Sales organizations face a disconnect between how their salespeople are selling and how their customers are buying. In the past, selling meant knocking on doors to find new leads and going into a store to meet with prospective customers. Today, that entire process has flipped.
Sales executives still need the same things they’ve always needed: visibility, reporting, and accountability across the organization. However, today’s sales reps don’t have access to all the necessary information to conduct their job successfully. They also lack visibility into their pipeline, who their next best prospect is, or which of their contacts is most qualified for which deal. In response to this challenge, many companies have implemented client access portals as part of a CRM strategy that helps sales reps close deals faster and more effectively than ever before. Here are seven ways that client access portals can be used in sales:
7 ways client access portals are used in sales
1. File sharing
Client access portals can also be used to share files. Whether you want to send your client a copy of the agreement or show a vendor what they need to do next, client access portals are perfect for file-sharing. This is because they make it easy for clients and vendors alike to access information without exchanging emails or phone calls. It’s also essential that these files are secure: as described earlier, password protection ensures that only those who should have access get it.
2. Remote Assistance
Remote assistance is a useful tool for troubleshooting problems. Using remote assistance, you can see the other person’s screen, control their mouse and keyboard, and more. Remote assistance is beneficial with technical issues, like when your PC won’t start up or your printer is out of ink. Still, it also comes in handy for non-technical concerns like helping someone find a file or troubleshooting a problem with an online transaction.
When you’re trying to help another person over the phone, it’s often challenging to communicate what exactly needs to happen for them to resolve their issue. With remote access tools, you can establish live video chat sessions with clients so that they can point out exactly where they’re having problems so that you can guide them through fixing them on their own.
3. Communication management
Send messages. Clients like to know what’s going on, so you can use your client portal as a way to communicate with them in real-time. This can take the form of email alerts or status updates or even more personal messages like birthday greetings and holiday wishes.
Send files and documents. If you have a client who needs specific documents to do their job, you may be able to send these over through the client portal instead of having them scan through emails or dig through old files on their computer.
Send notifications and reminders about events that are coming up soon. A good example would be sending event reminder emails so that customers don’t forget about upcoming meetings or conferences they need to attend for work purposes; these reminders will help keep clients on track with what needs to be done next within their workflow processes.
4. Managing a sales contract
If you’re managing a sales contract, the portal can be used to manage the entire process. You can use it to:
5. Customer service or support issues
A customer service portal is a great way to keep customers happy. It can be used to track customer issues, track customer satisfaction and loyalty, and provide support for your employees. Having a client access portal in place makes it easier for customers to connect with your company. This will make them feel like they are being heard and respected by a real person on the other side of the computer screen. You can also use your customer access portal to build trust among clients who are considering doing business with you versus another competitor offering similar services or products at lower prices.
6. Team collaboration
Client access portals can also be used to share files, documents, and calendars. This is an effective way for teams to collaborate on projects and work together more efficiently. You can use client access portals to share information about customers with your sales team to get a better understanding of what the customer wants. This will help them close more deals faster by giving them access to important information about those prospects.
Client access portals allow you to share financial data with your sales team. Hence, they know how much money their customers have made in the past, which products or services they’re using now, and how much cash flow they have available to purchase new products or services from you. If a client isn’t making enough money, but there’s nothing wrong with the product or service itself, then maybe there’s something else behind the scenes that could help them improve their profits without changing anything about what already exists. For example, if someone doesn’t like eating healthy food, maybe adding vitamins to their menu plan would make all the difference between success and failure.
7. Online data collection and survey software
Client access portals allow companies to collect data from their clients, which can be used for research and market analysis. This can include customer satisfaction surveys or employee satisfaction surveys, two areas where client access portals are exceedingly helpful.
Employee training surveys can be created with client access portals as well, allowing you to poll workers on what they need to improve upon in their job performance. Employee engagement surveys are also very helpful in figuring out how employees feel about their company and their work.
Plus, Client access portals are a versatile tool that can add to your company’s efficiency.
Client access portals are a versatile tool that can add to your company’s efficiency. They allow you to stay in touch with clients, share files and information, manage contracts and sales, etc. If you’re looking for a way to streamline your business model or just want an easy way of communicating with customers on the go, client access portals are one of the best options at your disposal!
Conclusion
Client Access Portals are a versatile tool that can add to your company’s efficiency. They come with a wide range of benefits and options, so you won’t have trouble finding one with all the features you need. However, keep in mind that they’re only as good as their management and upkeep. Ensure to update passwords regularly or allow access only to those who have permission for it, and don’t forget about two-factor authentication! But most importantly: choose wisely.