Customer portals: when they pay off and what they need

What a customer portal is

A customer portal is a secure area on your website where customers log in and see their own information: orders and their status, documents, invoices, appointments. Instead of calling or emailing, they look it up themselves, around the clock.

How to tell it is worth it

• Many calls and emails are about the status of orders
• Documents go back and forth by email and are still missing
• Customers have to upload documents or add details
• You want to offer a service that sets you apart from the competition

Typical features

• Secure login, with two-factor authentication on request
• Orders with their current status
• Documents and invoices to download
• Uploads of documents by the customer
• Messages to your team instead of scattered emails
• Roles, so that in a client company everyone sees only what they should

The connection to your systems

A portal only shows its value once it is connected to your existing systems: orders come from order management, invoices from accounting, without anyone entering anything twice. These interfaces are often the most important part of the project.

Start small

Begin with the feature that saves the most questions, often the order status or the document area. A clickable prototype shows early whether your customers find their way around. More features follow once the portal is in use.