Signs It's Time to Refresh Your Department FAQ

The signs of an outdated FAQ are easy to ignore, until they start slowing down your team.

Whether it's printed and pinned to the wall, hidden deep in a shared drive, or posted online for public use, every department has some version of a "Frequently Asked Questions" document.

But just because it exists, doesn't mean it's always working.

At Acta, we’ve reviewed hundreds of department FAQs, and have spotted some common red flags along the way that it's time for an update.

1) Outdated Answers Are Still in Circulation

If your team is still referencing a policy that changed last year, it might not be their fault.

FAQs are often treated as one-and-done documents, but when they aren’t reviewed regularly, they can quietly fall out of step with your current operations.

Common red flags include:

• Deadlines, permit forms, or fee schedules that are no longer valid
  
• Links that lead to 404 pages
  
• Staff names or contact info that no longer apply
  
  

These small details can cause big delays in communication and trust.

2) Your Staff Still Has to Re-Explain Answers

FAQs that are long, unclear, or buried in multi-page PDFs don’t actually save time, they just shift the burden back onto your staff for them to manually retype the same explanations over and over again.

Better alternatives are:

• Clear, one-line answers for common questions
  
• Answers that match your current permit workflows
  
• Internal FAQs that are easy to search, copy, and send
  

→ Acta customers use built-in templates to cut response time by 90%.

3) Call and Email Volume Is Climbing

When a public-facing FAQ isn’t meeting resident needs, they’ll find another route - your phone lines and inbox.

Increased call volume is often a sign that your self-service resources aren’t answering what residents need to know, causing them to reach out for a more direct, humanized response.

Pro tip: Acta’s Analytics Dashboard helps you track usage trends and spot high-frequency repeat questions, so you can uncover knowledge gaps and improve your FAQ based on real patterns instead of guesswork.

4) Your FAQ Lives in a Place No One Remembers

If your FAQ is stored in a binder, buried in a shared drive, or only accessible on a staff computer, chances are it’s not doing much good.

Staff need quick, easily accessible answers, especially when juggling walk-ins, inspections, and emails all at once.

That’s why Acta integrates directly with Outlook, your browser, and permitting platforms like Accela and eTRAKiT, so answers are always right there when staff need them.

5) Consistency Over Complexity

An FAQ page doesn’t have to cover everything. In fact, when FAQs become overloaded with every possible scenario, they often become harder to navigate, leaving both staff and residents digging for answers that should be easy to find.

Instead, cover only the most common questions you receive, with the most up-to-date, clear responses possible.

We’ve seen the best results when departments:

• Standardize 15-20 high-volume questions
  
• Pair each answer with a link or form
  
• Review content quarterly

Want Help Refreshing Your FAQs?

If you’re noticing gaps in your internal or public-facing FAQ - whether it’s outdated info, inconsistent answers, or hard-to-find documents - we’re here to help.

Our team has helped dozens of departments update their content for clarity, consistency, and better results. And if you're not yet using our Smart Response System, it’s a great way to make sure your most-used answers are templatized and ready to send right where your team works: Outlook, your browser, or your permitting platform.

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