User portal functionality

What this guide covers#

The user portal combines self-service documentation with a ticket submission path. It is designed for customers who need an answer, not for agents working in the Letterbook inbox.

Searchable knowledge base#

Customers can search the published knowledge base from the portal. Search works best when article titles and headings use the same words customers use in support requests.

For example, if customers ask about "refunds," "canceling," or "changing plans," those phrases should appear in the relevant article titles or sections.

Search quality depends on the content you publish. Write direct titles, use customer language, and keep one problem per article so search results are specific.

The portal only uses customer-facing external knowledge. Keep agent-only procedures, escalation rules, and private policy details in internal knowledge. For source modes and publishing details, see External knowledge base. For audience boundaries, see Internal vs external knowledge.

Article browsing#

The portal organizes published content into categories and articles. Use categories to group related topics, such as billing, account settings, troubleshooting, or getting started.

Keep articles focused on one customer problem at a time. Short, specific articles are easier for customers to scan and easier for your team to maintain.

Recommended categories for an early portal:

• Getting started
• Billing and subscriptions
• Account settings
• Troubleshooting
• Integrations
• Contact support

Ticket submission#

Customers can submit a support request from the portal. Submitted tickets create conversations in Letterbook so your team can triage, assign, and reply from the inbox.

Use ticket submission for questions that cannot be answered with a public article, such as account-specific billing, login issues, or requests that require a teammate to review customer context.

Before launch, submit a test ticket and confirm it includes the customer email, subject, message, portal source, and any metadata your team needs for triage.

If customers enter the portal from a logged-in part of your product, use signed portal links so Letterbook can verify and store your app's user ID with the submitted ticket. See Authenticated ticket form submissions.

Customer experience flow#

A good portal flow should let customers:

1. Search for the issue in their own words.
2. Open a focused article with a direct answer.
3. Submit a ticket if the article does not solve the issue.
4. Receive a reply from your support address or configured channel.

Avoid publishing broad articles that answer too many unrelated questions. They make search worse and make it harder for customers to know whether they should submit a ticket.

Branding#

The portal can reflect your company brand. Configure the visible portal name, logo, and brand colors so customers recognize it as part of your product experience.

Check branding on desktop and mobile. The portal should look like a supported part of your product, not a separate vendor destination.

Custom domain support#

You can host the portal at a custom domain, such as help.company.com or support.company.com. For setup details, see Host the user portal on a custom domain.