37% Bounce Rate, 7% Fewer Calls: How LIXIL Turned FAQ Data Into a Growth Engine

LIXIL Corporation

Manufacturing·1,001+ employees·Customer Support

37% Bounce Rate, 7% Fewer Calls: How LIXIL Turned FAQ Data Into a Growth Engine

At a glance

• Bounce rate dropped from 43% to below 37%
• Phone inquiries reduced 5-7%
• Article creation time cut from 2 months to 1 week
• 50 articles added or updated monthly

The Challenge

LIXIL Corporation, a global manufacturer of water-related products and building materials, faced a disconnect with end users. As digitalization shifted purchasing behavior, customers began researching and selecting products themselves rather than accepting default options. To win in this environment, LIXIL's Customer Service Division needed to proactively engage end users through self-service support.

But their FAQ system was failing customers. Poor search functionality meant customers either found zero results or were overwhelmed by dozens of irrelevant articles. Unable to resolve issues online, customers called the contact center instead, creating uneven workload distribution and over-reliance on specific team members with deep product knowledge. The existing system was feature-rich but underutilized, and the team lacked the SEO knowledge to create articles optimized for the terms customers actually searched.

Why Helpfeel

When evaluation began in autumn 2021, search capability was the top priority. LIXIL needed a system that could precisely narrow down relevant information across a large, complex product range serving both contractors and end users.

Helpfeel's superior search capability, combined with its focused feature set, made it the clear choice. After the experience with an over-featured previous system, the team had confidence that Helpfeel's more streamlined approach would be easier for team members to understand and operate smoothly. The ability to surface the right information even when customers used different language for the same concept was particularly valuable given LIXIL's technical product terminology.

What They Did

• Adopted Scrum framework alongside Helpfeel. The Service Reform Promotion Department shifted from a role-divided structure to a model where individual members could operate with greater autonomy. Helpfeel's approachable UI meant the structural change didn't cause disruption, and team members grew in capability quickly.

• Accelerated publishing cadence. Previously, getting a single article published could take up to two months. The team now targets publishing time-sensitive content within one week of starting work. The admin interface allows multiple people to edit a single article simultaneously, so edits can be finalized on the spot during meetings.

• Leveraged Customer Success support for VOC analysis. Technical writer support raised the quality of FAQ articles, while detailed monthly data analysis helped the team identify which numbers deserved attention. KPIs directly connected to improvement activities were set collaboratively, enabling a genuine PDCA cycle.

• Embedded purchase pathways in content. The team began adding links to showrooms and the LIXIL online store within FAQ articles, proactively guiding customers toward purchase to contribute to EC sales and renovation demand.

Results

The bounce rate improved from 43% immediately after launch to below 37%. Search utilization increased, and phone inquiry volume fell by 5 to 7%. While some reduction was attributable to customers visiting websites more frequently during the COVID-19 pandemic, a meaningful number of customers were now resolving questions online before picking up the phone. As a result, inquiry handlers were no longer as stretched as before.

Article creation and update speed increased dramatically. The team now adds or updates approximately 50 articles per month including revisions, with a real sense of continuous fresh turnover in the FAQ. VOC analysis to develop article ideas also sped up significantly.

New staff who joined through internal transfers were able to use the system almost immediately. One member who transferred from another department last year is already among the highest contributors to FAQ article creation. Other departments responded positively, with some asking to embed the Helpfeel search popup on their own pages.

The Customer Service Division received the internal "LIXIL Award" this year, honored for reducing inquiries, achieving labor savings, and improving productivity.

"The previous system also generated data, but the volume was overwhelming and there was no clear sense of where to start analyzing, which meant no action ever happened. Now, the most important data is filtered and distilled, and KPIs directly connected to improvement activities are set collaboratively. The PDCA cycle is genuinely running."

Takano, General Manager, Customer Service Reform Promotion Department

Looking Ahead

The team is moving beyond resolving customer problems to delivering additional value. By embedding links to showrooms and the online store within FAQ articles, they're actively engaging customers to contribute to business outcomes like EC sales and renovation demand.

The longer-term vision is to make knowledge more openly accessible across the entire LIXIL ecosystem. If end users, contractors, and retailers could all access the same information in one place, everyone could resolve questions from a common source. This would reduce the workload of sales staff and individual inquiries, drive cost savings, and ensure that no matter who you are in the LIXIL ecosystem, you have access to the same information.

“The previous system also generated data, but the volume was overwhelming and there was no clear sense of where to start analyzing, which meant no action ever happened. Now, the most important data is filtered and distilled, and KPIs directly connected to improvement activities are set collaboratively. The PDCA cycle is genuinely running.”

— Takano, General Manager, Customer Service Reform Promotion Department