Customer Portal

The Customer Portal provides self-service access for customers to submit tickets, view knowledge base articles, track orders, and manage their account. This guide covers portal configuration and management.

Overview

The Customer Portal enables you to:

• Provide self-service access
• Enable ticket submission
• Share knowledge base
• Display order history
• Allow account management
• Reduce support load

Accessing Portal Admin

Navigate to Settings → Support → Customer Portal to configure the portal.

Understanding the Portal

Portal Sections

Section	Description
Home	Dashboard overview
Tickets	Support requests
Knowledge Base	Help articles
Orders	Order history
Account	Profile settings
Invoices	Billing history

User Access Levels

Level	Access
Guest	Public KB only
Registered	Full portal access
Contact	Company-linked
Admin	Manage company users

Portal Status

Status	Description
Active	Portal live
Maintenance	Temporarily down
Disabled	Not available

Portal Features

Customer Dashboard

Welcome, John Smith
Acme Corporation

Quick Actions:
[Submit Ticket] [Search KB] [View Orders]

Recent Tickets:
├─ TKT-001: Payment issue (Resolved)
├─ TKT-002: Feature request (Open)
└─ TKT-003: Login problem (Pending)

Recent Orders:
├─ SO-2026-045: Shipped
└─ SO-2026-038: Delivered

How-To Guides

How to Configure the Portal

Basic Setup

1. Go to Settings → Support → Customer Portal
2. Configure general settings:

Setting	Description
Portal URL	Custom domain
Name	Portal title
Logo	Brand image
Colors	Theme colors
Contact Info	Support details

3. Enable features
4. Set access rules
5. Publish portal

Feature Toggles

Enable/disable sections:

• [ ] Ticket submission
• [ ] Knowledge base
• [ ] Order history
• [ ] Invoice viewing
• [ ] Account management
• [ ] Community forums

How to Customize Portal Appearance

Branding

Customize look:

1. Go to Portal → Appearance
2. Upload logo
3. Set primary colors
4. Choose fonts
5. Add favicon

Theme Options

Theme Settings:

Primary Color: #2563EB
Secondary Color: #1E40AF
Background: #F9FAFB
Text Color: #111827

Logo Position: Top Left
Header Style: Fixed
Footer: Show

Custom CSS

Add custom styles:

1. Go to Appearance → Custom CSS
2. Add CSS rules
3. Preview changes
4. Save and publish

How to Set Up Customer Registration

Registration Options

Method	Description
Open	Anyone can register
Invitation	Invite only
Auto-Create	From CRM/Sales
SSO	Single sign-on

Registration Form

Configure fields:

• Email (required)
• Password (required)
• Name (required)
• Company (optional)
• Phone (optional)
• Custom fields

Email Verification

Enable verification:

1. User registers
2. Verification email sent
3. User clicks link
4. Account activated

How to Configure Ticket Submission

Ticket Form

Configure submission form:

Field	Required	Visible
Subject	Yes	Yes
Category	Yes	Yes
Priority	No	Optional
Description	Yes	Yes
Attachments	No	Yes

Category Selection

Allow customers to choose:

• Technical Support
• Billing Questions
• Sales Inquiry
• Feature Request
• General

Submission Process

Customer submits ticket
    ↓
Validation checks
    ↓
Auto-assignment rules
    ↓
Confirmation email
    ↓
Ticket created in system
    ↓
Appears in customer portal

How to Display Knowledge Base

KB Configuration

1. Go to Portal → Knowledge Base
2. Select visible categories
3. Configure search
4. Set featured articles
5. Enable feedback

Search Optimization

• Prominent search bar
• Auto-suggestions
• Popular searches
• Related articles

Article Display

Knowledge Base

Search: [________________] [Search]

Featured Articles:
• Getting Started Guide
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Troubleshooting Common Issues

Categories:
├─ Account Management (12)
├─ Features & How-To (28)
├─ Billing & Payments (8)
└─ Technical Support (15)

How to Show Order Information

Order History

Display to customers:

• Order number
• Date placed
• Status
• Total amount
• Tracking info

Order Details

Click to view:

• Line items
• Shipping info
• Payment status
• Documents (invoice, PO)

Order Actions

Allow customers to:

• View details
• Track shipment
• Download invoice
• Request support

How to Enable Account Management

Profile Settings

Customers can update:

• Contact information
• Password
• Communication preferences
• Notification settings

Company Management

For company admins:

• Add/remove users
• Set permissions
• View company orders
• Manage addresses

Security Settings

• Change password
• Enable 2FA
• View login history
• Manage sessions

How to Configure Notifications

Customer Notifications

Configure alerts:

Event	Email	Portal
Ticket created	✓	✓
Ticket updated	✓	✓
Ticket resolved	✓	✓
Order shipped	✓	✓
Invoice ready	✓	✓

Notification Preferences

Let customers choose:

• Email frequency
• Notification types
• Digest options
• Opt-out options

How to Manage Portal Users

User Administration

1. Go to Portal → Users
2. View all portal users
3. Manage access:
   • Activate/deactivate
   • Reset password
   • Update permissions
   • Link to CRM contact

Bulk Actions

• Import users
• Export user list
• Bulk status change
• Send announcements

User Roles

Role	Capabilities
User	Own tickets/orders
Company User	Company access
Company Admin	Manage company

How to Track Portal Analytics

Usage Metrics

Metric	Description
Active Users	Logged in recently
Page Views	Portal traffic
Ticket Submissions	Self-service volume
KB Searches	Search activity
Deflection Rate	Tickets avoided

Analytics Dashboard

View:

• User activity trends
• Popular KB articles
• Search terms
• Feature usage

Advanced Features

Single Sign-On (SSO)

Integrate with:

• SAML 2.0
• OAuth 2.0
• Active Directory
• Social login

Custom Domain

Use your domain:

• support.yourcompany.com
• SSL certificate
• DNS configuration

Multi-Language

Support languages:

• Auto-detection
• Manual selection
• Translated content
• RTL support

API Access

Customer API:

• Ticket management
• Order lookup
• Account updates
• Integration capability

Best Practices

🎨 Design

• Clean interface
• Easy navigation
• Mobile responsive
• Brand consistent

🔍 Self-Service

• Prominent search
• Helpful content
• Clear categories
• Suggested articles

👥 Access

• Easy registration
• Quick login
• Password recovery
• Secure authentication

📊 Optimization

• Track usage
• Gather feedback
• Improve content
• Reduce friction

Configuration

Portal Settings

Navigate to Settings → Support → Customer Portal:

• General - Basic settings
• Appearance - Branding
• Features - Enable/disable
• Access - Registration rules

Content Settings

• Knowledge Base - Article visibility
• Orders - Display options
• Invoices - Access rules
• Custom Pages - Additional content

Security Settings

• Authentication - Login methods
• Passwords - Policy rules
• Sessions - Timeout settings
• IP Restrictions - Access control

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Cannot log in

• Verify account active
• Check password correct
• Clear browser cache
• Try password reset

Content not showing

• Check visibility settings
• Verify user permissions
• Review access rules
• Clear cache

Registration not working

• Check registration enabled
• Verify email configuration
• Review required fields
• Test with different email

Portal loading slowly

• Check server resources
• Review content size
• Optimize images
• Enable caching

Related Documentation

Return to Support Module Overview to explore all support features.