Written by In today’s business world, most customers are used to being able to instantly and conveniently get solutions. This is why a field service business needs to make it as easy as possible for customers manage their own needs at any time through an easy-to-use page or program. A field service customer portal can instantly share this information with an entire organization. The online customer portal will become an important point of reference for all employees within any field service business.
What is an online customer portal?
This is the technical name for a section of the web presence that will allow a customer to enter things like a name or account number to access and control information about their relationship with the business. For field services in particular, this may mean things like scheduling payments or appointments, making changes to services that were already scheduled such as cancellations, different time frames of availability, etc. The portal can also provide access to commonly asked questions or ways to resolve issues or problems that may require immediate attention.
What are some reasons why this technology is so important?
The first reason a business can benefit from having this kind of portal set up is that it allows the customer to take on some of the scheduling and management burden without having a person at the company available to manually make changes. This can free up time for administrative assistants or technicians, and eliminate the problem of things like wasted trips to cancelled appointments if the customer cannot get in touch with someone at the company quick enough. Just about 70% of all customers expect a business to have some kind of self service software available.
Keep in mind that an online portal can be accessed at any time of the day or night, even if the business is closed or no one is around to take a phone call. However, those who handle these support requests can address them as they are received and get the right information back to the customer easily. Customer loyalty and higher spending is now more tied to convenience and accessibility than ever.
Customers can also log in and receive updates or notifications on the status of their inquiries on their own, without requiring real time help from an employee in most cases. This is certainly becomes a significant time saving resource. About two thirds of your customers will actually prefer solving problems by themselves over speaking with a service rep.
All portals also offer security features so that personal information like credit card numbers or phone numbers are protected. This is actually much more secure than trying to have your staff manually handle these items in person, or reciting information over the phone that can be misheard and copied incorrectly.
Collaboration
The organizational abilities of the portal are definitely a way to minimize errors or miscommunications that may cause problems later, because everyone from ownership, to management, to administrative staff can access the portal and have the same information in front of them. Once employees are in the habit of checking the portal regularly, there is no need to make several calls or send emails back and forth to get everyone on the same page. Different levels of access can be set for customers, users, and administrators depending on each person’s position within the company.
How can I get a portal up and running quickly for my business?
Your customers expect to be able to do things online today and that includes requesting services and getting status updates. They don’t want to always have to call in, which if you think about it, is also time-intensive for you and your team. A good field service software will include a customer portal that you can use to allow your customers to book appointments and manage their services online. In fact, mHelpDesk’s customer portal is plug-and-play and can be add to your existing website easily or as a standalone web portal.
Ready to modernize your business with a customer portal?
A customer portal will improve your customers’ satisfcation while saving you time, effort and headaches. Take a look at what mHelpDesk offers and schedule your free demo today!
Last modified: August 14, 2019
