The verdict in three sentences
A customer portal extranet for an industrial SMB in Lombardy costs EUR 30,000 to 80,000 in 2026 (USD 32,500 to 87,000), with a 3 to 5-month timeline. Connected to the ERP, it absorbs 40 to 60% of calls about order status, duplicate invoices and technical documents. For a sales administration team taking 300 calls a month, that frees 0.5 to 1 FTE, with payback in 18 to 30 months.
What the portal must do, and what can wait
The sales administration manager of a 50 to 250-person manufacturer knows the reasons for calls by heart: "where is my order?", "can you resend the March invoice?", "do you have the data sheet or material certificate?". These requests often make up 60 to 75% of inbound volume. A useful portal starts by handling these three cases, before any flashy feature.
| Feature | Priority | Share of calls absorbed | Indicative 2026 cost (EUR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Order and delivery tracking | Essential | 25 to 35% | 6,000 to 15,000 |
| Downloadable invoices, credit notes, statements | Essential | 15 to 20% | 3,000 to 8,000 |
| Technical documents (sheets, certificates, drawings) | Essential | 10 to 15% | 3,000 to 7,000 |
| Online after-sales and claims with tracking | Recommended | 5 to 10% | 5,000 to 12,000 |
| Online ordering and reorders | Optional | Variable | 8,000 to 20,000 |
| Customer-specific prices and availability | Optional | 3 to 5% | 4,000 to 10,000 |
| Multiple users per customer account with rights | Recommended | Indirect | 2,000 to 5,000 |
Full budget and timeline
The ERP connection (Sage, TeamSystem, Zucchetti, SAP Business One) is the most uncertain item. A documented API costs two to three times less than a legacy ERP that must be read through scheduled exports.
| Work package | 2026 range (EUR) | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping, sales admin and after-sales workshops | 3,000 to 6,000 | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Portal UX/UI (desktop and mobile) | 4,000 to 9,000 | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Web application development | 12,000 to 35,000 | 6 to 10 weeks |
| ERP connector (API or middleware) | 6,000 to 20,000 | 4 to 8 weeks, in parallel |
| Security, SSO, GDPR, load testing | 2,000 to 6,000 | 1 to 2 weeks |
| QA and phased rollout | 3,000 to 4,000 | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Hosting and maintenance | 300 to 900 per month | Recurring |
A phased rollout is essential: open the portal first to the 20 customers who call most, measure, fix, then extend. Those 20 accounts often generate half of all calls.
Calculating ROI before signing
The maths is simple once time is measured. A tracking call lasts 4 to 7 minutes on average, ERP lookup included, and a duplicate invoice takes 3 to 5 minutes. At 300 calls a month and 6 minutes each, that is 30 hours a month, not counting emails, which are often twice as many.
| Indicator | Before portal | After 6 months |
|---|---|---|
| Sales admin calls and emails per month | 300 calls + 500 emails | 140 calls + 220 emails |
| Sales admin time spent | 1.6 FTE | 0.8 FTE |
| Response time for a duplicate invoice | 4 to 24 h | Instant |
| Adoption among active customers | 0% | 55 to 70% |
| Customer satisfaction (survey) | 7.1/10 | 8.2/10 average observed |
Mini case study
Marco, sales administration manager at a mechanical parts maker near Milan (120 staff), runs a team of 3 assistants. He measures 310 calls and 520 emails a month, about 1.6 FTE. He launches a EUR 52,000 portal with order tracking, invoices, material certificates and after-sales, connected to Sage.
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After 6 months, 62% of active customers use the portal and the workload falls to 0.8 FTE. At EUR 48,000 fully loaded per FTE, the gain is 0.8 x 48,000 = EUR 38,400 a year. With EUR 7,200 annual maintenance, the net gain is EUR 31,200: the portal pays for itself in 20 months, and the freed assistant now follows up on quotes.
FAQ
Does the portal have to be connected to the ERP?
For order tracking, yes, otherwise data is never up to date. A sync every 15 minutes is enough in 90% of cases and costs less than real time.
Do industrial customers really use a portal?
Yes if access is simple: adoption reaches 55 to 70% within 6 months with onboarding support. It caps at 20% without communication or sales follow-up.
What does an off-the-shelf portal cost?
SaaS offers start around EUR 300 to 1,500 a month, plus EUR 10,000 to 30,000 for integration. They fit standard processes, less so specific technical documents.
How is access secured?
Strong authentication, per-user rights and an access log are the baseline. Allow EUR 2,000 to 6,000 for security, GDPR included.
Can we start small?
Yes, a V1 limited to order tracking and invoices costs EUR 25,000 to 35,000 in 10 to 12 weeks. It already handles 40 to 50% of calls.
Let's scope your project. Send us your call volume, your ERP and your three main contact reasons, and we will price the scope, budget and expected ROI 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.
