68% of consumers say they are willing to pay more for products and services from a brand that offers good customer service experiences.
Clearly, customer service matters!
One way to boost customer satisfaction and retention is by providing a great customer portal. An effective client portal is an invaluable tool for businesses that want to grow their customer base and keep customers engaged and satisfied.
A good client portal allows you to communicate easily with clients, provide them with data collection tools, offer self-help resources, and much more. So what are the signs of an excellent client portal? Keep reading for the 6 features that make up the best client portals.
1. Robust security
Security is one of the most important aspects of any customer portal software. The last thing anyone needs is for there to be a breach in client data, which can have dangerous and long-standing consequences for a business and its customers.
A robust client portal should have strong security measures so that a client’s data is private, and it should also prevent users from accessing anything outside of their own portal.
2. Easy communication
Clients want to be able to communicate with ease, and the best client portals support that. That means that live chat, email, or a call are just one click away, so users can quickly understand the timeline for their ticket resolution.
Clients also want to reduce back-and-forth emailing as much as techs do, so offering a wide array of communication channels that make it easy to chat quickly and efficiently is a staple of the best client portals.
3. Centralized data
'The goal of any client portal is to create a single location for clients to access important information about their relationship with your business. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Contact information (phone number, email address)
- Invoices and statements
- Product or service details (e.g., pricing info)
- Business policies (e.g., cancellation policy)
- User feedback that they’ve submitted
Having all this data in one place allows clients to easily access important information at any time, ensuring that they have an optimal experience from beginning to end. In that same vein, supplying clients with a dashboard and reports lets them visualize and understand their ticket statuses and other things without having to hunt that information down.
4. Branded design
When it comes to client portals, customization is key. The best client portals will allow you to customize the portal to suit the branding and aesthetics of each client. So, when clients arrive at their portal, they might see their brand colors and logo, and that extra touch makes a big difference. This way, the portal seamlessly fits into their brand and makes them feel right at home.
As much as possible, a client portal should provide a user-friendly, personalized experience, which will set your client portal apart from competitors. This also includes ensuring that a portal is mobile-friendly and can be accessed on all devices.
5. Self-help resources
Self-help resources can be an excellent way for clients to tackle their own questions quickly without reaching out to support. It's always good to have an easy way for clients to find information on their own, so they don't grow frustrated searching for answers to common questions like, "Where do I pay my bill?" or "How do I cancel my account?"
Some self-help resource examples are clear, scannable FAQ pages, well-organized knowledge bases, video tutorials, and more. 70% of customers expect a company’s website to include a self-service application. Self-help resources help customers get answers fast AND have the added benefit of saving time and money time and money by reducing the number of tickets filed through support channels.
6. A customer-focused experience
Effective customer portal software can help you improve customer retention and engagement. Customer retention is an integral part of business success, and in fact, it’s one of the most critical factors in driving revenue growth.
A client portal should improve both the customer experience and your business's bottom line by giving you better insight into what your customers need and want so that you can provide them with more relevant services than competitors do.
Everything about a portal should focus on providing an excellent customer experience. Customers can churn – that's inevitable. But wooing them with a helpful and appealing customer portal can do wonders for retention rates.
Conclusion
There’s no denying that building a great client portal can have a considerable impact on your business. These six client portal features are essential to look out for if you’re seeking client portal software. By improving the customer experience using a client portal, you can increase engagement, satisfaction, and retention, developing a loyal customer base along the way.
If you’re interested in a client portal solution that fits all these criteria and more, sign up to try DeskDirector.
