Customer portal
A customer portal is a web page where customers see their own records and matters (quotes, invoices, support tickets) without the company having to send each one separately.
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What does Customer portal mean?
Without a portal the customer asks by email for a copy of last year's invoice, or phones to ask how their request is going. In a portal they look it up themselves, whenever it suits them.
Access to a portal can be a username and password, or a personal link. A link is more convenient, but its lifetime is worth limiting and it must be possible to close it.
Why does it matter to a small business?
In a small company "could you resend the invoice?" requests cause many small interruptions, and someone always has to go looking. A customer portal takes that work off the team, and the customer feels better served because they can reach their own paperwork at any time.
What does it look like in practice?
Details
Suppose an accounting office in Sopron has clients who ask every month for the current payment request and invoice. The office sends each client a portal link where they download their own invoices and quotes, and open a ticket there when they have a question.
How does HelloCRM handle it?
Details
HelloCRM's Customer portal module is free: through a link sent from the contact or company page the customer sees and downloads their own quotes and invoices with no account, and when the helpdesk is on, opens and answers tickets. The link's lifetime can be set, and it can be closed with one press.
Module: Customer portal (free).
A CRM for small businesses in Hungary
HelloCRM is an online CRM made in Hungary for small and mid-sized businesses there, in Hungarian and English: the core CRM is free for good, with no time limit and no card, and it can be tried without signing up in a demo company full of example data.
Questions
What is Customer portal, in one sentence?
A customer portal is a web page where customers see their own records and matters (quotes, invoices, support tickets) without the company having to send each one separately.