The customer relationship process with the businesses has taken a new shape. The current generation of customers desires to get access to information instantly, have 24/7, self-service, and experience without being forced to pick up the phone. Offering a revolutionary remedy, the Microsoft Dynamics Customer Portal is one of the solutions that are radically reshaping the way companies provide customer experiences in cost-effective manners.

What is Microsoft Dynamics Customer Portal?

A Microsoft Dynamics Customer Portal is a secure web based solution that links directly to your Dynamics 365 CRM that will enable the customer, partners and vendors to access the relevant data and take appropriate action without the need to directly access your CRM. Consider it to be a customized and branded gateway that brings the extended capabilities of Dynamics 365 outside of your internal organization.

A dynamically integrated solution, in contrast to a generic customer portal, uses your existing CRM data on the fly, so that the customers can always have the correct, updated details of their accounts, cases, orders and invoices on real-time basis.

The Dark Secret of Customer Service in a Traditional Way.

Before getting into features, it is time to consider the elephant in the room; traditional customer service is costly and ineffective. Research indicates that such routine queries as order tracking, invoice downloads, contact information updates take up to 40 percent of the resources of support staff. These menial jobs do not need human expertise and yet they are stealing what you need the most, which is your people.

This issue can be addressed using a Microsoft Dynamics Customer Portal that enables customers to do it on their own since it allows your staff members to concentrate on more complicated problems that cannot be resolved without human resolutions.

Key Competencies that lead to ROI:

Self-Service Case Management

Customers are able to create support tickets, monitor and update them through the portal. They see case history, make comments, attach files, and get real-time status updates - all integrated with your Dynamics 365. This openness lessens where my ticket. inquiries by over 60%.

ESB Access to Documents and Knowledge Base.

No longer sending the documents back and forth via e-mail. Your portal will act as a hub of customer services where the customers will download invoices, contracts, product manuals and technical documentations. Integrated with a knowledge base that is searchable, customers get answered even when they do not have questions to ask.

Visibility of Accounts and Orders

Ensure customers have total transparency on how they relate with your business. They will be able to see the account information, review the order history, shipment, and invoice statuses - without calling your sales or accounting department.

Custom Forms and Workflows

Every business is unique. An effective Microsoft Dynamics Customer Portal gives you an opportunity to develop your own custom forms that can put a direct information flow in Dynamics 365. The portal does not depend on any set procedures, as it is shaped to fit your exact needs, be it quote requests, product registrations, or feedback surveys.

Between Trust and Distrust

Data security has become one of the biggest issues concerning customer portals. This is met by a well set up Microsoft Dynamics Customer Portal which cater to:

• Role-based access control: The customers can only view their data.
• Multi-factor authentication: There is added security in sensitive information.
• Audit trails: Each activity is traced to facilitate compliance and troubleshooting.
• Azure infrastructure: Business-level security at global standards.

The Mobile-First Reality

The following is a statistic that ought to alarm any business: it is estimated that more than 70 percent of the customer service transactions are initiated by mobile devices. Your portal should also have a perfect mobile experience and not an uncouth desktop experience packed into a mobile phone.

Contemporary Microsoft Dynamics Customer Portals are developed and resistant design, which implies that the customers can place a case, monitor the status of their order or download documents in their smartphone with ease as they would in their office computer.

Integration: The Multiplier Effect

It comes in handy having a standalone portal. An all-inclusive portal is revolutionary. Each customer touch makes your CRM data richer when Microsoft Dynamics Customer Portal is seamlessly linked with Dynamics 365. Cases are generated through support tickets. Submission of forms is a source of leads. The download of documents triggers the processes of marketing.

This integration will establish a closed-loop feedback that enables you to know how customers behave, know their areas of pain, and subsequently develop to deliver services effectively with time.

The KPIs That Matter in a Measuring Success.

The deployment of a customer portal does not only involve the modernization of your presence on the Internet, it will also involve the attainment of quantifiable business success:

• Rate of ticket deflection: Percentage of inquiries that were addressed by the agent.
• Time to first response: The average duration of time taken in response to a case after it has been created.
• Customer satisfaction ratings: First hand feedback on portal usability.
• Cost per interaction: The total support costs as divided by the volume of interactions.

The reduction in the costs of support in most organizations would be 30-40% in the initial year of implementation.

Choosing the Right Solution

Every Microsoft Dynamics Customer Portals is not made the same. In case of assessment of solutions, put more emphasis on:

• Native Integrations 365 (not only API connections)
• The ability to be customized without having to be developed in detail.
• Impressionable and contemporary user interface which customers would desire to use.
• Intensive documentation and assistance to your implementation team.

The Bottom Line

Microsoft Dynamics Customer Portal is not a luxury but a strategic need of companies that are intent on growing customer service at conservable rates. Giving a customer a self-service capability is not only enhancing the experience of the customer, you are changing the whole support operation.

It does not matter whether you need a customer portal. It is whether or not you can afford not to have one as your competitors are already enjoying the fruits of the same.