The Gateway to Great Service: the User Portal

What is a user portal?

A user portal is a way for a customer to login to their account with a company, typically through a web browser. User portals are built using user portal software and are a great way for companies to provide customers with the ability to independently view and manage their accounts and related content without having to actually rely the company for direct support.


A different approach

Before user portals gained popularity, channels like phone or email were only options open to a user with customer service issues. This was problematic for several reasons:
  • No control. If a customer wanted to make a small change, such as updating contact phone number or shipping zip code on their account, they had to rely on the company to create it for them.

Did you know?

  • Retail: Shoppers can check or even make changes to billing or shipping preferences, learn the status of a shipment, or learn about return policies.

The right time

Camera Obscura's community example of Zendesk's user portal.

How Zendesk helps

Zendesk puts the power into the customer’s hands by giving you the ability to provide every user with their own user portal. Not only does it make it possible for them to access their own accounts anytime they want, it also means they’ll have access to all of the great self-service options Zendesk offers in Help Center, from a knowledge base to an online community for all customers.

Open the gate to self-service

Ready to give it a whirl? Start a free trial