Customer Self-Service Portal Integrated with ERP

Overview

A high-volume B2B distributor was processing the majority of orders via phone and email, placing significant load on internal sales and admin teams. Customers needed real-time visibility of stock, pricing, and account information — but the ERP was only accessible internally. We designed and built a customer self-service portal that connected directly to the ERP, allowing customers to place and manage orders independently while maintaining full commercial control.

The Challenge

The client needed to:

• Reduce order processing via phone and manual entry
• Expose live ERP data to customers safely
• Support complex stock scenarios: available stock, pre-order/incoming stock, stock already allocated to purchase orders
• Preserve account-specific pricing and credit rules
• Lower transaction costs associated with card payments
• At the same time, the solution had to integrate cleanly with a long-established ERP without destabilising core operations

The Solution

We built a React-based customer portal tightly integrated with the ERP, designed for scale and long-term stability.

• Self-checkout ordering with ERP-validated pricing
• Real-time stock checking, including free stock, incoming stock, and stock allocated to purchase orders
• Ability to pre-order stock before arrival
• Automatic ERP order creation with full audit trail
• Secure login and customer-specific access
• Order history with searchable line-level detail
• Downloadable price lists tied to ERP pricing rules
• Account statements and balance visibility
• Pay-by-bank integration, reducing reliance on card payments and lowering transaction fees
• Live stock and pricing feeds
• Order and allocation synchronisation
• Credit limits and account rules enforced at checkout
• No duplication of pricing or product logic outside the ERP

The Result

• Over £30 million in orders processed in 2025 through the portal
• Significant channel shift from phone to online, reducing manual order handling
• Substantial time savings for sales and admin teams
• Faster order placement for customers, including out-of-hours ordering
• Reduced payment processing costs through bank-based payments
• System running with minimal ongoing upkeep
• The portal became the primary ordering channel, freeing internal teams to focus on higher-value work rather than data entry