TABLE OF CONTENTS Not having a corporate portal will diminish your competitive edge. Time, more so than ever before, is a scarce and precious commodity for most people. Portals are one of the few and guaranteed ways that they can "buy" themselves some time within their busy schedules and allow them to better utilize other facets of their lives. Portals eliminate being put on hold by call centers. Portals obviate the need for office visits. Portals do, irrefutably, make people's lives easier.
People have realized that good corporate portals can simplify their lives. Doing business over the Internet is no longer a novelty or a scary experience. People are getting more and more used to relying on the Web to get things done. Consequently, if they had to choose between a company that offered a slick and helpful portal versus one that still expected you to deal with a call center for all your needs, most would opt for the convenience of the portal approach. That is why a good corporate portal is so vital for maintaining your competitive edge.
Credibility is the other thing that you can lose by not having a corporate portal. The loss of credibility could, in addition, be twofold. Your company, as a whole, could lose credibility within the industry and the market, with partners, suppliers, investors, and customers wondering why you don't have a portal when others of your ilk do. The loss of credibility could, however, also reflect on...
