80% Fewer Inquiries: How Kokusai Kogyo Scaled Solar Support Without Adding Headcount

Kokusai Kogyo Co., Ltd.

Energy / Clean Technology·1,001+ employees·Customer Support

80% Fewer Inquiries: How Kokusai Kogyo Scaled Solar Support Without Adding Headcount

At a glance

• Inquiries cut 80% with a lean 3-person team
• 43% of FAQ visitors use search; 80%+ reach an answer
• Reduced churn rate and increased revenue

The Challenge

Kokusai Kogyo's Enegaeru service was facing a perfect storm. As solar energy demand surged in Japan following electricity price hikes and energy supply concerns, their cloud-based solar panel simulation platform was attracting an influx of new users: retailers, installation contractors, and trading companies entering the renewable energy market. The growth was welcome, but it came with a critical operational challenge.

A single sales staff member was handling the entire inquiry load. During peak periods, product engineers were being pulled away from development to answer customer questions. The existing FAQ had been in place for some time, but its search functionality was poor. Customers couldn't find what they needed, and with new market entrants flooding in with basic questions about renewable energy fundamentals, the team recognized they needed to act proactively before the situation became unsustainable.

Why Helpfeel

While researching solutions, the team discovered Helpfeel and found exactly what they needed: high-precision search that could surface relevant articles even from vague or imprecise search terms. The intent-prediction search would enable customers to find answers and resolve questions independently, no matter how they phrased their query. The UI was superior to alternatives, and the team judged the investment worthwhile based on the expected improvement in customer experience.

What They Did

• Built a lean FAQ operation with three sales staff, prioritizing content on the most frequently asked topics while avoiding highly case-specific information that would bloat the FAQ and make navigation difficult.

• Added sales-support content like talking point guides for their retailers and distributors, turning the FAQ into a resource that went beyond troubleshooting to actively support their users' business success.

• Used search data as voice-of-customer intelligence, sharing keyword trends regularly with the product development team. Rising searches for "gasoline" signaled interest in EV simulation; increased views of subsidy articles indicated demand for policy-related information.

• Made FAQ onboarding a standard part of sales meetings, walking new customers through the FAQ screen directly and establishing it as the primary resource for resolving questions, with phone, email, or chatbot reserved for issues that couldn't be self-served.

• Held monthly customer success meetings with Helpfeel's team, reviewing search activity and keyword trends to identify what improvements were needed. These structured check-ins kept the FAQ from stagnating after initial setup.

Results

Since launching the Helpfeel-powered FAQ, the team estimates inquiry volume has decreased by approximately 80% on a perceived basis. The combination of comprehensive, well-curated content and continuous data-driven improvement delivered this result. Even with a small team, FAQ operations run efficiently and team members are now able to focus on their core responsibilities.

Among visitors to the FAQ, 43% conduct a search, and more than 80% of those users successfully reach an answer. User feedback from interviews confirms the smooth experience: many companies reported that "when we have a question, we just search and it's resolved immediately, we're very satisfied."

This seamless self-service experience translated into measurable business outcomes: reduced churn rate and increased revenue. High-traffic FAQ articles have been republished in the Enegaeru service blog, and the team plans to expand this content repurposing into social media channels to drive broader service awareness.

"A seamless FAQ search experience is an underappreciated but critical investment that directly affects customer satisfaction, and delivering that experience is where Helpfeel's value lies."

Natsumi Naruse, Carbon Neutral Promotion Division, Digital Energy Group

Looking Ahead

Helpfeel's search data revealed a near-term opportunity: the FAQ currently lacks enough introductory content about solar power and storage batteries, the foundational information that newly entering retailers and installation contractors are seeking. The team is building out a keyword library to serve these users better.

Looking further ahead, the team envisions using AI agents to cover the full customer journey, from resolving questions and providing support to sales and lead generation. The concept is to automate the process from initial inquiry through proposal and closing, creating the equivalent of a skilled, always-available "online salesperson" operating entirely through AI on the Enegaeru platform.

“A seamless FAQ search experience is an underappreciated but critical investment that directly affects customer satisfaction, and delivering that experience is where Helpfeel's value lies.”

— Natsumi Naruse, Carbon Neutral Promotion Division, Digital Energy Group