With a support portal, you offer online service and support to your customers. For example, customers can submit support tickets, find answers to their questions, view documents or make service appointments. In this blog the advantages of a support portal and what to look out for when deploying a support portal. Plus the biggest pitfall to avoid.
24/7 digital self-support
With a support portal, you offer customers the ability to self-support at any time, digitally. This immediately contains the three major advantages of a support portal:
- Open 24/7: customers do not depend on your opening hours, but solve their problems whenever they want and ask their questions at any time.
- Digital: no traveling to the office or store or being endlessly transferred, but easy access to the support portal using a phone, tablet or PC.
- Self-support: Customers are able to find answers to questions on their own, consult documentation or read instructions. They don't need you.
"Customers experience better support, while your support costs go down. Win-win, in other words."
What should you pay attention to when deploying a support portal?
A few things to get right when deploying a support portal:
- Security: the portal should be secure and visitors should not be at any risk of their login information being misused.
- Manage access: make sure you properly manage who has access to the portal, how you provide login credentials, how they set their password, etc.
- User-friendly: provide a support portal with a good look and feel that is user-friendly and intuitive.
- Relevant features and content: the most important of course; what you offer on the support portal in terms of features and what content you share is all-important to the success of the support portal.
- User's Guide: Clearly explain how the support portal works in a user guide.
Maintain personal attention
To deliver top-quality support, you need to view the support portal as an additional option for customers. You still need to be available by phone and e-mail, for example, and help face-to-face customers. But by providing a support portal, you expand the options available to customers. Customers experience better support, while your support costs go down. Win-win, in other words. But a support portal is impersonal and therefore should not replace other forms of support. You can't hide behind ticket numbers and response times, but should continue to strive to help people as much as possible.
