Does providing contextual FAQ's prior to allowing users to contact a support specialist increase ROI? It seems that there is at least a perceived benefit (as many companies do it). Are they basing this decision on research?
IE: Each message or contact that a company receives costs that company. Is there any data which shows that providing FAQ's based on relevant information reduces the number of messages/calls to a company? Or does this simply frustrate users by providing blockages to contacting said company?
~Apple's support section is a good example of this style of support.
Answer
I've had many clients request that they serve up contextual FAQ questions before allowing people to send in support requests and the reason has been that their support staff is inundated with basic questions that they repeatedly get. Also the info is available on their website but people aren't finding it (which is clearly some other usability issue). So, the rationale (at least from my experience) isn't user centered however it generally ends up being a win-win since users are able to get answers to their questions faster and support staff get fewer tickets/calls/emails. You just need to be careful not to get in the way of users who just really need to contact a support staff.
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