An unnecessary question can be identified by two signs. In the path analytics, noticeably more people drop off at this step compared to adjacent ones, and you have never used the answer in your correspondence. Such questions should be removed, allowing more people to reach the chat.
How to find unnecessary questions in analytics?
Open the path analytics in Mate. You will see the funnel: how many people started, how many answered each question, how many reached the end, and how many wrote in the chat. Focus not on the overall numbers, but on the differences between adjacent steps. There are always losses at each step, which is normal. A step is suspicious if the loss is significantly greater than at neighboring steps.
If you find such a step, read the question as if you were a customer seeing the path for the first time.
Is the question always to blame?
No. Sometimes the question is necessary, but the format is problematic. A question with a long phrasing, eight options instead of four, or requiring a choice that the customer is not yet aware of can hinder progress. It can also be the position: a tough question like budget, placed first, can disrupt the path before the person has had a chance to engage.
First, check the phrasing and the position of the question, and only remove it if the answer is not needed for the initial conversation.
Which questions are most often unnecessary?
The one whose answer does not change your next step
A request for a name or phone number that will come in the chat anyway
“How did you hear about us?”: this is your interest, not the customer's
A clarification that is better asked verbally in correspondence
The check is simple: what will you do with one answer and what with another? If it's the same, the question is unnecessary.
What to do instead of deleting?
Reduce the list of options to three or four and add an option like “I don’t know yet”: this keeps those who are still undecided in the path. Rephrase the question to be shorter. Move it lower, closer to the end, where the person is already engaged. Or hide it in a branch so that only those to whom it is really addressed can see it.
How to ensure it has improved?
Change one question at a time; otherwise, you won’t understand what worked. Compare the proportion of those who reached the chat over a comparable period with the previous one. The proportion is important, not the number of inquiries: different numbers of people come with and without advertising.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many completions are needed to draw conclusions?
Focus on dozens, not just a few. With only three completions, only a very rough failure is noticeable, like a question that no one passed. If data is scarce, first place a link where more people are: in the profile header, in ads, in the signature. After a couple of weeks, the funnel will become readable.
What if I need the question for my work?
Ask it in correspondence. The path exists for the person to reach the chat, not to replace the conversation. Anything that can be asked after the first message is better asked afterward: in the chat, you are already talking to an interested person, and they respond more willingly than on an impersonal page.
What to do if people drop off evenly at all questions?
This means the problem is not with a specific question, but with the length of the path or the cover. Shorten the chain to two or three questions and check the first screen: is it clear what the person will get at the end? An even drop-off usually means that people do not understand why they are answering.
Is the cover considered a question?
No, it is the first screen, and losses here indicate something else. If many people opened the path but did not start it, the issue lies with the cover: the title does not explain the meaning, the button does not invite, and the photo is inappropriate. Questions are not the issue here and should not be touched.
Can I trust AI suggestions in analytics?
This is a starting point, not a verdict. The suggestion looks at the same funnel and identifies the most problematic question. The decision is still yours: you know your customers and understand which answer you really need and which can be clarified later in correspondence.
How often should I review the path?
Once a month is sufficient if nothing has changed. Review earlier if you launched ads for a new segment, added a service, or changed the cover. At other times, do not touch a working path: frequent edits do not allow data to accumulate for judging the results.
