Gartner Group, in its recent report Predicts 2010: Customer Service Meets CRM, stated that “Consumer willingness to perform all possible customer service functions, themselves, will be universal by 2011.” What Gartner is referring to is that, today, consumers not only want to help themselves when it comes to customer service—they demand it! Consumers, like you, now insist on having instant access to insightful information that will help you maximize the performance of the products you buy. This trend has been our guiding principal as we started rebuilding our Community Portal.

So with that thought in mind, here is a run-down of the improved version:

1. Why did we setup a new Community Portal?

We wanted to make sure that we were serving our clients’ needs the best way possible, with easy access to any information you might need. Plus, it gives us the ability to deliver relevant information based on how you’re using the system.

In addition, we wanted to be prepared for social media interaction, so we can serve you where you’re looking for assistance (such as Facebook or Twitter).
With this new portal, we have these capabilities, as well as integration with our current CRM system. That integration means we can provide the correct data for each specific client, Bottom line: we can serve each of our clients better and faster.

2. How did we improve the Community Portal to serve our customers better?

Our needs for our new community portal were many and specific. One of the biggest improvement is the ability to search all content in the Community Portal directly from Zmags Publicator.

We wanted to make sure that the solution would enable us to reach our clients on their bases, whether it be self-service, social media channels, chat, email or phone.

Also, the system we deployed is very flexible and scalable, so you get assistance faster and easier.

3. What is the result and what you can expect as a customer?

After a lot research, client interviews and development, we have finally managed to create a community portal that we feel meets the rigorous requirements that our clients have come to expect from us. As a result, the community portal is now divided into five main sections:

• Get Answers: A feature-packed front page provides you with visibility into recently submitted questions & answers, along with informative articles, combined with a global, powerful, unified search mechanism.
• Get Inspired: Find some great ideas and valuable suggestions through case studies and associated tools and components in the portal.
• Get Educated: Our segmented and goal-focused education area provides you with knowledgebase articles, video tutorials, and questions & answers related to your specific goals.
• My Cases: A comprehensive case management system enables you to submit and track your cases.
• Contact us: Get in touch with our sales and customer services, and submit ideas on the future development of our platform.

No doubt, this is just the beginning, and we constantly strive to improve our services. We would appreciate your feedback, so if you click the “Give us feedback” link at the top of the portal and submit your information, we would always love to hear what you think.

Watch the introduction video to learn more about how the Zmags Customer Community can assist you.

Mike Newton Christiansen is Customer Experience Manager at Zmags.