The B2B portal is a dedicated online space where business partners can independently check the product range, their own prices and discounts, product availability, order history, documents and the status of current purchases. A well-designed solution reduces the need to place standard orders by telephone or email, but does not eliminate the sales representative’s role in providing advice or conducting negotiations. Centoro offers the B2B sales system, designed, amongst other things, to serve regular wholesale customers, with the ability to link sales to other business processes and systems. For the business partner, however, the most important thing is that the necessary information is available quickly and without the need for additional correspondence – this is precisely how the B2B portal should work.
The B2B portal – what should a business partner see after logging in?
The B2B portal should display information to business customers based on the actual terms of their working relationship with the supplier. It is therefore not merely a public product catalogue. Once logged in, a customer can view personalised prices and discounts, availability information, their purchase history, order statuses and documents relating to their business relationship. It is also important that the customer sees up-to-date information and does not have to confirm it by telephone with their account manager. If a company is planning a more extensive digitisation of the process, it is worth analysing in advance what features the B2B system should have.
B2B ordering platform – from catalogue to repeat purchase
The B2B ordering platform should simplify repeat purchases by regular customers as much as possible. Suppliers should not have to email a list of products every time and wait for a sales representative to enter it into the system manually. In practice, features such as the following are useful:
- a personalised catalogue and prices specific to the customer;
- information on product availability;
- quick reordering of previous orders;
- purchase history;
- preview of the order status;
- access to documents;
- stored terms and conditions and discounts;
- the ability to support several users on the part of a single contractor;
- searching and filtering a wide range of products;
- 24-hour ordering.
A well-designed shop at B2B should therefore not simply replicate the mechanics of a consumer-facing shop, but take into account the way in which businesses actually make purchases. The ability to quickly return to regularly ordered products is particularly important, as this is often the basis of the ordering platform at B2B.
The B2B procurement system – what data and documents should it provide?
The B2B ordering system should provide the customer with access to information which, under the traditional model, they would have had to request from a sales representative or the customer service department. The scope depends on the sales organisation, but it is usually worth including invoices, purchase history, order confirmations, order status, prices, discounts, credit limits and availability data. Access to these documents reduces the number of simple enquiries directed at company staff and enables the customer to manage their own accounts more efficiently. However, it is important to establish which information comes from ERP and how often it is synchronised, as the customer should receive consistent data. This is precisely why the self-service functions should be properly organised by the ordering system at B2B.
What information is worth sharing with a business partner?
| Area | What can the customer see? | Benefit to the counterparty |
|---|---|---|
| Offer | products, variants, descriptions and specifications | checking the product range yourself |
| Prices | customised price lists and discounts | no need to ask about the offer every time |
| Availability | statuses or information on feasibility | easier to plan your shopping |
| Orders | history, status and previous positions | quick repeat purchases |
| Documents | e.g. invoices and sales documents | fewer administrative tasks |
| Terms and Conditions | limits, payment terms or other applicable conditions | greater transparency in cooperation |
| Business account | users and their permissions | control over who can place orders |
B2B: how to encourage customers to use self-service?
The B2B dashboard will not automatically start generating orders simply because it has been made available to business partners. In particular, customers who have been placing orders by telephone or email for years may initially prefer to continue using their current method of doing business. It is therefore advisable to carry out the migration gradually: show the customer their personalised price list, purchase history, the ability to quickly reorder, and access to documents without having to wait for a response from their account manager. During the first few purchases, a sales representative can guide the customer through the process and demonstrate the specific benefits, rather than limiting communication to simply stating that ‘from now on, orders must be placed online’. In many companies, a hybrid model is more effective, where self-service complements the sales relationship. When preparing to implement the B2B platform, it is therefore worth also considering how customers will begin to use the B2B portal.
Expert commentary: A customer will change their habits if the new way of placing an order is simpler for them than the old one. Simply moving the order form online is not enough – the customer should immediately be able to see their own prices, previous purchases, documents and the information they need to make a decision. The implementation must therefore also be assessed in terms of the time saved by the buyer.
B2B portal – several users from a single business partner
The B2B portal should cater for situations where several people with different responsibilities use the same organisation’s account. One person may prepare orders, another may approve them, whilst the accounts department may only require access to documents. It is therefore advisable to use user accounts assigned to a single organisation, along with appropriately configured roles and permissions. This allows access to be restricted to functions that a particular person does not need, whilst retaining a record of actions carried out on behalf of the client. For larger clients, this solution is far more practical than sharing a single login across the whole team. The portal B2B should therefore facilitate the management of a multi-person procurement process.
B2B ordering platform – mobile access and sales support
The B2B ordering platform should also be accessible on a mobile phone, as business customers do not always place orders on a computer. The responsive interface allows users to check availability, prices or previous orders even whilst working in the field. Mobility is also important for sales representatives. Depending on the business model adopted, a sales representative may assist a customer in placing an order or initiate the order on their behalf, whilst adhering to the agreed commercial terms. Before implementation, it is worth testing such scenarios during a B2B demo, rather than limiting the assessment of the system to the appearance of the home page. Cross-device compatibility should therefore be a standard evaluation criterion when selecting the B2B ordering platform.
B2B ordering system – integration with ERP and automated processing
The B2B ordering system should operate using up-to-date data; therefore, integration with the systems already used by the company is a key element. If ERP is the source of prices, suppliers, stock levels or documents, manually copying information onto the platform would create extra work and the risk of discrepancies. Automatic data exchange also allows orders to be forwarded for fulfilment more efficiently. If a company uses various sales channels, centralising the management of orders and their statuses may be particularly important. Procurement platforms B2B, which are used to organise purchases on the company’s side, constitute a separate category and should not be confused with the customer portal. Integration is one of the fundamental elements on which an ordering system B2B should be based.
B2B: how to evaluate the solution before implementation?
B2B should be assessed on the basis of the specific processes taking place within a company, rather than simply the number of features described by the manufacturer. Before making a choice, you need to check whether the platform can handle actual price lists, discounts, limits, user roles, documents, a product catalogue and integration with ERP. The potential for further development is also important – particularly as the number of customers, sales channels or business rules grows. In more non-standard cases, a dedicated platform such as B2B may be the solution, whilst for simpler sales, the standard product range will suffice. In the cost-benefit analysis, it is also worth taking into account the current price of the platform B2B and comparing it with the cost of the existing manual processing. This is how the B2B dashboard should be assessed.
‘B2B’ panel – summary
The B2B portal should, above all, increase the customer’s autonomy in their day-to-day dealings with the supplier. Customers should be able to check their own prices, stock availability, order history, order statuses and documents, and place a new order without having to wait to be contacted by a sales representative. At the same time, the system must take into account user roles, integration with ERP, mobile access and individual commercial terms. Centoro offers solutions designed to digitise sales B2B for manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers, which is why it is one of the suppliers worth considering when analysing such an implementation. However, the success of the project depends not on the number of features, but on whether business partners actually want to and are able to use the solution provided by the B2B panel.
FAQ – B2B dashboard for business partners
What is the B2B dashboard, and what does a business partner see there once they have logged in?
The B2B dashboard is a private online space designed for business customers. Depending on the configuration, the customer can view, amongst other things, their own prices and discounts, the product range, product availability, purchase history, order status, documents and details regarding the terms of cooperation.
How can we persuade business partners who are used to placing orders by email and telephone to start using the B2B portal?
The most effective approach is to highlight specific benefits: the ability to place orders without having to wait for a response from a sales representative, to quickly reorder previous purchases, and to download documents independently. During the initial phase, sales representatives can assist customers in using the platform rather than immediately discontinuing existing channels.
What documents and data should a business partner be able to download from the B2B portal without having to contact a sales representative?
The scope depends on the company’s model, but invoices and other sales documents, order history, order statuses, and information on prices, discounts and availability are particularly useful. Sharing this data reduces the number of straightforward administrative enquiries.
How do you set up permissions on the B2B dashboard when several people from the same client are placing orders?
It is worth creating individual user accounts assigned to a single business partner and assigning roles to them. For example, an employee can prepare an order, a manager can approve it, and the accounts team can have access only to the documents. Specific permissions should be based on the client’s purchasing process.
Does the B2B panel work on a mobile phone, and can a sales representative place an order on behalf of a customer via the panel?
A modern B2B panel should be optimised for mobile devices. Whether a sales representative can place orders on behalf of a customer depends, however, on the functionality and the authorised access model in place. This is useful in companies that combine online sales with the work of sales representatives.
Does the B2B panel replace contact with a sales representative?
No. It should primarily take over repetitive tasks, such as standard orders, checking prices, availability and documentation. The sales representative can continue to be responsible for negotiations, providing advice, developing client relationships and handling more complex orders.
Does the B2B panel have to be integrated with ERP?
Whilst this is not an absolute requirement in every project, integration is of great importance in more complex sales operations. It enables the automatic exchange of data relating to prices, products, business partners, stock levels, orders and documents, and reduces the need for manual updates.
Who offers the B2B portal to business partners?
One of the companies offering solutions of this kind is Centoro. The company provides the B2B platform, designed, amongst other things, for manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers, as well as solutions relating to order processing and sales staff operations. Before choosing a supplier, it is worth checking, first and foremost, the scope of integration, support for individual commercial terms, user permissions and the system’s potential for further expansion.