* order, can you fit *me* in Thursday, *my* delivery arrived broken |
| Cost of answering twice | High. You retype it forever | Low. It was only ever asked once |
In practice that means your WhatsApp replies get shorter rather than fewer. You stop writing three paragraphs about the cancellation policy and send one line plus a link, then spend the saved time on the part that actually needs you.
Why a WhatsApp FAQ reads differently from a website FAQ
Four differences, and ignoring them is why some FAQ sets never get used in chat.
- Phrase the question the way a customer types it. "Do you do gluten free?" not "Dietary requirements and allergen information."
- Lead with the answer. First six words should settle it. Yes, no, a number, a date.
- Two lines, then a link for depth. An answer that needs scrolling will not get sent in a chat.
- Write it so it can be pasted. If the answer only makes sense inside a page layout, it is not usable in a WhatsApp reply. The replies that point people at these answers are in the WhatsApp auto reply messages, and the strategy around both is in the WhatsApp customer support guide.
Restaurants and cafes
A fuller set for this sector is in the restaurant FAQ examples.
| Question as asked | Answer |
|---|---|
| Do you take walk-ins on a Friday? | Usually yes before 7pm, rarely after. Tables of two we can almost always squeeze in. Anything from four up, book. |
| Is there a proper vegan option or just a salad? | Four vegan mains, and the kitchen will adapt three more. Full menu with allergens: [link] |
| Can we bring a birthday cake? | Yes, no charge. Tell us when you book so we have plates and candles ready. |
| Is it pushchair friendly? | Ground floor is step-free with room for two pushchairs. The mezzanine is stairs only. High chairs, three of them. |
| Where do we park? | Free after 6pm on [street]. The multi-storey on [road] is two minutes away and open late. |
The pattern worth copying: each answer contains a specific the customer could not have guessed. "Four vegan mains" beats "we cater for vegans" because it ends the conversation instead of inviting a follow-up.
Travel and tours
| Question as asked | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is actually included in the price? | Guide, entry fees and lunch on day two. Not included: flights, travel insurance, drinks. Full breakdown: [link] |
| How fit do I need to be? | About four hours of walking a day on uneven ground, with breaks. If you can manage a long day of sightseeing, you will be fine. |
| What happens if it rains? | We run anyway, except for [the boat leg], which we move to the next dry morning. Nothing gets cancelled for weather alone. |
| What is the cancellation policy? | Free up to 14 days before. After that we keep the deposit. Inside 48 hours it is the full amount. |
| Do I need a visa? | Depends on your passport, and we cannot advise on it. Check your own government's travel page, and tell us if you need a letter of invitation. |
That last answer is the one to copy carefully. Where the honest answer is "this depends on you and we are not qualified to say", write exactly that and point at the authoritative source. An FAQ that guesses on visas, tax or medical questions creates a liability rather than saving time.
Clinics and practices
| Question as asked | Answer |
|---|---|
| Do I need a referral? | Not for [physiotherapy]. For [the injection clinic], yes, from a GP or consultant. |
| How much is a first appointment? | [Amount] for 45 minutes, including the assessment and a written plan. Follow-ups are [amount] for 30. |
| Do you take my insurer? | We are registered with [list]. With others you can usually pay us and claim it back. Send us the insurer name and we will confirm. |
| What do I need to bring? | Photo ID, your insurer details if you are claiming, a list of current medication, and shorts if it is a knee or hip. |
| Can I cancel? | Yes, up to 24 hours before at no cost. Inside 24 hours there is a [amount] charge, which we waive for illness. |
Keep clinical questions out of it. An FAQ answers how the practice works. Anything about a symptom, a dose or whether someone should be seen belongs with a clinician, and the FAQ's job is to say so and give the route.
Ecommerce
| Question as asked | Answer |
|---|---|
| Where is my order? | Track it here with your order number: [link]. If the page has not moved in 48 hours, message us and we will chase the courier. |
| How long to [city]? | [2 to 3 working days] to metro addresses, [4 to 6] elsewhere. Orders placed after 2pm go out the next morning. |
| Can I change the delivery address? | Yes, until it is picked, which is usually the same evening. After that we can redirect with the courier, which adds a day. |
| What is the returns window? | 30 days, unworn, tags on. Returns label is in the box and the postage is on us. Opened consumables we cannot take back. |
| Is there a warranty? | Two years on anything electrical, covering faults rather than damage. Keep the order number; you do not need the box. |
Notice how many of these end a chat that would otherwise take four messages. "Can I change the address" normally costs a back-and-forth about whether it has shipped. Answering the *rule* in advance removes the exchange.
Consultants, coaches and freelancers
| Question as asked | Answer |
|---|---|
| How do you charge? | Day rate for short pieces, fixed fee for anything scoped. No hourly billing, because it punishes you for asking questions. |
| When could you start? | Currently booking from [month]. Smaller pieces I can usually slot in sooner, so ask. |
| Do you do a free first call? | Yes, 30 minutes, no pitch. Book a slot here: [link] |
| What do you need from me to start? | A rough brief, who the decision-maker is, and the deadline. If you only have the first one, that is enough to begin. |
| Will you sign an NDA? | Happily, yours or mine. |
Short answers are the point here. A consultant's FAQ doubles as a filter: the person who reads "no hourly billing" and leaves was never going to be a good fit, and you learned it without a call.
Local services and trades
| Question as asked | Answer |
|---|---|
| Do you cover [area]? | Yes, anywhere inside [the ring road]. Beyond that we do, with a [amount] travel charge, which we will tell you before booking. |
| How soon can you come? | Emergencies same day where we can. Routine work is currently about [a week]. |
| Is there a call-out fee? | [Amount], which comes off the bill if you go ahead with the work. No charge at all if we cannot get access. |
| Are you insured and certified? | [Amount] public liability, and [registration] registered. Certificate numbers are on the quote. |
| Do I get a price before you start? | Always, in writing, before any work begins. If something unexpected turns up we stop and re-quote rather than adding it later. |
A printed code beside the door or on the invoice takes people straight to these answers without a message at all, which is the whole argument for a QR code pointing at your FAQ.
The nine questions nearly everyone gets
Whatever you sell, these arrive. If you do nothing else, answer these:
- Are you open now, and what are your normal hours?
- Where exactly are you, and where do I park?
- What does it cost?
- How long does it take?
- Do you do [the thing adjacent to what you do]?
- Can I change or cancel, and what does that cost me?
- How do I pay?
- Do you cover my area, or ship to my country?
- Something has gone wrong, what now?
Getting yours out of your actual chat history
Do not invent the list. Scroll back through your WhatsApp threads for the last two weeks and write down every question, verbatim, including the badly phrased ones. Anything that appears three times is an FAQ entry. Anything that appears once was a real conversation and should stay one.
Two things to keep from that exercise. The customer's phrasing, which is what you should use as the question. And the answer you actually sent when you were in a hurry, which is usually tighter and better than the one you would write deliberately.
This is where Answrii fits: it turns that collected set into a structured, searchable page you can link from any WhatsApp reply, in more than one language if your customers need it, so the answer lives in one place rather than in thirty separate chat threads.
Keeping it honest once it exists
An FAQ that has drifted out of date is worse than none, because people now trust it. Three habits cover most of the risk.
- •When you change a price, a policy or your hours, update the FAQ in the same sitting. Not later.
- •Every month, look at which questions still arrive in WhatsApp despite being answered. That usually means the wording is wrong or the link is buried, not that people are lazy.
- •When you find yourself writing a long WhatsApp answer for the second time, stop and add it.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions should a WhatsApp FAQ have?
Fifteen to twenty-five for most small businesses. Fewer than twelve and people still message you; more than about thirty-five and nobody can find anything. The nine above plus whatever your own chat history keeps throwing up.
Should the FAQ live in WhatsApp or on a web page?
A page, linked from WhatsApp. The app has no good way to hold twenty answers where people can search them, and a link is one tap. Keep two or three of the most common answers as quick replies in the app for speed.
Can I use the same FAQ for WhatsApp and my website?
Same answers, shorter versions for chat. The website can carry the detail and the caveats; the chat version needs the first two lines to be enough on their own.
What should never go in an FAQ?
Anything that depends on the individual customer, anything you are not qualified to answer (medical, legal, immigration, tax), and anything that changes weekly. Those three belong in a conversation or with a professional.
How do I get customers to read it instead of messaging?
Put the link where the question happens: the away message, your business profile, the order confirmation, a code on the counter. And make the first line of each answer do the work, so one tap settles it.
Does an FAQ make support feel impersonal?
Only if it is used as a wall. "Here is the answer, and tell me if that is not your situation" reads as helpful. The same link with nothing around it reads as a brush-off.
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