Enabling your organisation to service customers digitally any time, from anywhere.
Securing access to key data & service updates by allowing customers to self-serve.
Self-service Portals: Embracing digital channel shift
Introducing Customer Portals
Customer expectations have changed. We still love the personal touch and want the ability to speak to a human when we need to, but we also like having a self-serve option. Think about how you interact with your bank, your favourite retailer, or your local council. The days of standing in line to open a new account, return purchased items or waiting on hold to speak to a council representative about a missed bin or anti-social behaviour are long gone.
Today, we have the power to apply for a credit card, download and print return labels, or contact your council about your bins all from the comfort of your home with a laptop or smart phone.
From a customer’s perspective, being able to self-serve means not having to listen to call-waiting music on repeat or wait patiently until we get our turn at the front of the queue. It means we are empowered to carry out tasks at a time and pace that’s convenient for us.
And yet, so many businesses still don’t offer self-serve options. They still use antiquated systems and inefficient processes, causing unnecessary headaches for customers and employees alike. After reading this guide you should see how the customer experience improves in combination with a more streamlined back-office through implementing a customer portal.
Self-service Portals: Embracing digital channel shift
Introducing Customer Portals
Customer expectations have changed. We still love the personal touch and want the ability to speak to a human when we need to, but we also like having a self-serve option. Think about how you interact with your bank, your favourite retailer, or your local council. The days of standing in line to open a new account, return purchased items or waiting on hold to speak to a council representative about a missed bin or anti-social behaviour are long gone.
Today, we have the power to apply for a credit card, download and print return labels, or contact your council about your bins all from the comfort of your home with a laptop or smart phone.
From a customer’s perspective, being able to self-serve means not having to listen to call-waiting music on repeat or wait patiently until we get our turn at the front of the queue. It means we are empowered to carry out tasks at a time and pace that’s convenient for us.
And yet, so many businesses still don’t offer self-serve options. They still use antiquated systems and inefficient processes, causing unnecessary headaches for customers and employees alike. After reading this guide you should see how the customer experience improves in combination with a more streamlined back-office through implementing a customer portal.
Benefits of a self-serving customer portal
Not only does a customer portal allow you to operate outside normal working hours and make life more convenient for your customers, but it also offers many other benefits:
1. Remain competitive in your market
Perhaps you want to get ahead of the competition by offering your customers more online options and greater flexibility. Or maybe you’re lagging behind competitors who have already embraced the digital world. Either way, a customer portal helps you remain competitive.
2. Reduce employee workload
Take away unnecessary tasks and reduce the pressure on your customer service teams and account managers. Give customers access to the information they need and allow them to raise tickets, submit enquiries or make payments without clogging up your phone lines and email inboxes.
3. Increase security
Paper forms can easily be lost, stolen or misplaced, while emails can be hacked. Your customer portal can utilise the latest encryption and security software to protect sensitive information and minimise the risk of it getting into the wrong hands.
4. Keep customers informed
Customers need flexibility. They need to be able to access information on demand. A customer portal allows them to access the information they need when they need it and enables you to send notifications whenever there are important updates.
5. Improve customer experience
As well as making life easier and more convenient for your customers, by reducing their reliance on staff availability, self-serving customers can access the information they need and interact accordingly with great speed and accuracy. You can streamline and automate processes, providing a more efficient and hassle-free service.
6. Automate & integrate
A customer portal can be integrated with your existing software or systems to increase efficiency, create automated workflows and reduce duplication of tasks. Get access to realtime data and generate reports on key performance areas of your business so you can make more informed business decisions.
7. Reduce costs & increase profits
Better customer experience means better retention and more repeat business, which means higher turnover. Plus, the time you free up by allowing customers to self-serve can be allocated towards more profitable tasks. And automated systems reduce the risk of human error, helping reduce the costs involved with rectifying mistakes.
1. Remain competitive in your market
Perhaps you want to get ahead of the competition by offering your customers more online options and greater flexibility. Or maybe you’re lagging behind competitors who have already embraced the digital world. Either way, a customer portal helps you remain competitive.
2. Reduce employee workload
Take away unnecessary tasks and reduce the pressure on your customer service teams and account managers. Give customers access to the information they need and allow them to raise tickets, submit enquiries or make payments without clogging up your phone lines and email inboxes.
3. Increase security
Paper forms can easily be lost, stolen or misplaced, while emails can be hacked. Your customer portal can utilise the latest encryption and security software to protect sensitive information and minimise the risk of it getting into the wrong hands.
4. Keep customer informed
Customers need flexibility. They need to be able to access information on demand. A customer portal allows them to access the information they need when they need it and enables you to send notifications whenever there are important updates.
5. Improve customer experience
As well as making life easier and more convenient for your customers, by reducing their reliance on staff availability, self-serving customers can access the information they need and interact accordingly with great speed and accuracy. You can streamline and automate processes, providing a more efficient and hassle-free service.
6. Automate & integrate
A customer portal can be integrated with your existing software or systems to increase efficiency, create automated workflows and reduce duplication of tasks. Get access to realtime data and generate reports on key performance areas of your business so you can make more informed business decisions.
7. Reduce costs & increase profits
Better customer experience means better retention and more repeat business, which means higher turnover. Plus, the time you free up by allowing customers to self-serve can be allocated towards more profitable tasks. And automated systems reduce the risk of human error, helping reduce the costs involved with rectifying mistakes.
Join the automation revolution
Our friendly team will guide you through the process of how business process automation can transform your business into a well-oiled machine that delivers more output from less input.
Join the automation revolution
Our friendly team will guide you through the process of how business process automation can transform your business into a well-oiled machine that delivers more output from less input.