Posted on March 12, 2021
Online portals are among the most effective workplace tools for any business. A Web portal helps your employees work more efficiently in their daily routines. Before the pandemic, it was normal for people working in person to become overwhelmed by just how many paper files and email messages had to be addressed on any given day. A good Web portal will be designed responsively so that it can be used anywhere and accessed from any device. Keeping on top of the content stream is especially important for those working in government agencies, because federal and state documentation requirements are extremely complex and timely response time is critical.
A Web portal is also an excellent HR tool. It can be used to onboard employees and upload employee records, training materials, and other important content. An HR portal can also be used to post system notifications and other announcements and interact with team members virtually in real time. And as always, real time is worth real money. The fewer logins your employees need, the more time they have to complete their assignments.
When you’re creating an online portal, always include a way to answer employee questions in something close to real time. One way to do that is to set up a live chat function, in which a real person responds to questions the employee types in. The alternative is a chatbot, which asks preprogrammed questions and bases its (again, preprogrammed) replies on the person’s answers. For instance, some companies use chatbots instead of telephone calls to screen out job applicants who are not qualified for a given position. Here’s an example:
Chatbot: Do you live within 20 miles of Atlanta, Georgia? Please press the Yes or No button.
Applicant: [presses Yes button]
Chatbot: Great! You may be qualified for this job based on your location.
Chatbot: Do you have at least three years of experience in customer service? Please press the Yes or No button.
Applicant: [presses No button]
Chatbot: I’m sorry. This job requires applicants to have at least three years of experience in customer service. You are being disconnected from our system. Thank you for applying!
If your company decides to use a chatbot, it’s best to have a live chat responder as a backup to answer questions the chatbot is not programmed to answer.
When you’re creating a workplace portal, give employees the chance to connect with one another. Those connections will help foster team spirit and ideally build long-lasting relationships. Setting up user profiles is a good way to do this, especially if you include fields for personal interests along with a headshot and resume. Including a resume is helpful because skill sets are transferable across projects, even projects that haven’t yet been assigned.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed many weaknesses in American society. But it has also made business owners think about how to solve old problems—like inefficiency—in new ways. Web portals and other virtual solutions have been around since before the pandemic, but now they’ve become necessary rather than optional. And these online applications and portals are opening doors to the future of work.
Badie Designs specializes in creating design and marketing solutions that strengthen efficiency in the workplace. Contact us today for a consultation.