Custom customer portals
A customer portal built around your services.
Give customers their own space to manage details, consult documents and follow their case. We build the portal around your processes and connect it to the systems your team already uses.
What is a customer portal?
A customer portal, also called a customer area, is an online space where customers log in to view or manage their details, documents and services. The actions available depend on your services: from changing an address or submitting a request to viewing invoices and tracking a case. Roles and permissions determine which information each user sees and what they can change.
A customer portal that grew with Ecopower
For Ecopower, we helped a website grow into a digital energy platform with a customer portal. Customers can manage their details, consult contract information and view invoices. Online payments and digital contract processes are also part of the wider platform.
Behind those screens are integrations with internal systems. In several stages, we worked on connections to SAP, Haugazel and later Odoo. The public website, customer portal and integrations could evolve alongside the organisation.
What can customers do themselves?
We choose features based on the tasks customers currently contact you about and the information they need. These are possible parts of a custom portal.
Let customers update their contact or organisation details themselves. Agree which changes are processed immediately and which your team reviews first.
Bring contracts, invoices and other documents together where the right customer can access them. Your team no longer needs to send the same documents repeatedly.
Show which information a request needs and what the next step is. A clear status lets customers track their case and see when additional information is needed.
Does a customer have several contacts or locations? Roles and permissions determine who can view data, submit requests or manage other users.
What changes for your team?
A portal also needs to work behind the scenes. We examine where requests arrive, who handles them and which data is already in a CRM, ERP or accounting package. The aim is for your team to retype less information and for customers to find answers to recurring questions themselves.
Not every question belongs in a form. A clear way to get in touch remains available for exceptions and personal advice.
Integrations, security and data management
For each piece of data, we identify the source system and what the portal may read or change. We investigate the available integrations and agree how changes and errors will be handled.
Signing in, inviting users, changing permissions and revoking access are part of the design. We also discuss whether the portal should connect to an existing sign-in system.
We identify which data each user needs for their task. That determines the screens, access permissions and management agreements. Any additional requirements are included in the scope.
Security also requires agreements on restoring access, tracking changes and retaining data. We discuss which measures are needed for the information your portal processes.
Start with one important customer task
We start with the tasks that make the greatest difference to customers and staff. First, we map the current process and existing systems. We then design the screens and test whether users can complete their task.
For the first version, we agree which features, integrations and data are needed. Launch, support and maintenance are included in the proposal. New features can follow once the first version is doing its job.
Questions about customer portal development
A customer portal supports customers in using your services. A member portal focuses on membership and information or services for members. An intranet is for employees. They may use similar building blocks, such as login and documents, but their users, tasks and access permissions differ.
Not necessarily. We first assess whether the portal can connect to the systems you already use. Feasibility depends, among other things, on the available interfaces and the data that needs to be exchanged.
We examine which data is usable, how it will be linked and which checks are needed. Activating accounts and communicating with customers are also part of the preparation. Migration becomes part of the project proposal.
We also design the main tasks for a small screen. A browser-based portal does not require a separate app installation. If intensive use or specific device features would make an app worthwhile, we discuss that separately.
Start by looking at what your existing software offers. Custom development becomes useful when customer tasks, user roles or integrations do not fit it well. We compare those options before proposing a new portal.
The features, user roles, integrations and existing data account for much of the work. We estimate a first usable version and make clear which extensions can follow later. Hosting, maintenance and support are agreed separately.
Together, we decide what your team manages, such as users or content, and which technical tasks Zenjoy takes on. Updates, monitoring, support and further development have separate agreements.
Which questions could your customers handle themselves?
Tell us what customers currently call or email about and which systems your team uses. We will assess which tasks a portal can take over and where personal contact remains necessary.
You do not need a feature list yet. The way you work today is a good starting point.