There’s no shortage of companies offering a business-to-business (B2B) or even B2C customer experience platform for businesses looking to provide their customers the best possible digital experience. There are so many options available today that picking one over another isn't easy. Even if you know what kind of solution you want, there's still the question of whether or not it will be cost effective or worth the effort.
We've written about some great solutions like HubSpot, Marketo, Salesforce, Zapier, and more recently, Zendesk. But these platforms don't stop at just providing marketing automation tools or CRM systems. They also offer portals which integrate into other apps and services to give users access to information they need in order to get things done faster. It's an important feature because when people have everything they need right within a single app, they're less likely to go elsewhere to find it. And as we'll talk about below, this is where white labeling comes in handy.
When you use a white labeled portal, instead of building from scratch, you can take advantage of someone else's already-built product and customize it to suit your needs without having to learn any code. You can create custom dashboards, forms, reports, and integrations on top of whatever backend system you choose. All while keeping your branding intact. Here's how to start making a white label portal.
SuiteDash offers two different tiers of service depending on your budget and desired features. For $79 per month, you can get unlimited user accounts and email support through unlimited phone calls. This plan gives you 1GB of storage space and 100MB of bandwidth per account. If you'd prefer something cheaper but still want a few extra bells and whistles, then you should check out SuiteDash's Starter Plan. With this package, you can host up to 10 active users on a shared SSL hosting environment. The price drops to $59 per month after the first year, giving you unlimited storage and bandwidth and 20 minutes of phone support each month.
If you're interested in learning more about SuiteDash before signing up, read our full review here.
No, but you can sign up for a 30 day trial by clicking "Try Now" above the Pricing Plans section. After the trial period ends, you'll pay $49 per month for a basic plan that includes 2GB of storage and 25MB of bandwidth.
Let's look at what makes SuiteDash unique among its competitors:
Customizable Dashboard Widgets - Using widgets, you can show specific content based on data pulled directly from your database using SQL queries. Each widget has a set amount of columns, rows, and buttons that allow you to display exactly what you want. You can hide certain fields if needed, add new ones, rearrange them, and change the layout however you see fit.
Form Builder - Create customized forms, surveys, landing pages, and lead capture websites using drag and drop functionality. Forms include multiple choice questions, text areas, radio boxes, and yes/no checkboxes.
Reports & Analytics - Easily generate reports on user behavior and performance metrics that you define. You can export the results to Excel or PDF format. You can also view analytics graphs such as engagement, retention, conversion rates, bounce rate, etc.
Email Integration - Send emails directly to contacts inside your contact management tool, social media platform, CRM, or anywhere else you specify. You can attach files to those messages, schedule automatic senders, and more.
File Sharing - Upload documents, images, videos, presentations, and anything else you want to share with anyone who uses your portal. Files are automatically uploaded to the cloud and stored securely. You can grant permissions to individual users to access or download files as well.
Integration Tools - You can link your dashboard to external applications through API integration. If you're working with a third party vendor, SuiteDash allows you to easily connect your portal to their website or application.
Social Media Integrations - Use the built-in Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, and Tumblr APIs to pull relevant posts and comments onto your site.
Contact Management - Add leads to your CRM as part of your workflow process and track interactions between leads and sales reps. Set up automated rules to follow up with leads immediately upon receiving a message, assign tasks to team members, and much more.
In addition to these capabilities, SuiteDash provides several additional useful features including built-in SEO, security checks against known malicious sites, and 24/7 live chat support.
A portal is essentially a web page made specifically for employees and partners to gain quick access to corporate information. When used correctly, portals can save time both for workers and managers alike. By allowing everyone to stay connected to their jobs and projects, it helps reduce interruptions while increasing productivity overall.
The idea behind a portal is simple enough. Instead of navigating around separate platforms or trying to remember passwords, you simply log in once and enter your credentials to access everything you need. Once logged in, you won't have to think twice about accessing critical information. You can keep tabs on project updates, communicate effectively with coworkers, request assistance, and manage your calendar all in one place. Plus, since most of these functions require the same login info, you only ever have to remember ONE password!
Portals aren't just for large corporations either. Anyone can benefit from integrating a portal into their own organization. Smaller teams might want to use a portal to help streamline processes. A restaurant owner could use it to improve communication with guests or let staff members post menu items and specials. If you run a small business, consider creating a portal for yourself and your employees to increase efficiency and boost morale. Portals often come in the form of mobile apps too. Whether you use a desktop browser version or a smartphone app, you can quickly access key information whenever you need it.
1) Build the foundation
If building a website is on your list of priorities, you need to start by answering these questions: What type of site should I develop? How much time does this project require? Will my target audience find my content useful and helpful? Is the site going to have any sort of SEO value? If I were developing an ecommerce site, would I also need payment processing capabilities? These are just some of the things you'll need to consider when determining which service provider to use.
Do you want a static HTML web page or something more interactive like a WordPress blog? Static sites typically take less time to build, but they don’t offer as many features and customization options as dynamic platforms like WordPress.
Is your budget limited? If so, then perhaps a simple static site might work well for you. However, if you're willing to pay for additional features such as custom design templates, eCommerce solutions, social media integration, etc., then you may benefit from using a full blown CMS.
For many entrepreneurs, building their own custom customer website or digital marketing tool can be challenging. The process of creating something from scratch requires expertise in programming languages like HTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript, Python, Ruby on Rails, and more. It's also time-consuming and expensive (especially if you're hiring someone else).
While there are plenty of off-the-shelf options available today -- such as WordPress and Squarespace, among others -- these solutions still require some level of technical knowledge. And because they come preloaded with features, you'll have limited control over what the final product looks like. Plus, when you buy into one of those platforms, you're locked into using them exclusively. If you want to use another service down the road, you may need to start again from square one.
That's why so many companies outsource web development work to third party contractors who specialize in this kind of thing. They provide complete websites at affordable prices by taking care of everything involved in building a new site. Their developers handle coding, design, hosting, security, and even ongoing maintenance -- leaving you free to focus on other aspects of business growth.
But before you hire someone to build your next marketing project, know exactly how much it will cost and whether it fits within your budget. Read our guide to finding professional services online.
Suitedash is a platform designed specifically for small businesses looking to create marketing portals without having to invest huge amounts of money upfront. By offering its users a combination of website builder tools, templates, and integrations, Suitedash makes setting up a client portal easy and inexpensive. You don't need any advanced skills to get started either -- just sign up for a free account, then follow along below for step-by-step instructions on how to set up your first page.
Once you've got your basic website running, you can customize it further by adding additional pages and sections. These include things like contact forms, social media links, blog posts, newsletters, and event listings. Then you can add content directly through Suitedash itself, or import existing files like PDFs, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, images, audio recordings, etc. Finally, you can connect Suitedash to your Google Sheets spreadsheet to collect data about individual customers.
If you'd rather not deal with code yourself, you can always find readymade layouts and designs to copy and paste onto your website. There's no limit to the number of different pages you can add, but keep in mind that each section takes up space on your website once it has been added. You should only plan to offer five or six main categories per page, otherwise visitors won't see anything interesting.
The most common misconception surrounding Suitedash is that it functions as a Customer Relationship Management system. While it does track user activity across multiple channels, it doesn't actually integrate with any specific cloud-based CRM solution. Instead, it simply provides a place where you can store information about your contacts, including names, email addresses, phone numbers, address details, messages sent/received, notes taken during conversations, and more. This way, you can easily access the same info later whenever you need it.
In fact, Suitedash isn't really intended to replace your current CRM solution, which means it shouldn't take too long to learn enough about the interface and functionality to manage your day-to-day operations effectively. But if you already use a CRM program like Salesforce or Hubspot, you might consider integrating both systems instead. That would allow you to gain access to the full range of useful sales tracking features offered by popular enterprise apps while keeping your personal data stored separately.
As we mentioned earlier, Suitedash offers several ways to protect your sensitive information. First, every member gets unlimited storage for their profile, plus 1GB of personalized data for each visitor. Second, each user receives two-factor authentication, meaning they must enter a unique password and answer a verification question before accessing certain parts of the app. Third, all information entered via the website is encrypted. Fourth, if you ever run into trouble, support staff members are available 24/7 via live chat and email.
Finally, Suitedash allows you to lock down areas of your account after completing transactions. So if someone tries to register under false pretenses, they won't be able to log in until they verify themselves with a valid e-mail address.
Yes! In addition to providing a public API for programmers and designers, Suitedash also supports private APIs for partners. Partners can develop applications and plugins that automatically sync data between the partner's website and Suitedash, allowing the latter to serve as a central hub for managing interactions between businesses and their customers.
So now that you understand what Suitedash is capable of, let's move forward and explore how you can turn it into a successful client portal.
First, choose a name for your new website. Make sure it reflects the type of people you expect to visit and includes keywords relevant to your industry. When choosing a domain name, avoid lengthy strings of characters that could affect SEO rankings. Next, determine how you intend to promote your site. Will you host it yourself, rent a server somewhere, or purchase a dedicated URL package? Take a look around and familiarize yourself with any potential costs associated with doing so.
After deciding what steps you'll need to take to launch your portal, decide how you'll communicate with visitors. Do you want to send emails inviting them to download a brochure, schedule appointments, receive updates on special promotions, or ask for feedback? How will you notify your audience when important events occur, like launches, openings, grand openings, rebrandings, relocations, or changes to your services? Once you figure out answers to these questions, it's time to think about how you'll go about getting traffic.
You can try various methods, such as advertising on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Reddit, and more. Or you can pay influencers to share articles related to your niche with their followers. You might also reach out to bloggers, journalists, podcasters, vloggers, and more based on mutual interests. Whatever method you choose, just remember to stick to quality sources and avoid spammy tactics.
Now that you're armed with the right resources and techniques, your job is nearly done. All that remains is to sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Your website will soon begin attracting new leads and generating revenue, and you'll be able to spend less time worrying about tech issues and more time focusing on increasing profits. Now that you've learned the basics of creating a marketing portal, it's time to put it to good use.
Building out an online customer service platform may seem like a daunting task if you've never built one before. But there's no need for fear. You can take advantage of the latest technology while avoiding unnecessary overhead costs.
One of the best ways to start building a custom portal today is by using a white label option from a reputable provider. With these services, you don't have to worry about any technical or coding skills. Instead, you're given access to everything needed to create a beautiful product that will help grow your business without breaking the bank.
There are many different kinds of portals available in the market, so how does one know which ones will work best for them? Here we'll go over some basic terminology and explain what each type of portal is capable of doing.
A portal is essentially a website where customers interact through various channels such as chat, email, social media posts, etc. The concept was popularized by companies like Zappos and Amazon. A lot of people mistakenly think they're talking about something else when someone mentions "portal." But, technically speaking, a portal refers specifically to a web-based application that allows users to communicate via multiple channels.
It's important to note that a portal isn't always just a single page app. Some providers offer additional features like CRM integrations, chatbots, marketing automation tools, etc., but typically you won't find those options included at checkout unless you pay extra.
Now that you understand what a portal really is, let's dig into the main categories. There's a bit more than meets the eye here, though, because not every portal offers exactly the same functionality. In fact, most don't even use the word "portal" in their name anymore. Let's break this down further.
Customer Experience Portal (CXP): This is probably the most common form of portal used today. These apps allow both businesses and consumers to connect directly with one another through various communication methods including text messaging, voice calls, video chats, live streams, instant messages, and much more. CXPs usually include some sort of CRM integration and/or analytics dashboard. They also often come equipped with support for mobile devices since consumer demand has grown significantly over recent years.
Service Provider Portal (SPP): If you run a virtual assistant business or provide other services to others, then SPPs are perfect for you! Unlike CXPs, these applications focus on helping small businesses manage their own relationships with their customers rather than connecting them with outside sources. An example would be a virtual assistant who helps organize travel plans, book flights, schedule appointments, etc. Most SPPs still feature some level of CRM integration, however, unlike CXPs.
Marketing Automation Portal (MAP): Similar to SPPs, MAPs are designed for smaller brands looking to automate parts of their digital marketing strategy. It's a great way to streamline processes like sending emails, creating landing pages, scheduling content updates, etc. without needing to hire full time employees. However, like SPPs, most MAPs only include limited amounts of CRM integration.
The biggest benefit of a portal is its ability to give your business a unified front. One place to control your entire customer journey instead of having to deal with separate systems across several platforms. For instance, if you want to send out sales emails, you can set up a campaign in Gmail, MailChimp, Slack, Salesforce, etc. And if you need to track conversions, you could log into HubSpot, Marketo, Pipedrive, Zapier, etc.
Another major perk of running a portal is increased customer engagement. By giving your customers a central location to engage with you, you can increase the chances that they'll return again and again. Plus, it lets you collect information about their needs and preferences, leading to better personalization throughout their relationship with your brand.
Lastly, a well-built portal gives you greater insight into your business' performance. Most portals integrate with third party SaaS products like Analytics 360, Customer Interaction Platform, LiveChat, Marketing Automation, etc. So if you'd like to see how effective certain strategies were during peak hours, you can easily pull up detailed reports in minutes.
If you're wondering whether Google is a portal, I'm afraid the answer is yes. While there aren't any actual words in the name, the search giant certainly fits the bill. Since launching in 2010, Google Search Engine Optimization (GSE) has become synonymous with SEO. GSE is now responsible for around 85% of searches conducted worldwide, beating out Bing and Yahoo!. As a result, almost everyone uses GSE to conduct research and learn about new things.
Plus, thanks to Google Now and Android Things, Google Assistant is quickly becoming a household name too. Many experts believe that within five years, Google will completely dominate the world wide web. That means if you haven’t already created a presence on Google+, YouTube, Maps, Blogger, Docs, etc., you should get started right away.
So why not put yourself ahead of the curve? Build yourself a customized portal today and reap the benefits of increased traffic, improved conversion rates, and higher ROI. Just remember - you don't need to code anything. All the heavy lifting comes straight from the source.
1) Create Your Own Custom Portal
In this tutorial I'll show how easy it is to set up a custom-made portal in minutes using our free portal builder and some basic HTML knowledge.
The first thing we're going to do is create a simple contact form where people will be able to submit requests or questions about products they have found on Amazon.
We'll then add a search bar so customers can find their way around our website easily.
After creating these two features we can move onto adding more pages to our site by just copying over existing ones from other websites.
Creating Contact Form
To start off let's open up our new blank page. We want to keep things as simple as possible since this isn't going to be a product review page but rather a simple form for collecting information from prospective buyers.
First we're going to head into the header section and click on Add New Section button at the top right corner. This will allow us to insert multiple headers within the same page. Next, scroll down until you see Header 1 and click on the plus sign next to it.
Now we're going to drag the text box into place. After doing so, select the Text field type (shown below). Then click inside the red circle and enter something like "Contact Us" to give users an idea of what kind of content will appear here.
Add another
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.