Many businesses have become very technology-dependent over the past decade or so. Every business owner wants to streamline their operations and reduce friction and backlogs as much as possible.
For instance, people no longer have to make long queues at the bank to receive service. For the most part, long customer service wait times have been replaced with social media business accounts that respond instantly.
All in all, businesses understand that customizing how customers interact and engage with them to provide for a smooth, frictionless experience is integral to retaining new and existing customers.
One way business owners are trying to achieve this goal is by implementing a captive portal. Learn more about captive portals and how to install one.
What Is a Captive Portal
If you have used a wired or WiFi network inside a hotel, restaurant, or university, then the chances are high that you must have logged into a captive portal.
A captive portal is a splash or landing page that users interact with before gaining access to the network. Think of the portal as a gatekeeper for your network because it manages and controls user access to the network.
For business owners, captive portal software is a tool they can use to upgrade how their businesses interact with their customers.
Here’s a list of reasons why businesses should leverage captive portals today.
1. Collect Data To Help Understand Customers
Captive portals allow businesses to collect customer information that can prove vital depending on how the business uses the data.
For instance, you can track your customers’ online activity and know what sites they visit the most, including how much time they spend on these sites. This insight will guide your marketing strategy in that you will know what sites to advertise on and what ad types to use.
Moreover, you can also gain more insight into your customers’ demographics, such as name, age, and gender.
2. Protection Against Hackers
As a business owner, you must have worked hard to get your business to its current level. However, you must work even harder to protect your business.
Most businesses make the mistake of providing customers access to the same network the staff uses to handle business operations. Unfortunately, this makes the company highly susceptible to malicious attacks from hackers and cybercriminals.
A captive portal on a separate network will give you the assurance that the internet activity of your customers will in no way compromise the network used by the business.
3. Help Avoid Lawsuits
Captive portals often include an Accepted Usage Policy (AUP) that outlines the conditions the network user must consent to before they are allowed access to the network. The AUP will relieve your business of any liability if the user perpetrates or becomes the victim of illegal activity while using your network.
The Bottom Line
When you have something people want, you need to control who can gain access. Office buildings have elevators, subways have turnstiles, islands have boats or ferries, and WiFi networks have captive portals.
If your business provides customers with WiFi access but is not using captive portals, you are missing out on an excellent opportunity to interact with your customers and increase your revenue.
Also Read:- The Impact Of Digital Marketing On Your Business Growth