Start with the questions in your inbox
Review a recent set of calls and emails. Repeated requests suggest the first useful features. If most conversations involve advice or negotiation, a portal will not replace them.
- Where is my order, job or application up to?
- Can I view an invoice or send a document?
- Can I request, change or cancel an appointment?
- What did we agree last time?
Separate a request from a confirmed change
Self-service need not mean customers can change everything. A useful pattern is ‘request online, confirm in the office’. Field 2 Service follows that approach for booking requests. PayBlah gives customers an invoice journey while replies and disputes bring people back into the process.
- Customers request; staff confirm dates, prices and changes.
- Customers upload; staff check before accepting a document.
- Customers see status; the business decides what is appropriate to share.
Work out where the information comes from
A portal can only show what your systems know. If the latest status lives on a whiteboard or in someone’s head, that process needs attention first. Choose a source of truth for each important record.
- Which system holds it: CRM, order software, accounting tool or spreadsheet?
- Can it be connected reliably, and what happens during an outage?
- Who updates it, and how current does the customer view need to be?
- How are corrections and conflicting changes handled?
Test access and launch with a focused group
Decide how people sign in and whether a business account needs multiple users. A finance contact may need different access from an office manager. Test that users cannot view another customer’s records, including through attachments and direct links.
Agree who can change access, how accounts are closed and what is recorded when information changes. These details belong in the scope from the start.
Try the first version with a small group and watch where they get stuck. The questions that still arrive by email are useful evidence for the next release. Add features from that evidence rather than from an ever-growing wish list.