Documentation
Customer Management
Customer management in NettPortal allows you to create and manage customer accounts. Customers are users who can log into the customer portal to purchase vouchers, view their purchase history, and manage their internet access. This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about creating and managing customer accounts. Even if you're not technical, we'll explain everything in simple terms.
🎯 What is a Customer?
A customer in NettPortal is a user account that can access the customer portal. Think of it like any modern SaaS application—customers have their own dashboard where they can manage their account, purchase vouchers, view their purchase history, monitor their internet usage statistics, and access their active vouchers. Customers log in using their email or phone number and password, just like any other web application. Once logged in, they have full access to browse available voucher packages, purchase vouchers on-demand, view all their past purchases, and see their usage statistics in real-time.
What Can Customers Do?
Customers in NettPortal have access to the customer portal where they can:
🛒 Purchase Vouchers
Browse and buy voucher packages: Customers can view available voucher packages (time limits, data limits, pricing) and purchase them directly. When they purchase a package, a unique voucher is automatically generated and created on your router.
- Example: Customer sees "1 Day - 5GB Package" for
₵5.00(Ghana),₦5.00(Nigeria), or$5.00(US) and clicks "Buy Voucher" - Result: Voucher is created instantly, customer receives voucher code and password
📋 View Purchase History
See all their purchased vouchers: Customers can view a complete history of all vouchers they've purchased, including voucher codes, passwords, prices, status, and purchase dates. This helps them keep track of their internet access purchases.
- Information shown: Voucher code, password, price paid (e.g.,
₵5.00,₦5.00,$5.00), status, date and time of purchase - Benefit: Customers can easily find and reuse their vouchers
📊 View Dashboard Statistics
See usage statistics: Customers can view their dashboard with statistics like total vouchers purchased, active vouchers, today's data usage, and total data usage. This helps them understand their internet usage and manage their purchases.
- Statistics shown: Total vouchers, active vouchers, today's data usage, total data usage
- Benefit: Customers can monitor their internet usage and plan purchases accordingly
🔑 Access Active Vouchers
View and copy voucher credentials: Customers can see their active vouchers on the dashboard, including voucher codes and passwords. They can copy these credentials to use for connecting to your WiFi network.
- Features: View active voucher codes and passwords, copy credentials with one click
- Benefit: Easy access to WiFi login credentials without searching through emails
Creating Customers
There are two ways to create customer accounts in NettPortal:
📋 Method 1: Admin/Operator Creates Customers
You (as an admin or operator) can manually create customer accounts from the admin dashboard. Navigate to the Customers page and click Add Customer. This method is useful when you want to create accounts for specific customers, assign packages immediately, or send credentials directly via email.
🌐 Method 2: Customer Self-Registration
Customers can register themselves through the customer registration page at /[organization-slug]/portal/register. This page can be linked to your captive portal (WiFi login page), allowing customers to create accounts and purchase vouchers completely on their own—without any operator involvement. Once registered, customers are automatically logged in and can immediately browse and purchase voucher packages.
👨💼 Method 1: Admin/Operator Creates Customers
To manually create a customer account, navigate to the Customers page and click Add Customer. You can create customer accounts one at a time. Here's what you need to configure:
👤 Personal Information
- Full Name *: Customer's full name (e.g., "John Doe"). This is used for identification and display in the customer portal. Required—must be at least 2 characters.
- Email *: Customer's email address (e.g., "john.doe@example.com"). Required—customers will use this email to log into the customer portal. Must be a valid email format and unique within your organization.
- Phone Number (Optional): Customer's phone number (e.g., "540000000"). Optional—customers can also use their phone number to log into the customer portal. Enter the number without country code (the system uses your organization's country).
- Password *: Password for the customer portal account. Required—must be at least 6 characters long. Customers will use this password along with their email or phone number to log in.
💡 Tip: Use strong passwords for customer accounts. You can share the password securely with the customer, or send it via email using the "Send credentials via email" option.
📦 Package Assignment (Optional)
Assign a voucher package to the customer: When creating a customer, you can optionally assign a voucher package. If you assign a package, a voucher will be automatically created for the customer when you create their account. This is useful if you want to give customers a voucher immediately upon account creation.
- Select Package: Choose a package from the dropdown. Only active packages are shown.
- Automatic Voucher Creation: When you create the customer, a voucher is automatically generated from the selected package and assigned to the customer.
- Leave Empty: If you don't assign a package, the customer can purchase vouchers themselves later from the customer portal.
💡 Tip: You can create customers without assigning packages and let them purchase vouchers themselves, or assign packages during creation to give them immediate access.
📧 Send Credentials via Email
Automatically send login credentials: When you check "Send credentials via email", a welcome email is automatically sent to the customer's email address with their login credentials (email and password) and a link to the customer portal login page. The email uses your organization's branding (logo, theme color, name).
- Email Content: Organization name, customer name, login email, password, login URL
- Branding: Email uses your organization's logo, theme color, and name
- Footer: Email includes "Powered by NettPortal" with a link to NettPortal homepage
💡 Tip: Always send credentials via email when creating customer accounts—this ensures customers receive their login information securely and can access the customer portal immediately.
⚡ What Happens Automatically (Method 1)
When you create a customer account, NettPortal automatically generates a unique username from the customer's name (e.g., "john-doe-5432"), creates a User account with role customer, assigns the customer to your organization, and if a package is assigned, automatically creates a voucher from that package and assigns it to the customer. If you enabled "Send credentials via email", a welcome email is sent with login details.
🌐 Method 2: Customer Self-Registration
Customers can register themselves through the customer registration page. This is perfect for self-service scenarios where you want customers to create accounts and purchase vouchers without operator involvement. Here's how it works:
Registration Page URL
The customer registration page is available at: /[organization-slug]/portal/register
Example: If your organization slug is orbitell, your registration link would be:
https://nettportal.com/orbitell/portal/register- Or if you have a custom domain:
https://yourdomain.com/orbitell/portal/register
💡 Tip: We will link this registration page to your captive portal (WiFi login page) so customers can register directly when they connect to your WiFi network.
What Customers Fill Out
- Full Name *: Customer's full name (required)
- Email *: Email address for login (required)
- Phone Number *: Phone number (can also be used for login, no country code needed)
- Password *: Password for their account (minimum 6 characters)
- Confirm Password *: Confirm the password
- Terms and Conditions: Checkbox to agree to terms (required if your organization has enabled it)
What Happens After Registration
- Account Creation: A customer account is automatically created with the provided information
- Auto-Login: Customer is automatically logged in after successful registration
- Welcome Email: A welcome email is sent with login credentials and a link to the customer portal
- Dashboard Access: Customer is redirected to their dashboard where they can immediately browse and purchase voucher packages
- No Operator Action Needed: The entire process is automated—no operator involvement required
🎯 Captive Portal Integration
We will link the registration page to your captive portal (WiFi login page) so customers can register when they connect to your WiFi. When they try to access the internet, they'll see your branded login page with a "Register" link. After registration, they can purchase vouchers and get instant internet access—all without any operator involvement!
⚡ What Happens Automatically (Method 2)
When a customer registers themselves, NettPortal automatically generates a unique username from their name, creates a User account with role customer, assigns them to your organization, logs them in automatically, sends a welcome email with login credentials, and redirects them to their dashboard. They can immediately browse and purchase voucher packages—no operator action needed!
Customer Login
Customers can log into the customer portal using their email or phone number along with their password:
🔐 Login Methods
- Email Login: Customers can log in using their email address and password. This is the primary login method.
- Phone Login: Customers can also log in using their phone number (without country code) and password. The system automatically handles phone number variations (with or without leading zeros).
- Login URL: Customers access the portal at
/[organization-slug]/portal/login(where[organization-slug]is your organization's slug)
💡 Tip: Phone number login is convenient for customers who prefer not to use email. The system normalizes phone numbers automatically, so variations like "0540000000" and "540000000" both work.0
Managing Customers
Once you've created customers, you can view and manage them from the Customers page:
🔍 Viewing Customers
The Customers page shows all customer accounts with:
- Customer Name: Full name of the customer
- Email: Email address used for login
- Phone: Phone number (if provided)
- Username: Auto-generated username for the account
- Created: Date and time when the account was created
- Search: Search customers by name, email, or phone number
- View Mode: Switch between table view and card view
👁️ Viewing Customer Details
Click on a customer or use the "View" action to see detailed information about the customer, including their account information, purchase history, and active vouchers.
✏️ Editing Customers
You can edit customer accounts to update their name, email, phone number, or password. Changes to customer information don't affect their purchased vouchers or purchase history.
🗑️ Deleting Customers
You can delete customer accounts that are no longer needed. Deleting a customer account removes their access to the customer portal, but their purchased vouchers remain in the system for historical tracking. Only delete customer accounts when you're certain they're no longer needed.
Note: Deleted customers cannot log into the customer portal, but their voucher purchase history is preserved.
Customer vs. Direct Voucher Generation
Understanding when to use customer accounts versus direct voucher generation:
👥 Use Customer Accounts When:
- Customer Self-Service: You want customers to purchase vouchers themselves through the customer portal
- Recurring Customers: You have customers who purchase vouchers regularly and need a convenient way to manage their purchases
- Purchase History: You want customers to have access to their purchase history and active vouchers
- Account Management: You want customers to manage their own accounts and purchases
- E-commerce Integration: You want to sell vouchers online or integrate with payment systems
🎫 Use Direct Voucher Generation When:
- Batch Generation: You need to create hundreds or thousands of vouchers at once for events or bulk distribution
- Physical Distribution: You want to print vouchers on cards, stickers, or paper for physical handouts
- One-Time Events: You need vouchers for a specific event, conference, or temporary promotion
- Manual Distribution: You want to generate vouchers and distribute them manually (via email, SMS, or in-person)
- No Customer Portal: You don't need customers to purchase vouchers themselves
Use Case Examples
Here are some real-world examples of how customer accounts can be used:
☕ Coffee Shop WiFi
Scenario: A coffee shop wants to offer WiFi access packages to customers. They create customer accounts for regular customers.
- Setup: Create packages like "1 Hour - 500MB" (Free), "4 Hours - 2GB" ($2), "1 Day - 5GB" ($5)
- Customer Accounts: Create customer accounts for regular customers who visit frequently
- Result: Customers can log into the portal, purchase WiFi packages on-demand, and view their purchase history
🏨 Hotel Guest Internet
Scenario: A hotel wants to offer internet packages to guests. They create customer accounts at check-in.
- Setup: Create packages like "1 Day - 10GB" ($10), "3 Days - 30GB" ($25), "7 Days - 100GB" ($50)
- Customer Accounts: Create customer accounts for guests at check-in, optionally assign a package
- Result: Guests can purchase internet packages through the portal or use vouchers assigned during check-in
🏢 Co-working Space
Scenario: A co-working space offers daily, weekly, and monthly internet access plans to visitors.
- Setup: Create packages like "1 Day - Unlimited" ($15), "1 Week - Unlimited" ($75), "1 Month - Unlimited" ($250)
- Customer Accounts: Create customer accounts for visitors who want to purchase access plans
- Result: Visitors can purchase access plans online, get instant WiFi credentials, and start working immediately
Best Practices
Here are some tips for managing customer accounts effectively:
📧 Always Send Credentials via Email
- Enable "Send credentials via email" when creating customer accounts—this ensures customers receive their login information securely
- Customers receive a branded welcome email with their login credentials and a link to the customer portal
- This reduces support requests and helps customers get started quickly
📦 Package Assignment
- You can assign packages during customer creation to give them immediate access, or let them purchase vouchers themselves
- Assign packages when you want to give customers a voucher immediately (e.g., at check-in)
- Leave packages unassigned if you want customers to purchase vouchers themselves through the portal
🔐 Password Security
- Use strong passwords (at least 6 characters, mix of letters and numbers)
- Consider using auto-generated passwords and sharing them securely via email
- Never share passwords in plain text messages—always use email or secure channels
📞 Contact Information
- Keep customer contact information (email, phone) up to date—this is essential for support and account recovery
- Email addresses are required for login—always use valid, active email addresses
- Phone numbers are optional but useful for account recovery and support
🔍 Regular Maintenance
- Regularly review customer accounts—clean up accounts that are no longer needed
- Search for customers by name, email, or phone number to find them quickly
- Update customer information when they change their contact details
Next Steps
Now that you understand customer management:
- Create your first customer account using the Add Customer button on the Customers page
- Learn about Package Management to create voucher packages for customers to purchase
- Learn about Voucher Management for direct voucher generation