Business owners often find themselves using an immense amount of valuable business resources on client communications. Most client interactions usually have to do with payments, transactions, and other issues concerning sales.
The total overhead costs are often every business owner’s nightmare, and keeping records of all client information can be quite challenging.
There’s also the issue of data security that you have to consider. Client-business interactions are characterized by sensitive financial information that could cause severe damage to both parties if it came to the wrong hands.
However, all that could be a matter of the past.
Modern advances in technology have allowed businesses to have a client portal that can take care of all the concerns mentioned above with ease when designed and implemented correctly.
If you feel a bit overwhelmed, this article seeks to answer questions like what is a client portal, how can it be used, and how can you create a client portal of your own?
So, What Is a Customer Portal?
A client portal, or customer portal, is a secure digital gateway (usually a website) that provides clients with a single point of access to company information and processes such as invoices, online payments, deliveries, orders, or policies.
A client portal runs on client portal software, is available 24/7 throughout the year, and is accessible on both desktop and mobile devices. Depending on the software in use, a client portal
Client portals are used across a wide variety of industries. For instance, law firms use client portals to give clients access to information regarding their case or if they want to communicate to any of their legal teams. ISPs (Internet service providers) use client portals to understand their data usage better or upgrade and downgrade their accounts.
However, note that most client portal software can be customized. This means that a business can use a portal and configure it to suit its aesthetic and functional appeal.
Using a Customer Portal
A client portal is incredibly easy to use and integrate within your workflow processes. Here’s a brief breakdown of how you can go through the entire process:
1. Build Your Portal
This probably goes without saying, but you can’t use a portal that’s non-existent. You first need to create a portal for your company as per your business needs. There are several approaches to creating a great, user-friendly portal for your customers. But the most common include using WordPress, Google Drive, or a third-party provider.
A good client portal should be clear and transparent. It should answer your customer’s questions before they even think of asking them. The portal should also have clear permissions on what is available for the client to see.
The portal should also be secure for your clients to feel confident that their projects and information are all managed with care without any data breach allowances.
2. Give Your Clients Access
Once the portal is ready, you can now provide your clients with a link to the service, along with their unique login credentials. You can adjust the portal to give them more or less access to information and services the more they use the portal.