A customer portal is a secure area where your customers sign in to see information that’s relevant to them. That might be documents, the progress of a job, invoices, appointments or a way to raise a request.
Not every business needs one. Here’s how to tell whether yours would benefit.
Signs a portal would help
You answer the same questions every day
“Where’s my order up to?” “Can you resend that document?” “When is my appointment?” If your team spends a good part of each day answering questions like these, customers are asking because they have no way to look for themselves.
Documents go back and forth by email
Quotes, contracts, reports and certificates sent as attachments get lost in inboxes, saved in the wrong place and requested again. A portal gives each customer one place where their documents always are.
Customers want to know where things stand
When work takes days or weeks, people want reassurance that it’s moving. Without a way to check, they call. With one, most of them don’t need to.
Your team re-types what customers send
A request arrives by email or phone, and someone enters it into your own system. If customers could submit it directly, in the format you need, that step disappears.
You’re sending sensitive information by email
Email is convenient, and it isn’t the right home for everything. A portal lets customers sign in to see private information, and lets you control exactly who can see what.
What a portal can include
Every portal is different, because it’s shaped around the business. Common features include:
- A secure sign-in for each customer.
- Documents to view and download.
- Progress and status updates on current work.
- Forms for requests, bookings or support.
- Messages and notifications.
- Account details and history.
These are options to choose from. The right set depends on what your customers actually ask for.
When you don’t need one
A portal isn’t worth building if customers deal with you once and never return, if there’s nothing for them to look up between visits, or if an existing product already does the job well. In those cases, a clear website and a good contact form will serve you better.
It’s also worth being honest about numbers. A handful of customers with occasional questions is manageable by phone and email. The case for a portal grows with the number of customers and how often they need something.
Start with one thing
The most successful portals begin small. Pick the request your team handles most often, and give customers a way to do it themselves. If that saves time and customers use it, add the next thing.
That approach keeps the first version affordable, and it means the portal grows around what people really use.
Is it right for you?
If your team is busy answering questions customers could answer themselves, a portal is worth a conversation. Tell me what your customers ask for most, and I’ll tell you whether a portal is the right answer. You can read more about customer portals, CRM systems and dashboards.