Maintain cash flow with the ConnectWise Customer Portal

The world today looks very different from how it did at the start of 2020. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with employees working from home and businesses struggling to adapt, technology solution providers (TSPs) are being forced to reimagine their operations—and consider new strategies for maintaining cash flow within the new normal.

For instance, right now many TSPs are concerned about their clients’ ability to pay them. Furthermore, staying on top of invoicing (and ensuring accuracy and timeliness) is proving a challenge for a considerable number of TSPs. Here’s a closer look at the issue—and a powerful solution many TSPs are leveraging to stay profitable.

Billing challenges in times of crisis

If you’re like many TSPs, your business is built on a recurring revenue model. That means you can count on reliable, consistent incoming cash, month after month. But lately, economic challenges and logistical obstacles are making it difficult for some TSP clients to pay on time—if they can pay at all. Without this predictable source of income, many TSPs can find themselves struggling to meet their cash flow goals.

Another emerging challenge revolves around invoicing. Many TSPs find themselves backlogged with a pile of invoices to send. Without a solid system for managing billing, outgoing invoices can frequently accumulate errors and lack professional, helpful notes for clients. Invoices that are sloppy or late risk damaging the trust that you’ve built over time with your customers—and interfere with your processes.

Fortunately, there’s a simple solution for whipping remote billing operations into shape: The ConnectWise Customer Portal.

What is the ConnectWise Customer Portal?

The ConnectWise Customer Portal is your one-stop shop for interacting with clients—and helping clients interact with you. A big part of that is a better, more efficient billing process. Simply put, when you switch to the portal, you give customers a single, consolidated place where they interact with your business—streamlining communications, requests, and payment processes.

In addition, the ConnectWise Customer Portal offers benefits like customizability—which means it can be branded to look and feel like your company. This brings a sense of consistency to your operations, which builds trust in your clients: Wherever and however they interact with you, they know they can count on the same high-quality experience every time.

With the ability to submit a ticket, look up a ticket, look at a project, and make a payment, your customers can use the portal to stay organized, stay empowered, and stay connected. Not only does the portal make billing easier, it also makes projects more visible to both clients and to your team. With the ConnectWise Customer Portal, you can keep everyone on the same page, even as teams and clients are spread apart in this period of change.

How does it help you and your clients?

Clean, professional page design. Simple navigation. Broad connectivity. These are just some of the benefits offered by the Customer Portal. But what does all of this mean for your business and for your day-to-day operations?

Here are some of the new capabilities that you and your clients get when you log on to the Customer Portal:

• Allow customers to pay with greater ease. Clicking through the Customer Portal is much more convenient than writing and mailing a check. Simplifying payment processes helps to protect your company’s revenue, but it also makes paying less of a headache for your clients—improving their customer experience.
• Manage tickets on demand. With the Customer Portal, your customers can manage tickets on demand, making processes more convenient for them—and more efficient for you. With simplified operations, your team can spend less time answering logistical questions and more time doing what they do best: providing excellent technical service.
• Maintain accountability. The Customer Portal holds you and your clients accountable to the expectations you agree on at the beginning of your working relationship. “Especially in situations where there are requests to defer payments, we require the use of the customer portal for easy accountability,” said Peter Melby, CEO at Greystone Technology.
• Answer questions automatically. With greater project visibility, you can answer questions before customers even ask them by keeping everyone in the loop. With the ability to look up and check in open projects through the Customer Portal, your customers will be able to view the status of projects independently, meaning less update inquiries taking up your team’s time.
• Get paid faster. Say goodbye to your backlog of invoices and quotes, and say hello to portal invoicing. With this invoicing hub, your clients can effortlessly click through their payment options in a matter of moments—helping you to get paid more quickly.

The Customer Portal is an indispensable tool for maintaining cash flow during the new normal: gathering important information and streamlining crucial tasks in one place that you and your clients can access with ease. Not only that, but with a customizable domain, you can tailor the experience to reflect your brand—fostering even greater trust among your clients and creating additional long-term value for your business.

Learn more about how your business can thrive during this period of uncertainty by fine-tuning your operations—and explore insights on how to manage cash flow in the midst of any crisis.