# Platform Help Center > Structures platform help centers with separate buyer/seller sections, video tutorials, and contact escalation. Use when building self-serve support for marketplace platforms. - Skill: `reaperinvest/platform-help-center` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add reaperinvest/platform-help-center` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/reaperinvest/platform-help-center/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: reaperinvest (https://skillmd.com/u/reaperinvest) - Updated: 2026-09-22 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/reaperinvest/platform-help-center --- # Platform Help Center ## When to Use This Skill Use this skill when you need to: - Structure a help center for a marketplace with buyer and seller audiences - Write help articles that reduce support ticket volume - Design a contact escalation path from self-serve to human support - Organize FAQs, tutorials, and troubleshooting guides by user type **DO NOT** use this skill for knowledge base software selection, chatbot design, or internal documentation. This is for external-facing help center structure and content. --- ## Core Principle A HELP CENTER EXISTS TO ANSWER QUESTIONS BEFORE THEY BECOME SUPPORT TICKETS — EVERY ARTICLE MUST BE FINDABLE IN UNDER 30 SECONDS AND ANSWERABLE IN UNDER 2 MINUTES. --- ## Phase 1: Brief ### Required Inputs | Input | What to Ask | Default | |-------|------------|---------| | **Platform type** | "What does your marketplace connect?" | No default — must be provided | | **Top support questions** | "What are the 10 most common questions from buyers and sellers?" | No default — must be provided | | **Current support volume** | "How many support tickets per week?" | Under 50 | | **Support channels** | "How do users currently reach support? Email, chat, phone?" | Email only | | **Help center tool** | "What platform will host the help center?" | Notion, Zendesk, or standalone page | **GATE: Confirm the brief before structuring the help center.** --- ## Phase 2: Structure ### Information Architecture ``` Help Center Home ├── For Buyers │ ├── Getting Started │ ├── Browsing and Searching │ ├── Placing an Order │ ├── Payments and Refunds │ ├── Reviews and Ratings │ └── Account and Settings ├── For Sellers │ ├── Getting Started │ ├── Creating Listings │ ├── Managing Orders │ ├── Payments and Payouts │ ├── Reviews and Ratings │ └── Account and Settings ├── Trust and Safety │ ├── Our Guarantee │ ├── Reporting a Problem │ ├── Dispute Resolution │ └── Community Guidelines └── Contact Us ├── Submit a Request └── Live Chat (if available) ``` ### Article Priority Matrix Rank articles by impact: | Priority | Criteria | Action | |----------|----------|--------| | P1 | Top 10 questions by ticket volume | Write first | | P2 | Onboarding and activation questions | Write second | | P3 | Edge cases and advanced topics | Write third | | P4 | Nice-to-have reference content | Write as needed | **GATE: Confirm the structure and priority list before writing articles.** --- ## Phase 3: Write ### Article Template ``` ## [Article Title — phrased as a question] **Applies to:** Buyers / Sellers / Both [1-2 sentence answer to the question — the TL;DR.] ### Step-by-step 1. [Step with specific UI reference] 2. [Step with specific UI reference] 3. [Step with specific UI reference] ### Screenshot [SCREENSHOT: description of what to capture] ### Common Issues - **[Problem]:** [Solution] - **[Problem]:** [Solution] ### Still need help? [Contact our support team →](link) ``` ### Writing Rules - **Title is a question** — match how users think and search ("How do I get a refund?" not "Refund Policy") - **Answer first, details second** — the first 1-2 sentences should answer the question directly - **Step-by-step format** — use numbered lists for processes, bullets for options - **Specific UI references** — "Click the gear icon in the top right" not "Go to settings" - **Screenshots for every process** — placeholder notes if screenshots are not ready: `[SCREENSHOT: settings page with gear icon circled]` - **Link to related articles** — at the bottom, suggest 2-3 related articles ### Content Types | Type | When to Use | Format | |------|-------------|--------| | **How-to article** | Process questions | Numbered steps + screenshots | | **Troubleshooting guide** | "It is not working" questions | Problem → possible causes → solutions | | **FAQ entry** | Quick factual answers | Question + 1-3 sentence answer | | **Video tutorial** | Complex multi-step processes | 60-120 second screencast | --- ## Phase 4: Polish ### 1. Contact Escalation Path ``` User has a question ↓ Search help center (self-serve) ↓ No answer found → Suggest related articles ↓ Still no answer → Contact form with category selection ↓ Ticket created → Auto-response with estimated reply time ↓ Human support responds within [X] hours ``` ### 2. Help Center Metrics ``` ## Help Center Metrics - **Search success rate:** % of searches that result in an article click - **Contact rate:** % of help center visitors who submit a ticket (lower = better) - **Top searches with no results:** Keywords users search for that return nothing - **Article helpfulness:** "Was this helpful?" yes/no at the bottom of each article - **Ticket deflection rate:** % reduction in tickets after article publication - **Time to resolution:** Average time to resolve tickets that escalate beyond self-serve ``` ### 3. Quality Checklist ``` ## Help Center Checklist - [ ] Separate buyer and seller sections with clear navigation - [ ] Top 10 questions (by ticket volume) have dedicated articles - [ ] Every article title is phrased as a question - [ ] Every article answers the question in the first 2 sentences - [ ] Step-by-step articles include screenshots (or placeholders) - [ ] Contact escalation path is clear and accessible - [ ] Search functionality works across all articles - [ ] "Was this helpful?" feedback is on every article - [ ] Related articles linked at the bottom of each page - [ ] Help center link is accessible from every page of the platform ``` --- ## Example **Platform:** Freelance services marketplace **Buyer article:** ``` ## How do I get a refund? You can request a refund if the work delivered does not match what was agreed upon in your project brief. ### Steps to request a refund 1. Go to **My Orders** in your dashboard 2. Click on the order in question 3. Click **Request Refund** (available for 14 days after delivery) 4. Select your reason and add details 5. Click **Submit** — the seller has 48 hours to respond ### What happens next - If the seller agrees, your refund is processed within 3-5 business days - If the seller disagrees, our team reviews the case and decides within 5 business days ### Still need help? [Contact support →](link) | Related: [How does buyer protection work?](link) ``` --- ## Anti-Patterns - **Single help center for both sides** — buyers and sellers have different questions and different vocabulary. Separate the sections. - **Long articles** — if an article takes more than 2 minutes to read, split it into multiple articles. - **No search function** — if users cannot search, they will email support instead. Search is mandatory. - **Hiding the contact option** — self-serve is the goal, but hiding human support frustrates users who genuinely need it. - **Stale content** — outdated screenshots and processes create more confusion than no article at all. Review quarterly. --- ## Recovery - **No data on common questions:** Review the last 50 support emails. Group by topic. The top 10 topics are your first articles. - **Too many articles needed at once:** Start with the top 5 questions for each side (10 total). Add 2-3 per week. - **Users still contact support for questions that have articles:** The articles are hard to find or hard to understand. Improve search and rewrite using simpler language. - **Help center gets no traffic:** Link to it from transactional emails, in-app tooltips, and the support auto-reply. Make it visible everywhere.