How to Create a Great Online Customer Portal

INTRODUCTION

There has been a big shift in customer support recently as more and more companies offer self-service options through online customer and client portals. Reducing support center phone calls benefits companies at the same time that it significantly improves the customer experience.

INTRODUCTIONWhile a reduction in support center phone calls might seem like it benefits companies the most, a 2012 study from Amdocs suggests that today’s customers also prefer an online self-service approach.

75% of the 2,900 users surveyed said they preferred to use online support and 40% said they only contact a call center after they can’t find the answer they’re looking for online via self-service options.

INTRODUCTION

So what’s the catch?

For the most part, people are only interested in online self-support if it’s well managed, reliable, and accurate.

INTRODUCTIONProviding a great self-service option is just one of the reasons that businesses create online customer portals.

While the reasons that your customers may use your online portal will vary based on the specific type of interactions they have with your company, there are a few standard drivers behind customer portal strategies.

Why Do Companies Create Online Customer Portals?

HOW TO CREATE A GREAT ONLINE CUSTOMER PORTAL

REASON #1) ONLINE CUSTOMER PORTALS PROVIDE A SELF-SERVICE OPTION AND LOWER SUPPORT COSTS Functioning as an exclusive customer-only destination, online customer portals were originally created to manage transactional data. By allowing your customers or clients the option to track information in one place online, you lower the number of calls coming into your call center and may be able to downsize your support overhead.

REASON #2) ONLINE CUSTOMER PORTALS PROVIDE A PLACE TO CENTRALIZE INFORMATION AND TOOLSYour online customer portal can centralize information so that customers will always know where to find what they need and can access the necessary tools to solve problems as they arise. By combining all of their needs into a single customer portal, you may see an increase in customer engagement and satisfaction because you improved the ongoing customer experience.

REASON #3) ONLINE CUSTOMER PORTALS PROVIDE SCALABLE CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENTAn online customer portal enables you to manage customer relationships in a more scalable way, even as you get more customers.By keeping track of your relationships more efficiently, you can provide better service and keep your existing customers happy.

Elements of an Effective Online Customer Portal

HOW TO CREATE A GREAT ONLINE CUSTOMER PORTAL

ELEMENT #1) PEER-TO-PEER INTERACTIONSIncluding peer-to-peer community features also helps your business efficiently grow its support knowledgebase since all of the historical questions asked and answered are archived for future customers that need support.The ability to ask and answer questions from other customers humanizes the consumer experience and allows participants to feel like a contributing member of your community

ELEMENT #2) A GOOD SEARCH ENGINEYour search engine should index all text-based online content and discussions, including the information within the text-based files of your portal.Your portal’s single search engine will enable your customers to search:• Blogs• Files• Discussions• Support documentation

ELEMENT #3) SEGMENTATIONRecognizing the distinction between different types of customers and segmenting your information to make it more relevant and accessible. That will help people find answers faster and make the value of your online portal clearer to your customer base.

ELEMENT #4) EXCLUSIVE INFORMATION AND UPDATESTo ensure your customers use your online customer portal, run as much of your company communication as possible through the portal. People won’t use the portal to access information if they can get the information elsewhere. If fewer people use and add their answers to your knowledgebase, the value of the knowledgebase diminishes quickly.Companies with effective online customer portals make this website the center of the customer communication strategy.

Online Customer Portal Takeaway

HOW TO CREATE A GREAT ONLINE CUSTOMER PORTAL

ONLINE CUSTOMER PORTAL TAKEAWAYHaving an effective web-based customer or client portal not only helps to decrease support costs, it gives your customers much-needed access to information and other customers.

Since self-service is a popular option in the “I can Google that” era, an online customer portal helps your company control (and have insight into) the flow of information and the access your customers have to solutions. But, it can’t be all about cutting costs. In order to motivate your customers to utilize your portal, you need to make it a worthwhile platform for both them and your organization.