A portal is a marketplace for all goods, services, information and communication. Web shops are characterised by one-dimensional processes and services. The company offers products or services, the customer buys them and there may be a return process. A portal is also distinguished by multilateral and multifunctional structures. The customers can network with each other and with the company, the company itself can automate many processes with customers and suppliers and interact with other stakeholders and form joint working groups.
From a technical point of view, the use of a portal is predestined when the same data is to be displayed and edited differently on two pages, for example in a ticket or ordering system. Through the portal, the information is provided in the respective view and can be edited individually. Thus, a connection of internal and external participants or also self-services, whereby the external user takes over the maintenance of the data of external users (keyword: changing the billing address), is possible.
A portal thus includes functions of a modern web shop, but goes far beyond this and shows completely new potentials for value creation.
The stakeholder analysis
Customer
For customers, a place is created where they can find many other approaches for expanding their business in addition to the company's classic services. They can exchange views with other customers, partners and experts on current topics and issues in forums. In this way, communities can be created that either specialise in a focus area or complement each other's portfolios in a partnership. Portals can automate (core) processes by retrieving, displaying or processing data. In this way, they can contribute significantly to increasing productivity on all sides.
Suppliers
Suppliers can also benefit from the company's portals, which increases the attractiveness for cooperation in strategic areas. The increased interaction and bonding of customers with the company give the latter insight into competences, focus areas and willingness to cooperate. Suppliers can now target customers via the company for joint working groups (pre-views, key users) or marketing campaigns. The company itself thus becomes a decisive partner for the strategic topics and goals of the suppliers.
Partner
The company's partners are important for the success of the company and for ensuring that the value proposition to customers is delivered. This is because rarely are no partner companies involved in the core added values of the company, e.g. for logistics, IT infrastructure, finance/accounting or marketing. Portals can have a significant impact on process quality, as time and/or information is often lost at the handover interface between companies. The partners are able to be connected via the portal to the ticketing, invoicing and quality management system, for example. This creates various opportunities for process and quality optimisation.
The advantages for your company
> You benefit from all the previously mentioned advantages for customers, suppliers and partner companies
> The value of your company within the value chain increases
> The irreplaceability of your company is growing
> High scalability when using modular designs and cloud services such as Microsoft
> Increased efficiency through leaner processes and operational costs as well as improved quality, customer proximity and the evaluation of data
> Automate operational workloads - create space for the implementation of strategic goals
