IN THIS GUIDE
- 01Start with a customer task
- 02Connect the portal to your business systems
- 03Make access understandable
Start with a customer task
Start with something the customer needs to do: check progress, approve a quote, provide information, find a document or ask for help. Decide on the screens after you understand those tasks.
Connect the portal to your business systems
Decide where the portal gets its information and who receives each request. Keep the CRM, project or service record up to date rather than creating another inbox someone has to check.
Make access understandable
Define who can invite users, which organisations or records they can see and what happens when a relationship changes. Authentication, permissions, session handling and account recovery all affect whether access is both usable and appropriately controlled.
Design for incomplete and changing information
A customer may arrive before a status has updated, submit the same request twice or need help with an exception. Explain what information means, show the next action and provide a clear support path when the self-service journey cannot finish the job.
Measure service outcomes
Check whether customers finish the tasks they came to do and whether their requests reach the right person. Fewer emails are useful only if people can still get help when they need it.
Start with one customer task
Launch one customer task first. Check sign-in, data transfer and support before adding more features, and make sure a team is ready to handle the requests it creates.
USE THIS IN PRACTICE
Customer portal planning checklist
- 01
Name the customer task and expected outcome.
- 02
Identify the system of record for every item shown.
- 03
Define invitations, permissions and account recovery.
- 04
Map actions to an internal owner and service process.
- 05
Design empty, delayed, duplicate and error states.
- 06
Measure task completion and support demand.
Common questions
Should a portal expose the whole CRM?
No. Show the information and actions required for the customer task, with permissions and language designed for that audience.
Can NovaSoft One support customer portals?
Yes. NovaSoft One includes a customer portal and service desk on the relevant plans. We’ll confirm it covers what your customers need.
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Customers, sales, projects and service in one CRM your whole team shares, with built-in AI.
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