Customer Portal & Community

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kmcmullen
kmcmullen Member Posts: 13 Navigator
First Anniversary First Comment 5 Insightfuls Photogenic
in CS Technology

We are outgrowing some of our smaller/manual solutions that once worked for us as a startup. Wondering what everyone uses for a customer portal? Ideally, we are looking for the below capabilities:

  • Clients to be able to login (pro: if they could log into our platform and it would auto-login to the customer portal if they are logged into our software via integration)
  • Clients ability to see support tickets & status
  • Ability to post how-to guides, videos, articles, etc. & track engagement/clicks
  • Ability to create & leverage a client community: posts & discussions (much like this one), provide product feedback, ask each other questions, etc.
  • Connectivity via: API or native connectors to: salesforce, CSP (ChurnZero, Gainsigh, Totango, PlanHat?)
  • Long-term, would love to support smaller clients via a community platform/forum as well

I've been researching: HigherLogic Vanilla, ZenDesk, Hivebrite but would LOVE to hear what you all use and/or like (or don't like) so we can make the most informed decision.

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  • Brian O'Keeffe
    Brian O'Keeffe Member Posts: 200 Expert
    First Anniversary Photogenic 5 Insightfuls First Comment
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    I liked the demo of Insided and have looked at all of them. We will be picking ours soon. (I am not making the final decision.) I used Salesforce Community for years. The integration with the customer portal that was active and launched years before made it simpler to foster adoption, which is the key reason it was chosen.

    Map out what you need and then map it to the right product. Be prepared for Demos with magic included that are not in the product or are not exactly as presented. Customs are to be avoided but may be necessary. I try my best never ever, ever to have custom integrations but it is not always possible.

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