180 lines
9.0 KiB
Markdown
180 lines
9.0 KiB
Markdown
# Customer Portal — Simple Overview (Non‑Technical)
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Use these slide-ready bullets to explain, in plain language, how our portal works with Salesforce and WHMCS.
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## 1) What The Portal Does
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- Purpose: One place for customers to browse plans, place orders, and view/pay bills.
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- Connects two company systems: Salesforce (service control) and WHMCS (billing).
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- Goal: Smooth experience for customers, clear control and visibility for our team.
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## 2) The Two Systems We Connect
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- Salesforce: Our “control center” for products and orders. Staff review and approve here.
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- WHMCS: Our “billing system” for invoices, payment methods, and subscriptions.
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- The Portal: The “bridge” customers use. It talks to both safely in the background.
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## 3) How It Fits Together (Big Picture)
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- Customer uses the Portal → chooses products → places an order.
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- Portal creates the order in Salesforce for review/approval.
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- After approval, the Portal provisions the order in WHMCS.
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- WHMCS then holds the subscription and generates the invoices customers can pay.
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## 4) Catalog (What Customers Can Buy)
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- We show the catalog from Salesforce so prices and products are consistent.
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- Products are organized (e.g., Internet, SIM, VPN) with clear names and monthly/one‑time fees.
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- The Portal only shows what’s approved for online sale.
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## 5) Customer Journey (At a Glance)
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1. Sign up and link your account.
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2. Add a payment method (credit card or gateway) — one‑time step.
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3. Browse the catalog and select a plan.
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4. Place an order (Portal sends it to Salesforce).
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5. Staff reviews/approves in Salesforce, and the Portal activates it in WHMCS.
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6. Customer sees subscriptions and invoices in the Portal and pays securely.
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## 5a) Sign Up & Account Linking (Plain English)
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- What we ask for: email, password, name, and your Customer Number (Salesforce number) — this lets us find your existing account.
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- What happens: we create a billing profile in WHMCS and securely link three IDs together behind the scenes:
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- Portal user ↔ WHMCS client ↔ Salesforce account.
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- Why this matters: from then on, the Portal always shows the right invoices, payment methods, and subscriptions for that customer.
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## 5b) Address — Where It Lives and How We Use It
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- Required at signup: we capture a full billing address and store it in WHMCS (our billing source of truth).
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- Always available: the Portal pulls your current address from WHMCS so checkout is smooth.
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- Snapshotted on every order: we copy the current address into the Salesforce order so staff can review what was used at the time.
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- Internet orders: we ask you to explicitly confirm the installation address (technician visit). If you change it, we mark the order “address changed” for staff visibility.
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- Updates later: when customers update address in the Portal, we sync it to WHMCS so billing and future orders are correct.
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## 5c) Payment Methods — Why We Require One First
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- Fewer failures: we only allow ordering after a payment method is on file.
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- How customers add it: the Portal opens WHMCS’s secure payment page (single sign‑on); cards are stored by WHMCS, not by the Portal.
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- Provisioning also checks: even after approval, we re‑check payment to avoid failed activations.
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## 6) Ordering Flow (Simple)
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- Before ordering, the Portal checks: “Do you have a saved payment method?”
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- The Portal sends your chosen items to Salesforce as an order for review.
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- After approval, the Portal creates the service in WHMCS and finishes activation.
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## 6a) Business Rules We Enforce (Simple)
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- Internet: must include a service plan; installation options are clearly shown; we prevent duplicate active Internet services for the same account.
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- SIM: must include a SIM plan and a one‑time activation fee; optional add‑ons (e.g., voicemail) can be added; for number transfer (MNP), we collect the reservation details.
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- VPN: must include the VPN activation fee; regions/options are chosen up front.
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- Product validity: only products that are approved and priced are allowed to be ordered.
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## 7) Billing & Payments (Simple)
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- Invoices: Created by WHMCS and shown in the Portal.
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- Payment: The Portal opens a secure payment page (SSO) directly in WHMCS.
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- Subscriptions: Ongoing services (e.g., monthly plans) displayed in the Portal.
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## 8) Built‑In Safeguards (What We Check Automatically)
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- Payment method required: prevents failed activations and billing issues.
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- Product validity: only approved, priced items can be ordered.
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- Duplicate protection: e.g., avoids ordering a second Internet line by mistake.
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- Status tracking: Salesforce and WHMCS stay in sync (Created → Activating → Activated).
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## 8a) Behind the Scenes (Safe & Repeatable)
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- Approvals: staff review orders in Salesforce; on approval, the Portal activates the order in WHMCS.
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- Single sign‑on (SSO): the Portal uses expiring links to WHMCS for invoices and payments; we don’t handle card numbers directly.
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- Clear errors: if something blocks activation (e.g., missing payment method), we pause and show a short, human‑readable note to staff and a clear status to the customer.
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## 9) If Something Goes Wrong
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- The order is paused with a clear status (e.g., “Awaiting payment method”).
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- Staff sees a short error code and message in Salesforce to resolve quickly.
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- Customers keep seeing clear status updates in the Portal.
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## 10) Why This Is Better
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- For customers: Clear catalog, simple checkout, easy invoice payments.
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- For staff: Single review step in Salesforce, automated activation, fewer manual tasks.
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- For the business: Consistent pricing, faster time‑to‑activate, fewer errors.
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---
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# Suggested Slide Deck (Titles + Bullets + Notes)
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1. Title — “Customer Portal: How It Works”
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- Bullets: One place to buy, manage, and pay.
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- Notes: We connect Salesforce (control) and WHMCS (billing).
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2. The Systems
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- Bullets: Salesforce = control; WHMCS = billing; Portal = bridge.
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- Notes: Keep the mental model: control center vs. billing system.
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3. Big Picture Flow
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- Bullets: Choose → Order in Salesforce → Approve → Activate in WHMCS → Pay.
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- Notes: Emphasize approvals happen in Salesforce; invoices in WHMCS.
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4. The Catalog
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- Bullets: Products come from Salesforce; only approved offers appear.
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- Notes: Ensures one source of truth for products and prices.
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5. Customer Journey
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- Bullets: Sign up → Add payment → Choose plan → Order → Approve → Activate → Pay.
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- Notes: This is what a typical customer sees end‑to‑end.
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6. Ordering Checks
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- Bullets: Payment method required; valid items only; no duplicates.
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- Notes: Prevents surprises and support tickets later.
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7. Billing & Payments
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- Bullets: Invoices from WHMCS; pay via secure SSO; subscriptions visible.
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- Notes: We never store card numbers in the Portal.
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8. Status & Errors
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- Bullets: Clear statuses; short error messages for staff.
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- Notes: Faster turnaround and fewer escalations.
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9. Benefits
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- Bullets: Better customer experience; less manual work; consistent pricing.
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- Notes: Close with impact on activation time and error reduction.
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10. Q&A
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- Bullets: —
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- Notes: Keep backup slides with examples/screenshots.
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---
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Tip: Pair these slides with a simple swimlane diagram (Customer, Portal, Salesforce, WHMCS) showing the hand‑offs at order and activation.
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---
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## 11) Migration (Moving Existing WHMCS Users Into the Portal)
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Goal: Let existing customers with WHMCS billing accounts start using the new Portal without losing history.
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How it works (plain English):
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- Check your email: if you already have a WHMCS billing account, choose “Link account”.
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- One-time check: enter your current WHMCS password once. We only verify it directly with WHMCS to prove ownership — we don’t copy it.
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- Auto‑linking: we read your Customer Number from WHMCS and find the matching Salesforce account. Then we create your Portal account and link all three IDs.
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- Set a new Portal password: we ask you to create a new password for the Portal (your WHMCS password stays in WHMCS).
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- After that: log in with your new Portal password; continue to manage payment methods and invoices via secure SSO into WHMCS.
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Why setting a NEW Portal password is better than reusing the old one:
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- Separation of risk: WHMCS and the Portal are different systems. Separate passwords reduce the blast radius if one is compromised.
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- Stronger policy & protections: the Portal enforces modern hashing, lockouts, and audit logs tailored to our app. We don’t control WHMCS’s password rules.
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- Least privilege: the Portal never stores or proxies your WHMCS password. We only validate it once during linking, then discard it.
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- Future flexibility: lets us improve Portal security (e.g., MFA, rotation rules) without affecting WHMCS.
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- Clear SSO flow: customers use the Portal to reach WHMCS billing pages securely without sharing credentials.
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Simple talking points for the migration slide:
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- “Link your existing billing account by confirming your current password once.”
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- “Create a new Portal password — safer, independent, and future‑proof.”
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- “Nothing is lost — subscriptions and invoices automatically appear once linked.”
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