Make Customers Feel Safe: Brand Your Customer Service Sites and Stores

Many MPS resellers have partnered with companies that provide customer portals for requesting service, entering meters or ordering supplies. Often, the goal of these web applications is to automate key processes to improve customer service and reduce overhead.

Why Online Customer Portals Are Under Utilized
The challenge is that many of these interfaces are under used. One of the main reasons clients are reluctant to use online interfaces may be related to something very simple--the branding and layout of the interface.

On many sites, I have noticed that when you click on the link to enter a service call, a new window opens up that doesn’t look anything like the dealer’s website. Instead they are greeted with a plain white page that asks them for a user name and password. This makes the client wonder where they have landed. Is this a safe site? It is no wonder clients are reluctant to use dealer service portals.

The Solution: Brand Your Portals
The solution to this problem is to make sure your customer interfaces are branded to match your main website. That way, when the client clicks the link to enter a service call or key a meter reading, they feel comfortable that the information is coming to you.

Customization can be done in one of two ways. You can embed the login script into a frame inside your current site. That way the client is actually logging in through page on your site. The other option is to “reskin” the web interface on your current site. This involves creating a graphic set that matches your current site. The goal is to make the client feel comfortable that the site they are on is a part of your company.

Drive Traffic to Your Portal
Once you have updated your customer portals to match your company branding, it is a good time to relaunch the portals to your client. Send out a news release announcing the updated interface. Then make sure to promote the portal with every customer interaction: newsletters, invoice inserts, service call leave behinds, stickers on outbound toner shipments, on hold messaging and invoices.

Promote New Products and Solutions
While you are re-skinning your user interface for your service, meters and supply systems, it is a great time to think about what you want to market to your existing clients. These login pages are a great place to feature promotions on new systems, solutions or supplies. For example, you might place a promotion for your managed print services program on your supply store login page. Or, you might feature the latest hardware offerings on your service login page.