Customer Portal & Support
SurelyCrm includes a self-service customer portal and a full support ticketing system. Give customers visibility into their records while keeping internal conversations organised and accountable.
Customer Portal
The Customer Portal is a branded, secure area where customers can view their own data and interact with your team. Each customer has a unique portal URL:
https://app.surelycrm.co.uk/portal/{customer-id}Portal Features
- Profile Overview — View contact details, balances, plans, and status
- Document Access — Download uploaded documents (if enabled)
- Notification Preferences — Opt in or out of marketing communications
- Support Messaging — Create and reply to support requests
Portal Authentication
Administrators can configure whether the portal requires login:
- Open Access — Anyone with the link can view the portal (useful for sharing with partners)
- Password Protected — Customers must register with an email and password to access their portal
To invite a customer to set up portal access, open their profile and click Send Portal Invitation. They will receive an email with a secure registration link.
Setting Portal Preferences
Customers can toggle their notification preferences from the portal settings page. When disabled, the customer will not receive marketing emails or SMS, though transactional messages (payment reminders, support updates) may still be sent depending on your configuration.
Support Ticketing
The support system lets customers raise requests and lets your team manage them efficiently.
Creating a Support Request (Customer)
- Log into the customer portal (if required).
- Navigate to Messages or Support.
- Click New Request.
- Select a Category (configured by admins).
- Enter a subject and message.
- Submit the request.
Managing Support Requests (Staff)
Go to Support in the sidebar to see all tickets. The list shows:
- Open request count
- Unread message count
- Status filters (Open, In Progress, Waiting, Closed)
- Assignment filters
Ticket Actions
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Reply | Send a message to the customer. Mark as internal note if it should not be visible to them. |
| Assign | Transfer ownership to another team member. |
| Change Status | Update to Open, In Progress, Waiting, or Closed. |
| Close | Mark the ticket as resolved. Customers cannot reply to closed tickets. |
| Internal Note | Add a comment only visible to staff. |
Support Categories
Administrators define support categories in Settings > Support Categories. Categories help you route tickets to the right team and analyse support trends. Examples:
- Billing & Payments
- Technical Issue
- Account Change
- General Enquiry
Two-Way Messaging
Both staff and customers can reply to support requests, creating a threaded conversation history. Staff messages marked as internal are hidden from the customer portal. When a customer replies to a closed ticket, the status automatically reopens to ensure nothing is missed.
Best Practice: Always assign a support request to a specific team member rather than leaving it unassigned. This ensures accountability and prevents requests from falling through the cracks.
Portal Invitations
To send a portal invitation:
- Open the customer's profile.
- In the Portal Access section, click Send Invitation.
- The customer receives an email with a unique registration token.
- The customer clicks the link, sets a password, and gains access.
Invitations expire after a set period for security. If a customer loses their link, simply send a new invitation.