A Customer Portal That Answers the Status Calls

The Challenge

Every status question came through the team

Clients called and emailed all day to ask where an order was, what they owed, and when a delivery would arrive. Each question meant someone stopped work, looked it up in the ERP, and read it back. Invoices were emailed as attachments, and payments waited until someone chased them.

• Order and delivery questions arrived by phone and email all day.
• Each one was looked up in the ERP by hand.
• Invoices were emailed out and chased for payment.
• Clients had no way to see anything for themselves.

The Solution

A portal where clients see and pay for themselves

We built a branded customer portal connected live to the ERP and accounting. Clients sign in and see their orders, invoices and delivery status, download statements, and pay online. Each client sees only their own records, controlled by role-based access.

• Live order, invoice and delivery status from the ERP.
• Online invoice payment, with the ledger kept in sync.
• Statements and documents available to download.
• Role-based access so each client sees only their own data.

How We Delivered

Mapped the questions, then built around them

We started by listing the questions the team answered most, and built the portal around those tasks. We connected it to the ERP and the payment provider, rolled it out to a group of clients first, then opened it to the rest once it had settled.

The portal went live in seven weeks.

The Outcome

Fewer calls, faster payments, happier customers

Status calls and emails fell by about 40 percent, so the team spends its time on real problems instead of reading out tracking numbers. Online payment sped up the cash coming in, and clients report that having 24/7 access to their account is easier than waiting on a reply.