There is an apparent disconnect between expectations and reality when it comes to customer portals. Most customers prefer to solve problems independently and expect to find dedicated self-help sections on business websites. Our research indicates that over 77% of customers reported using a self-service portal in the past, with 60% looking for help on desktop computers, 38% on mobile devices, and 2% on tablets.
However, the reality is that very few businesses (10%) provide self-help tools like customer portals. Moreover, only 2% use forums to build online communities, and only 1% use multi-knowledge bases to serve customers in different languages.
In addition to very few businesses offering customer portal services, response times are slow. Our benchmark report indicates that 10% of customer queries submitted through the customer portal get answered within the first hour. 60% of questions are answered in the first 24 hours, and 90% in the first 48. The average time to first response is 6 hours, and the average handling time for a customer portal ticket is 2 to 3 days. After a ticket is resolved, it takes an average of 10 minutes to wrap up any related tasks.
Customer portals boast a 95% resolution rate and a 95% reply rate despite slow response times. They also have a high CSAT rating (92%), a +45 NPS rating, and a CES rating of 10, indicating that customers are generally satisfied with the service they receive.
In terms of ticket volume, our research indicates that on average, a customer portal receives five tickets per day, and has ten tickets in the backlog. In addition, 0.25 tickets are transferred before they are resolved, and 80% of customer portal tickets are submitted during working hours.
As for cost per ticket, customer portal queries are relatively cheap to answer, with the average cost per contact being $5.
Customers actively use self-service portals
#SelfServicePortals
#ConsumersReport
77%
of consumers report having used a self-service portal.
Microsoft
Devices used to access customer portals
#CustomerPortals
60%
of customers look for help on desktop computers,
38%
on mobile devices,
2%
on tablets.
LiveAgent
Companies with translated knowledge bases
#KnowledgeBases
Only 1%
of companies use multi-knowledge bases to serve customers in different languages.
LiveAgent
How many companies use forums
#Forums
2%
of companies use forums to build an online community.
LiveAgent
How many companies use a customer portal
#CustomerPortal
10%
of companies use customer portals.
LiveAgent
Customer portal resolution rates
#ResolutionRates
The resolution rate for customer portals is
95%
LiveAgent
Customer portal ticket handle time
#TicketHandleTime
The average handling time
for customer portal tickets
is between
2-3days.
LiveAgent
Customer portal post-resolution work time
#PortalWorkTime
#CustomerPortal
The average after-contact work time for customer portal tickets is
10 min
Tyche Softwares
Customer portal ticket transfers
#TicketTransfers
A customer portal ticket goes through an average of
0.25
transfers before it is resolved.
LiveAgent
Customer portal cost per contact
#CostPerContact
The average customer portal cost per contact is
$5
LiveAgent
Customer portal first response times
#ResponseTimes
For customer portals, the average time to first response is
6 hours
LiveAgent
Customer portal CSAT
#CSAT
The customer portal has a
92%
satisfaction rating (CSAT).
LiveAgent
Customer portal response time bands
#ResponseTimeBands
10%
of customer queries
submitted through
the customer portal get answered within the first hour, 60% in the first 24 hours,
and 90% in the first 48 hours.
LiveAgent
Customer portal NPS
#NPS
The average Net Promoter
Score (NPS) for customer
portals is
+45
LiveAgent
Customer portal CES
#CES
#CustomerPortal
The average Customer Effort Score (CES) for customer portals is
ten.
LiveAgent
Customer portal ticket backlog and predicted backlog
#TicketBacklog
The number of support tickets in the customer portal backlog is typically
four.
LiveAgent
Customer portal net tickets
#PortalNetTickets
The average number of net tickets from the customer portal is
5 per day
LiveAgent
Customer portal ticket volume by working hours
#CustomerPortals
80%
of tickets through the customer portals are submitted during working hours and around 20% after working hours.
LiveAgent
Customer portal ticket reply volume
#TicketReplyVolume
The average reply volume for customer portals is
95%
LiveAgent
Customer service statistics 
Call center statistics 
Help desk statistics 
Live chat statistics 
Knowledge base statistics 
Social media service statistics 