Business leaders looking for a customer portal solution they can use to meet their clients’ needs should do some thorough research into their potential portal choices before moving forward.
To help you narrow down your search, we’ve collected five of the best customer portal solutions you’ll find on the market.
Here’s a brief overview of each of these options.
#1: DeskDirector
Okay, so we’re a little bit biased here! But we have no problem staking our claim as the best customer portal option on the market. DeskDirector’s advanced features, combined with its affordability, make it a natural top-notch choice for many business owners.
DeskDirector delivers an outstanding, user-friendly customer experience with streamlined information that is easy to find. Updates are automated to ensure customers are constantly using the most secure, up-to-date version of the software.
The efficiency provided by DeskDirector isn’t just geared toward clients—it’s also beneficial for your employees. Educational resources within the portal provide self-help guidance for your customers so employees don’t get distracted by issues customers can easily resolve themselves.
Meanwhile, your techs will benefit from a highly organized workflow. Tickets are automatically prioritized as they come in, ensuring prompt resolution of high-priority items and tasks for VIP clients. This means your techs always know what should be at the top of their list, and your customers will get fast resolutions for their most important issues.
In addition, your techs can automate tasks to help develop standardized processes, which helps you provide more consistent services and save time while maintaining strong margins.
When direct guidance from your employees is necessary, live chat functionality allows those conversations to happen quickly in real time.
All of these benefits, plus top-class branding and customization features, come at an affordable package that allows DeskDirector to exceed the standards set by other market competition.
Interested in experiencing DeskDirector for yourself? Be sure to check out our 14-day free trial!
#2: ServiceNow
ServiceNow is another go-to solution for companies looking for better ways to automate their processes and serve their customers.
This service is highly regarded for its integration capabilities with other core business functions and software. It is also capable of automating tasks to notify the proper personnel when issues arise and in some cases automates fixes of these problems before they could potentially negatively impact your customers.
ServiceNow might be the most comparable software to DeskDirector on this list, but it’s limited in that it is essentially an enterprise-only kind of solution, making it less versatile and less accessible to SMBs and mid-market companies.
#3: Huddle
Huddle is a portal that is freely accessible through a web browser. Key features include file sharing, collaboration and mobile working. You can safely and securely share sensitive data and documents back and forth with your clients, and carefully manage and control all facets of customer engagement.
The fact that it is based on a web browser makes it a little less ideal than some other solutions, but the zero dollar cost makes it an appealing option for businesses that might be new to the idea of customer portals or who want to get a sense of some of the features they might want in a more holistic customer portal option.
Keep in mind that the free option does have some limits for storage and file sizes that might not be ideal for larger companies or companies that do a lot of online collaboration with their customers.
Huddle is a great option for easy access and collaboration, but if you’re looking to manage, expedite and automate tickets it will not have all the capabilities you need, and we would recommend a different option.
#4: ZenDesk
ZenDesk allows MSPs to provide customers with a wide range of self-service options and helpful resources, and also has a supported, efficient ticketing system.
The Guide feature is often the major drawing point for people with ZenDesk. The system makes it easier for techs or customer relations specialists to guide customers to answers to their problems without having to spend a ton of time on phone calls or on live chats.
The ticket management system also makes it easier for techs to prioritize and work through tickets in an efficient manner.
ZenDesk is sufficient for many businesses, but it does require a lot of add-ons for you to get the most out of its services, and you’ll need to integrate your systems for it to work properly. All in all this is a good service desk option but has limited automation options and is not the best fit for businesses looking to increase productivity and expedite processes.
#5: OneHub
Another cloud-based customer portal solution, OneHub offers businesses cloud storage for secure file and information sharing in a customizable environment.
The file sharing capabilities are the main draw to OneHub. Users can upload multiple files at the same time, versus other systems that only allow one file to be uploaded at a time. There are 30 total types of files that can be previewed from desktop or mobile while within the system.
There are several levels of plans for users to try, depending on the size and needs of their business. But much like Huddle, OneHub will come up short for businesses that need thorough automation capabilities for easier, more expedited ticket management.
While there are many customer portals available on the market that business owners can benefit from, none matches the quality and affordability of DeskDirector. After researching the market, you will agree: DeskDirector is the best platform for outstanding automation and efficiency and for delivering a top-notch customer experience.
Start your free trial today and see for yourself how your business can become more productive with DeskDirector.
