Portals: Drive for Transparency
NAW Large Company Technology
Networking Conference
June 17, 2008
Thought Leadership
Broadly Defined
“A portal enables business users,
either internally or externally, to
access any information object
without having to know its location,
format or access methods.”
Portals Exist for Different Reasons
• Enhancing customer relationships
– Defining new value proposition
– Providing self service solutions
• Optimizing availability of information
• Aligning strategy between engaged parties
• Leveraging technology to gain cost advantage
Drivers of World Class Commerce…
The Customer Promise…
“Of the companies that are building mature
business-to-business (B2B) relationships with
trading partners, 61% have increased
revenue and improved the shopper
experience. It’s no wonder the average
planned spending on B2B to support
demand networks is increasing 21%.”
“Grainger's Web site provides
customers an electronic solution
that is unmatched in the industry
and complements our local branch
network, our catalog, and phone
service,” said Pat Davidson, senior
vice president of customer service.
“In 2005, we are expecting
customers to purchase almost $750
million of products through this vital
channel.”
“While attendees raised high-hype topics like
blogs and social marketing, we find that
most B2B marketers improve marketing's
value when they focus on increasing their
alignment with sales, integrating their
marketing programs, and improving the
quality of their results.”
Average Sales Increase
Use of Web for Business
Starting Point
• Pick a category to begin your journey
– If you try to do them all, you’ll fail
• Pick a technology platform that will support your end
game strategy
• Begin defining and realigning internal resources and
assets
– Ensure that your infrastructure is up to the task
• Better outdated than outmanned
Types of Portals in Wholesale
• Focused on internal audience
– Employee portal
– Shareholder portal
• Focused on external audience
– Customer portal
– Supplier portal
– Partner portal
Employee Portals
• Help companies:
–
–
–
–
Reduce their cost of doing business
Boost workforce productivity
Deliver training when and where it is needed most
Deliver timely information and alerts to the desktop
• Types of functionality usually found:
– Email, calendar, and time/expense – all-in-one quick access via easy to
use interface
– HR self-service – easy access to up-to-date benefits and 401K details
– Company communications – reach those in the office and in the field
– Workflow management – including job tasks, alerts, and performance
metrics
– Virtual project team rooms – collaborate and share documents and
ideas more efficiently
Customer Portals
• Drive value creation by:
– Create more lucrative exchanges
– Allowing customers to feel more in control
– Helping companies attract loyal, repeat customers.
• Typical features:
– Account access – anytime, any day tracking and research
– Marketing campaigns – ideal vehicle for advertising and public
relations messaging
– Online customer service – provide interactive dialogue with
new/existing customers
– Order & payment processing – easy and quick transactions
boost customer loyalty
– Product/service offers – push out announcements, alerts, and
updates
Supplier Portals
• Work collaboratively with your suppliers to:
– Improve effectiveness despite complexity
– Improve supply chain integration through
• Supplier self-service
• Demand forecasting and planning
• Business event-triggered automated alerts
• Typical uses include:
– Collaborative initiatives – knowledge sharing through forums, web casts,
and net meetings
– Dynamic auctioning/bidding – shortens negotiations and time to market
– eProcurement & logistics support – resolving issues before or when they
occur
– Information & announcements – mutually accessible Business Intelligence
– Supplier performance metrics – is your supplier meeting or exceeding
expectations
Partner Portals
• Enhancing relationships with key partners
– Providing personalized interaction with partners
• Coordinating mutual marketing activities
• Integrating key elements of operational control
• Keeping both sides up to date on sales activities
• Key features usually found:
– Anytime, anywhere – multi-channel access to incorporate mobility
applications
– Central repository – unification technology for managing unstructured
information
– Collaboration forums – customized platforms and decision-support
systems for sharing intelligence
– Co-marketing programs – offers operational and market-facing
transparency
– Document collaboration – including product catalogs, sales collateral,
planning materials
Gartner’s View of the Portal Market
SharePoint is the Market Leader
Commerce vs. Content
Build vs. Buy??
Content is the Holy Grail
Top Actions to Insure Clean Data
Questions?