Transforming Collaboration: Exploring the Advantages of a Digital Customer Portal in the EMS Industry

The magic of the Customer Portal is that our customers are suddenly doing the work of cleaning BOMs, which we had to do for them for free, and the best part is: they actually love it! Because they know it's their best way to reduce the back-and-forth and get a quotation faster. We had multiple customers telling us that the digital experience of the Customer Portal and the speed with which we managed to get them a quotation was the reason they decided to go with us. Higher win rates and less work. That's what introducing the Customer Portal meant to us.

The above is a paraphrased quote from a real Luminovo user (EMS provider) that introduced the Customer Portal to their OEM customers.

But let's take a step back: is your EMS business currently able to seamlessly process a high volume of requests for quotation fast, while at the same time effectively managing your customer relationship? If the answer is no, then, sit back and keep reading!

The wrong tools for the job

One of the many challenges of the EMS industry can be found in its tools. Suddenly you start realising that what worked just fine until yesterday, such as emails and spreadsheets, is now old and weighing you down, simply because it's no longer suitable to the needs of today.

With increasingly higher demands for electronic products, especially in the communications and automotive sectors, the EMS industry is set to grow by 28.5% by 2027 (Source: EMSNOW), and the key requirement for a business to be part of this growth is to embrace the digital revolution. 

Think about it: the way we work, no matter the sector, has changed a lot only in the last decade, right? This change has been primarily driven by the introduction of online applications, such as Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, Slack, you name it, that allow faster collaboration on shared work projects from wherever you are. Why wouldn't this tool shift apply to the EMS industry as well?

If you feel like the potential of your business is limited by slow manual processes, difficult communication with your clients, back and forth due to BOM errors or discussions about part alternatives, introducing new tools that foster automation and collaboration would certainly be of great benefit. 

We have already talked at length about what a modern quoting tool looks like for us. Add the functionalities of a customer portal to that, and you'll see the magic happen.

The advantages of a customer portal 

In a nutshell, the Luminovo Customer Portal is a collaborative, self-service tool for your customers. It allows them to log in to your portal – branded with your company's corporate identity –, upload their design, and request and receive a quotation.

But why should you use it?

1. Seamless digital experience
   Give your customers (and yourself!) the advantage of working directly on their RfQ by checking the availability and manufacturability of their designs themselves through your Portal. Reduced feedback loops and accelerated quotation speed will make your customers happy and your EMS company more competitive in the market.
   
   

2. Easier collaboration
   In the Customer Portal you can communicate and exchange information in real time with your customers via the note function to discuss a specific part, as well as get instant notifications and insights on part lifecycle, stock availability, and compliance from our internal database combined with IHS. Have everyone involved in the project on the same page and avoid surprises at any point.
    

3. Increased transparency
   With the history of changes in the BOM feature, you and your customer will always have  an audit trail of what has been done in the BOM (e.g. who added or approved which part) that prevents painful arguments over a mistake in the BOM. Clarity is at the base of a successful collaboration.
   
   

4. Enhanced safety
   Now, to the question that everyone has: is this portal safe? Yes! The Customer Portal encrypts all data in-transit and at-rest and is ISO 27001 certified. This means, everything you put in it is protected and secure. Imagine sharing information and files through unencrypted email…
   
   

5. Customisation options
   The cherry on top is that you can adapt the look-and-feel of the Customer Portal to your company's design, including your logo and own URL.

Watch this short video to get a more concrete idea of what the Luminovo Customer Portal looks like:

From series production to prototype webshop

The interesting thing about a modular software, like Luminovo, is that you can basically stack up different services together. For instance, if you are already using the Manufacturing Costing and Calculation modules, the Customer Portal can go as far as enabling instant quotations for your customers, all the way to order confirmations and payments. 

In the end, you can decide if the Customer Portal should be just a "BOM drop off"-zone or a full webshop. If you're going for the latter, here's a video that explains exactly what we mean:

Pioneering the new industry standard

The Customer Portal has led to higher win rates and faster quotation times for all the Luminovo customers that have introduced it. We have a strong conviction that this way of interfacing with your OEM customers will be the new standard in the EMS industry in a few years.

Would you like to be one of the early pioneers? If so, please reach out to support@luminovo.com, and we'll be happy to give you a detailed demo of how your very own customer portal can be tailored to your needs. Launching a new customer portal doesn't need to be a 3-month project: it can be done in a day!