Do you need a Partner Portal if you’re already using OneDrive to share material with partners and distributors? It depends: if you’re ok with managing a lot of permissions, working without a robust version control and lacking analytics, it might be enough. That said, a Partner Portal can help you gain full control of your material, track where it’s used and give partners and distributors an easy experience that translates to sales results. Here’s everything you need to know to make the right choice for you.
So, you’re using OneDrive to share material with partners or distributors? It probably works ok: after all, OneDrive is a robust content repository that allows you to share material when needed. That said, OneDrive is best used internally, within your own organization, and you may stumble upon some challenges when sharing material externally. Challenges that include the ones listed below.
OneDrive challenges when sharing material with partners
- Managing a ton of access rights: If you’re sharing material with partners via OneDrive, you probably have a ton of guest accesses to manage. This poses a potential content-security risk, as said guest accesses can get messy – fast. Partners may get access to material they shouldn’t have access to, or may even maintain their access after it should have been revoked. On top of that, new partners or distributors may have to wait to gain access, which can prolong their onboarding, halt their sales momentum and have them lose engagement.
- A navigation that takes time: Sharing individual files – or gigantic folders – can make it difficult for partners or distributors to find what they’re looking for at the moment when they need it the most. This might cause them to lose engagement and sales momentum, or even put a competitor’s products first.
- Analytics that leave something to be desired: You may be able to get some basic data from OneDrive, but you’ll struggle to see exactly who uses what material, who shares what with whom – and what actually happens to it after it’s shared. This can make it super-challenging to maintain a consistent product message and make decisions that are based on data, as you may not be able to tell what material is popular and what partners are actually engaging with it.
- Version-control limitations: While OneDrive can let you update material to a new version, it can be challenging to make sure that your new version is actually used – and notify all partners or distributors when new versions come out.
A Partner Portal vs OneDrive: How can a partner portal solve these challenges?
Partner portals can generally solve a number of these problems – and our own, SP_CE Partner Portal can solve them all. This, by giving you:
- Dedicated portals for each partner or distributor, where you can quickly give or revoke access and see exactly who can enter your portals and access your material.
- Customized content repositories for each partner or distributor. Easily fill your portals with the material they need and make content navigation a breeze.
- Total tracking and analytics that let you see who uses what material, how it’s shared and who ends up with it.
- A robust version control that lets you update material in one place and have it be reflected for ALL partners, distributors and end customers. I.e. your product message can be kept secure, you can feel safe knowing that everyone knows the moment a new version is out – and even control that the right version is used.
Curious to learn more? Contact us today to see how SP_CE works in action, or read more in our Partner Portal FAQ
