Customer portal: More than just a sales transaction

When the average person thinks of e-commerce, he or she may only think of purchasing a product or a service on a website. This is true in a basic sense, but the interaction between customer and business can be much more than a sales transaction.

By creating a secure portal on a company’s website, greenhouse growers can create a relationship with their customers – whether they are big-box retailers or the local garden center – that can help strengthen business for each side. Here are some examples of the way a customer portal can improve business for both sides of the equation.

Availability – Looking at the availability of plants and cuttings on a greenhouse grower’s website is nothing new. However, customers who log in through a portal can find the availability of plants or cuttings based on their preferences (allowing the customer to choose) or their history (tracking their views or clicks). Customers, therefore, find a more streamlined experience when they are looking for product.

Customer accounting – Like all businesses, greenhouse growers want their customers to stay current with their payments. Sending out invoices works, but papers can be lost and emails can be deleted. Through a secure portal, customers can view their invoices, statements, and orders at their convenience. Having customers’ transaction history online can also help a greenhouse reduce paperwork or reduce time spent on resending lost documents.

Shipments – Similar to accounting, a shipment section of a customer portal can allow customers to see what items are on order, what items are getting ready to ship and where they are in the route.

Shopping cart – An online shopping cart gives customers the ability to submit their orders directly. It also allows their purchase data to be fed directly into the greenhouse’s ERP system, such as Grower Vertical for Sage ERP, for an integrated transaction, which is ideal for young plant growers.

Customer account information – Customers can use an online portal to make changes to their account information without needing to contact anyone at the greenhouse. They can change contact names, phone numbers, credit card numbers, or any important information that may vary over the course of a business relationship.

Customer resource management – One of the most important tools that a customer portal can provide a greenhouse grower is the ability to collect data from their customers. This data can be used to market to customers to provide them with a better shopping experience. Viewing patterns can be tracked to suggest product that suits their tastes or needs. Information on current inventory, product care recommendations, warnings for pest or botanical outbreaks – all based on customers’ location or needs – can be provided through a portal.

In today’s Internet, customers expect much more from their wholesalers and retailers than just a buy-and-sell proposition. By creating a customer portal, a greenhouse grower can create a constant flow of information back and forth between their organization and their customers.

Practical Software Solutions is a Sage Authorized Partner. For more information, contact Greg Lafferty at (704) 721-6800 ext. 3019 or glafferty@practicalsoftwaresolutions.com.