Customer self-service for Sales Customer Relationship Management
Summarize
Summary of Customer self-service for Sales Customer Relationship Management
The Business Portal in Sales Customer Relationship Management (CRM) enables business-to-business (B2B) customers to independently manage orders, invoices, and requests for quotes through a secure, web-based self-service interface. Built on Customer Service Management, the portal integrates seamlessly with core CRM data and internal sales workflows, allowing customers to engage autonomously while maintaining alignment with sales operations. It also offers access to knowledge articles, community forums, service catalogs, and chatbots to enhance the customer experience.
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Key Features
- Order Management: Customers can create and manage orders directly via the portal, reducing sales cycle times and accelerating revenue.
- Quote Requests and Viewing: Customers can submit requests for quotes (RFQs) and view both RFQ-generated and offline sales agent-created quotes.
- Order Updates: Customers can request updates on orders or individual order items, lowering dependency on customer service agents.
- Invoice Access and Dispute: The portal provides visibility into invoice details and supports disputing specific line items or multiple invoices through a direct, trackable self-service channel.
Integration with Sales Agents
Sales agents interact with orders, order cases, invoice cases, and RFQs submitted through the Business Portal using the Customer Service Management Configurable Workspace. Agents handle processes such as reviewing RFQs, converting RFQs to quotes, applying price adjustments, and collaborating with customers for approvals, ensuring smooth order and quote management behind the scenes.
Next Steps for Customers
To leverage the Business Portal effectively, explore topics on configuring the portal, enabling customer self-service, and understanding user roles. These resources will guide administrators in setting up and managing the portal while helping customers maximize its self-service capabilities.
Support your business-to-business (B2B) customers by enabling self-service capabilities through the Business Portal to create and manage orders, invoices, and requests for quotes.
Business Portal overview
The Business Portal is a self‑service, customer‑facing web interface in Sales Customer Relationship Management that enables B2B customers to discover products, configure offerings, and place orders directly through a secure, web‑based experience. The portal complements internal sales workflows, enabling your customers to engage with the sales process independently while remaining fully integrated with core CRM data and processes. The Business Portal, which is based on Customer Service Management, streamlines order placement, reduces dependency on manual sales interactions, and accelerates revenue generation. It also provides integrated access to knowledge articles, community forums, service catalogs, and chatbots.
Business Portal benefits
The Business Portal provides benefits for administrators and B2B customers. Administrators can easily manage and administer the portal and install plugins to enable new features. The following table lists the benefits for B2B customers.
| Benefit | Feature |
|---|---|
| Enable customers to place orders independently, reducing sales cycle time and accelerating revenue realization. | Create orders from the Business Portal |
| Accelerate pricing and proposal turnaround by enabling customers to request quotes directly within the portal. | Submit a request for quote from the Business Portal |
| Enable customers to view quotes generated from requests for quotes (RFQs) or quotes created offline by a sales agent. | View quotes from the Business Portal |
| Reduce customer dependency on customer service agents for routine order inquiries or raising order issues such as quantity or address disputes. | |
| Provide customers access to their invoice and invoice line details so they can track billing information and identify discrepancies. | View invoices on the Business Portal |
| Simplify invoice inquiries and dispute management through a direct, trackable self‑service support channel. |
Dispute a specific line item on an invoice against your account using the Business Portal Dispute multiple invoices against your account using the Business Portal |
Business Portal and sales agents
Sales agents don’t directly use the Business Portal, but work on orders, order cases, invoice cases, and RFQs submitted through the Business Portal from the CSM Configurable Workspace. Depending on the process for orders, order cases, invoice cases, and RFQs, the agents work on their assignments and work with the customers to provide resolution. For example, reviewing RFQs, converting RFQs to quotes, applying price adjustments, and returning the quote to the customer for approval.