In today’s digital-first marketplace, customer expectations have shifted towards speed, convenience, and autonomy. In the building materials industry, creating and maintaining effective customer self-service portals is no longer a luxury—it’s a competitive necessity. However, launching a portal is only the beginning; fostering a company-wide culture that embraces and supports it is what ensures its success.
Here’s how to build a strong internal culture around creating and sustaining customer self-service portals:
Start with Executive Buy-in and Strategic Vision
Building a customer self-service portal must be seen as a strategic priority, not just a tech initiative. Leadership should communicate a clear vision that aligns the portal with long-term customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and digital transformation goals. Executive endorsement drives cross-departmental engagement and resource allocation.
Educate and Align Teams Across Departments
From sales to customer service to IT, every team must understand the value the portal brings to customers and the business. Conduct workshops or internal briefings to explain how self-service capabilities reduce call volumes, improve customer response times, and allow employees to focus on higher-value tasks.
Encourage departments to collaborate in shaping the portal’s functionality based on real-world customer needs and feedback.
Design with the Customer Journey in Mind
A successful portal goes beyond basic order tracking. It should empower customers to:
Browse product catalogs
Check inventory and pricing
Download technical documentation
Place and track orders
Initiate returns or resolve issues
Creating this functionality requires companies to shift their mindset from being reactive to becoming proactive partners in the customer’s buying journey.
Empower Customers Through Communication
Promote the portal not just as a tool, but as a valuable service. Use onboarding emails, how-to videos, and in-person training sessions to help customers understand the benefits of self-service options. This helps reinforce usage and demonstrates the company’s commitment to their success and autonomy.
Encourage Continuous Feedback and Iteration
Make feedback loops part of the culture. Create an internal process for collecting insights from both customers and employees who engage with the portal regularly. Treat the portal as a living product—one that should be continuously improved based on real-world use cases and pain points.
Reward and Recognize Portal Engagement
Recognize employees who contribute ideas for portal enhancements or who effectively onboard customers. Similarly, acknowledge customers who use the portal effectively through loyalty points, early access to features, or account upgrades. These recognitions promote adoption and drive cultural reinforcement.
Integrate Self-Service Thinking into Sales and Support
Train customer-facing teams to guide clients toward the portal as a first point of contact, without compromising on service quality. This subtle shift in behavior supports the broader culture of digital engagement while reinforcing the company’s commitment to customer empowerment.
Conclusion
Creating a customer self-service portal is only impactful when supported by a company culture that embraces digital innovation and customer empowerment. By aligning leadership, training cross-functional teams, gathering feedback, and promoting continuous improvement, building material suppliers can ensure their portals are not just tools—but integral to how they do business.
