Web Portal Software – A Guide [2021 Edition]

Web Portal Software – A Guide [2021 Edition] Since t he pandemic has turne d every one to work remotely, t he need for an online presence has increased. With that, it has become important for businesses to look for web portal

software that will allow t he m to automate tasks,

track

operations, and significantly increase customer,

employee, and partner engagement. But what type of web portal do

you need? What will be the development cost?

What factors affect the cost?

This article will cover web portal software, including types, development methods, functionalities, advantages, etc.

Before that, let’s see what an online web portal is and how it

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differs from a website. Most people still use the names interchangeably as if it’s t he same.

What is an Online Web Portal?

A web portal provides a single point of access to various information. You and users can consider it as a library of personalized and well-organized content

con sist in g

company articles, products information,

of

suppliers lists, and more.

ven dors an d

A web portal software helps in search

navigation,

personalization, information sharing, notifications, etc.

However, to carry out these activities and look at th e content, users need access. They need a user account to log in. Once logged in, they can access information provided by

you, i.e., a store owner. What makes a web portal

convenient

is that it collects information from various

sources like CRM,

CMS and presents it in one place. It

reduces users’ efforts. For example, your team doesn’t have to juggle between systems to get customers’ details. Apart from accessing information, it even makes communication between teams easy.

Though the features of a portal look similar to that of a website,

their

purpose

differs,

and

so

do

their

characteristics. They are not interchangeable. While t he

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website uses web pages that anyone can access, the web portal requires login credentials, and only authorized users can access it. The purpose of a website is to create a digital presence, whereas web portals provide relevant information to authorized users based on their roles.

Common Types of Web Portal Software Online web portals help with personalization, document management, information tracking, collaboration, business intelligence, etc. As every business is unique, web portals are used in different ways. There are two main types: Horizontal and Vertical. Horizontal portals provide all the relevant information that users might require. Vertical, on the contrary, provides specific information only.

They are then bifurcated into various subtypes based on their target audience and purposes.

Customer Portal

This is for businesses that want to improve their customer support and build loyalty. Customer portals allow customers to

place

and

activate/deactivate

t rack

orders,

t icket s, services,

gen erat e get

recommendations, m an age person alizedt ran sact ion s, view t he their status of their query, and find solutions on their own.

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Vendor Portal

It’s a solution for businesses having a vast number of thirdparty suppliers. This type of web portal software is used to communicate and share data with vendors. It makes vendor management easy. Vendors have t he freedom to manage their accounts, proposals, orders, etc. Your staff can manage all the vendor-related activities such as sending invites, comparing proposals, viewing suppliers’ information all in one place.

Partner Portal

Industries such as travel, real estate, banking, logistics, or healthcare, often have to deal with multiple partners to get their work done. For instance, real-estate businesses have brokers and others to help t h e m crack a deal. Partner portal helps businesses interact with their partners efficiently by giving t h em access to data, managing leads, viewing partner performance, speed onboarding, etc.

Affiliate Portal

This type of portal provides an attractive interface to affiliates. It allows t h em to manage custom links, channels, rewards, invoices, etc., saving your time and building longlasting relationships.

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B2B portal, B2C portal, membership management portal are a few of the other portal examples commonly used.

However, t he pandemic has forced businesses to implement new strategies, approaches, and digital tools. Thus, there are key portal types that are in demand. Let’s check t h e m out!

Portals Gaining Popularity in 2021 A few web portal software types that are in demand are: Knowledge Base Portal

This type of portal automates customer support. It lets you educate your customers and employees, support them, and improve customer

understanding.

A knowledge base

consists of blogs, FAQs, guides, tutorials, user manuals, and other relevant information. It helps users find answers on their own.

Community Portal

Community portals help with brand building. Here, people come together to share their interests, suggest solutions, and help one another. For example, if you’re in t he printing business, the community portal will allow your customers to discuss printing services, tools, methods, etc. If a new customer wants to try out Dye sublimation and is confused, other customers with an experience can share their

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insights. They can share tips, lists of dos and don’ts, and more. A community portal allows everyone to come together and share their thoughts. Since the pandemic, many people are using community portals, and hence, there’s a huge demand.

Self-Service Portal

As customers like doing everything on their own, there’s a huge surge for self-service solutions. This web portal software provides information related to products, services, and other business-related things. They allow users to handle their activities rather than wait for a support team.

Self-service improves t he customer service quality and relieves tech support teams from stress.

Customizable Portal

Custom portal development is t he new trend! Gartner suggests that 85% of user interaction will start with selfservice by 2022. But customer behavior keeps changing as technology advances. Hence, businesses are looking out for a customized portal that meets their business demands. A solution that can expand with t he growing business is suitable for each user in the organization.

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E-Learning Portal

E-learning is a new trend now, and so is the e-learning portal. An e-learning portal can provide access to various materials while allowing teachers, parents, and admin to handle their activities themselves. For instance, a parent can view their child’s progress report without contacting the teacher or asking th e kid.

Corporations also use these kinds of e-learning portals for training employees and helping t h e m grow.

To find out what other portals are in demand in 2021, check out this article – 5 Custom Portal Solutions to Consider in 2021.

Reasons to Have a Web Portal Software Now that you know about the types of portals, you would have got a little idea of their benefits. However, just for clarification, here are a few arguments that will convince you to go for web portal software development.

Custom Business Logic

Features like role-based access, user authentication help you

with

a

dedicated

exchange

of

information.

Configuration and personalization options further enable users to configure the portal as per their needs. Say a

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customer wants to know about t he latest updates on logging in to the portal. They can

configure th e dashboard

accordingly. A web portal software allows you to utilize t he data to benefit you and t he business.

Enhanced Collaboration

Third-party social sharing spaces make it easy for businesses to interact with one another. However, they don’t save time. You have to download t he document and the n upload it on the server. But, web portal software allows information to flow easily. For instance, a team can share the documents and work on t h e m together without any extra effort.

Simplification of Operations

As the portal allows everyone to handle their activities themselves, it reduces th e work of one person. For example, insurance agents don’t have to update customers’ details and documents every time. Customers can do it on their own by logging into the portal. The support team doesn’t have to waste time updating customers about their order or ticket status. They can work on something productive.

Better Security

Many businesses avoid third-party tools because of data theft. Also, there are limitations to what data you can share

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with a specific team or team membe r based on their roles.

For example, you won’t give your intern access to the CRM. Even a small mistake in an invoice by t he m can create havoc.

But you need to provide t h e m with limited access to view customer details if not edit. A web portal software gives you that freedom with role-based access. Users can access the data and perform actions based on their roles.

Boost Customer Engagement

A web portal helps establish a strong relationship between businesses and customers with features like knowledge base, self-service, community support, ticket management, etc. As customers know what they are doing and can find their answers themselves, they become satisfied and loyal.

Centralized Management

To access different solutions like CRM, CMS, POS, a web portal provides a single access point. It connects every system and ensures users get everything they require in one place. You want to check a customer’s details; you can do so from the portal without logging in to the CRM. Know More About th e features and other reasons to go for web portal software development.

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How to Build a Web Portal Software By now, I am sure you’re excited to build a web portal. And thus, in this section, we will see t he steps involved in web portal development. Let’s proceed!

Create a Plan

This is the first thing you need to do. Think about your business and figure out th e purpose of your portal and the target audience, whether it will be for users or suppliers.

Don’t forget to research. Know what kind of solution your customers require, what features they expect, and what you should integrate. After thorough research, list down the features along with your target audience, objective, and other details.

Decide your Architecture and Design

After creating a plan and deciding on features, you need to decide t he feel and look of your portal. It’s important as it reflects your brand. So, while creating the portal design, check the font and t heme properly, focus on images, and don’t go on experimenting with too dull or gaudy shades.

Balance it well!

Don’t forget to include the search option. The button positioning, check that too.

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Start the Development

With plan and design in hand, the only thing left is to give developers a green signal. While developing, make sure that developers consider these elements – user-friendly navigation, payment integration, security, scalability, etc.

Test it Rigorously

This is when th e QA team stamps t he portal to be fit to deliver, only after testing each function and modules’ working several times using different approaches.

If your testing is successful, it will increase your portal users’ experience. It doesn’t stop there. The post-launch period is about maintenance. You need to ensure that th e portal stays u p -t o -d at e with the

changing customer

requirements and development trends.

You also need to consider the portal development cost in the

planning. Various factors affect the development

process cost.

Factors Affecting the Development Cost

● Outsourcing or On-Premise The first factor is to choose the right development partner. Generally, outsourcing costs less than premises. However, it can cost you a fortune if you

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on-

choose a less reliable partner. ● Features The features you decide to add to your portal affect the cost of t he portal development process. The more complex the features are, t he higher t he cost. ● Developer’s Skills An experienced development team will provide a quality solution though t he cost would be higher. You can get the portal developed by a less experienced vendor. However, the quality and other glitches may cost you more. ● Elements to Include The cost of web portal software will vary based on t he components you want to include. Say, you may require multiple payment methods. For that, you will require third-party API integrations, which will increase th e cost.

Hence, while researching, research thoroughly! Consider everything from your requirements to development factors.

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While we are on it, let me tell you how CRMJetty can help you in t he process.

You can also check our case studies, portfolio, and client testimonials to get a bet ter idea.

CRMJetty: An Ideal Web Portal Development Partner!

We have been serving this industry for 14+ years and know about the nooks and hooks of various industrial processes.

Hence, we can help you identify if t he requirements are suitable for your industry and th e new trends in t he market.

For example, what new features are available, what you should add and what you shouldn’t. You get a on e - o n- on e discussion with our industry experts! After deciding everything, our development team will start with t he sprints, followed by the testing, of which you will be a part.

Once t he testing is done, we will train you on t he portal’s working and be there for you whenever you require help!

A few reasons why CRMJetty would be the right choice: ● We provide ready-to-integrate and custom solutions.

Whether it’s a few tweaks or one from scratch, we will be there for you. ● We analyze your requirements and, based on them, suggest the solution. Only when the customizations are

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required would we suggest and go t he extra mile to make those changes. ● We follow the Agile methodology, which means there’s transparency at all stages. ● We have a

t rack

record

of 70 + cu st om

por t al integrations.

And if you’re satisfied Hire Us

Source: https:/ www.crmjetty.com/b2c-portal-development-guide /

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