A well-built self-service portal lets customers find answers, track their requests, and submit new ones without emailing your team. A poorly built one just adds another place for customers to get frustrated.
What customers actually want in a portal
Ticket status tracking. A searchable knowledge base. A simple way to submit new requests. That is it. Do not over-engineer the portal with features nobody asked for.
AI in the portal
The newest evolution is AI-powered portals that answer customer questions before they submit a ticket. FyneDesk and Intercom both offer this. The AI pulls from your knowledge base and ticket history to generate answers. When it works, it can deflect a significant chunk of repetitive questions.
Portal design principles
Search should be prominent. Categories should be clear. The "submit a request" button should be easy to find but not the first thing they see. You want customers to self-serve first.
Measuring portal effectiveness
Track portal visits vs ticket submissions. If the ratio is improving (more visits, fewer tickets), your self-service content is working. If visits are flat or declining, your portal is not discoverable or not useful.