The verdict in three sentences
For a manufacturer with 50 to 400 employees in Birmingham or Toronto, a custom B2B customer portal connected to the ERP costs EUR 35,000 to 70,000 (about USD 38,000 to 76,000) and ships in 3 to 5 months. It pays off as soon as it absorbs 40% of order tracking calls, the equivalent of half to one full order desk seat at EUR 45,000 fully loaded. The ERP's native portal remains relevant if your customers only need order status and invoices, without production status or claims handling.
What "where is my order" really costs
Before costing a portal, measure the cost of the current setup. In a mid-sized plant, the order desk spends 4 to 6 minutes per tracking request on average: searching the ERP, calling the shop floor, re-sending a delivery note or material certificate by e-mail.
| Order desk metric (2026 order of magnitude) | 80-employee plant | 300-employee company |
|---|---|---|
| Tracking requests per day | 60 | 120 |
| Average time per request | 5 min | 5 min |
| Order desk hours lost per year (220 days) | 1,100 h | 2,200 h |
| Fully loaded cost of an order desk seat | EUR 45,000 | EUR 45,000 |
| Full-time equivalent consumed | 0.7 FTE | 1.4 FTE |
| Annual cost of manual tracking | EUR 31,500 | EUR 63,000 |
| Gain at 40% of calls absorbed | EUR 12,600 per year | EUR 25,200 per year |
On top of this direct gain come less visible effects: fewer disputes about lead times, easier payment reminders (the invoice is already in the portal) and an order desk that refocuses on order entry and margin.
Native ERP portal, custom build or status quo: the comparison
| Criterion | Native ERP portal | Connected custom portal | Status quo (order desk only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | EUR 15,000 to 40,000 in licences and setup | EUR 35,000 to 70,000 | EUR 0 |
| Annual cost | EUR 3,000 to 9,000 licence maintenance | EUR 4,000 to 8,000 support and hosting | EUR 31,500 to 63,000 of order desk time |
| Production status (work orders, shop floor) | Rarely, depends on module | Yes, read from the ERP or MES | By phone |
| Documents (delivery notes, invoices, certificates) | Usually invoices and delivery notes | All, including material certificates and test reports | By e-mail on request |
| Claims and returns | No or basic | Form, photos, ticket tracking | Untracked e-mail |
| Mobile UX and brand image | Vendor standard | Your branding, designed for your customers | Not applicable |
| Time to go live | 2 to 4 months | 3 to 5 months | Immediate |
The native portal suits simple catalogues. A custom build is justified as soon as your customers expect a reliable delivery date coming from the shop floor, downloadable compliance certificates or a structured claims process, three points that standard modules cover poorly.
What goes into a EUR 35,000, 50,000 or 70,000 portal
| Functional scope | Core EUR 35,000 | Standard EUR 50,000 | Complete EUR 70,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-user customer accounts and permissions | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Order list and ERP status | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Production status per line | No | Yes | Yes, with recalculated forecast date |
| Delivery notes, invoices, certificates | Delivery notes and invoices | All documents | All, searchable by batch or serial number |
| Claims with attachments | No | Yes | Yes, with quality workflow and 8D |
| E-mail notifications (shipping, delay) | Shipping | Shipping and delay | Configurable per customer |
| ERP connector (Sage X3, SAP B1, Dynamics, Epicor) | Nightly read | Hourly sync | Real time via API |
The most variable item is the ERP connector: EUR 8,000 to 25,000 depending on the quality of the available API. An ERP without a clean API requires an intermediate database fed by scheduled exports, slower but reliable.
Mini case study
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Nathalie, supply chain director at a 140-employee machined parts manufacturer near Birmingham, counts 85 tracking calls per day. At 5 minutes per call, the order desk spends 1,560 hours a year on them, i.e. 0.95 FTE or EUR 42,750. She chooses a standard portal at EUR 52,000 with shop floor status and material certificates, plus EUR 6,000 a year of support. Six months after launch, 44% of requests go through the portal: a gain of EUR 18,800 per year. Payback takes just over 4 years on order desk time alone, net of support costs, and in under 2 years and 6 months when the avoided lead time disputes (about EUR 9,000 a year) are counted.
FAQ
How long does it take to launch a B2B customer portal?
Allow 3 to 5 months: 3 to 4 weeks of scoping and ERP audit, 8 to 12 weeks of development, then 3 to 4 weeks of pilot with 5 to 10 customers. The pilot is essential to make production statuses reliable.
Will our customers actually use it?
Adoption usually exceeds 50% of active accounts within 6 months if the order desk systematically redirects to the portal and shipping notifications link to it. Without that discipline, it plateaus around 20%.
Do we need to change ERP to get a portal?
No. The portal reads data from the existing ERP via API or scheduled export, for EUR 8,000 to 25,000 of connector work. Changing ERP for this reason alone would cost 10 times more.
Where is the data hosted?
In the EU, the UK or Canada depending on your customers, for EUR 150 to 400 per month. Access is encrypted and each customer only sees its own orders.
Can we start small?
Yes, a EUR 35,000 core (orders, delivery notes, invoices) can ship in 10 weeks, then be extended with shop floor status and claims in phase 2.
Let's scope your project. Send us your daily order desk call volume, your ERP and the documents to expose: we will cost a portal between EUR 35,000 and 70,000 with a 3 to 5 month plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
