How to Create a Customer Portal to Deliver Exceptional Value

Jennifer Neal is a guest on the video walkthrough and explains that her company, Formula Done, acts as a boutique agency, meaning that she offers done-for-you services to her clients on a long-term basis. Her company covers all aspects of digital marketing including traffic, SEO, web design, and funnel follow-up.

She explains how her company uses Memberium and its additional features to create a custom portal for her clients. With this portal, her company is able to set up work, training, and additional areas for her clients to take care of communication needs.

On the Client Dashboard page, Jennifer covers the four sections included in her portal.

ASK A QUESTION

The “Ask a Question” section uses BuddyPress forums to create an area where clients can post questions and use the answers for training. Because there is back and forth interaction, and the forum posts remain in place, these questions and answers become helpful pieces of documentation for later access.

The forum portal is set up to be a communication method between Formula Done and her individual clients, meaning that the posts are not open to unauthorized users to view, comment, or edit.

Recently, Formula Done has moved to using Zendesk for their Q/A section, and the format works well enough to where she is considering integrating the two features soon.

GOOGLE DRIVE

In addition to the forum space, there is a Google Drive that is set up for each client. A folder is created and links sent through to involved clients. They can upload graphics and information as needed, and Formula Done enters word documents for emails, landing pages, and more. This means that she does not have to go back and forth between editing and sharing platforms, as everything is located in one easy space with a single link for access.

REQUEST A TASK

The “Request a Task” section leads to the tasking system. Jennifer’s company builds clients their own request area, which is essentially a forum. However, this forum drops requests into the company’s Project Management System. Staff is notified when a new task is posted and clients do not have to wait for the information to be added into the system. Tasks automatically post in the correct areas.

TRAINING LIBRARY

Any time a new feature is added and clients want to learn about it, there is a training library that provides an explanation. The company wrote explanations of features, provided screenshots, videos, and additional learning resources to help familiarize clients with developments.

The training modules are accessible to clients and clients only, meaning that anyone in the client’s team can view pieces of training, but they are not open to additional clients. Each client has its own training library.

To make training simpler, Google Drive documents are usually created to list training items that are related to a certain category. Onboarding new employees, for example.

To create training posts, staff use Wrike as their task management system. When a client submits a request, it displays on the task management system in one of the client’s designated folders. This system also tracks work done and time invested.

As an added perk, when the task is pulled up on the tasking system, notes can be added, and then the task is dragged to the client’s training folder. This action builds a Zap (which bumps the task up as a WordPress post for visibility). A category is then set up that is specific to the client and the information shows up in the client’s training library.

To supplement this system, Jennifer’s company is working on creating automatic notifications that let clients know when new content has been created for them.