Developing a Global Self-Service Client Portal
Overview: As a Digital Product Manager for Gallagher, I guided the development and launch of a new self-service client portal designed to keep our clients engaged, streamline operations, support business growth and position Gallagher for future success in an increasingly digital marketplace across diverse global markets. The portal offered clients easy access to critical resources such as policy information, documents and support, all within a single, intuitive interface.
Challenge: Prior to portal launch, our interactions with our clients were fragmented across many different channels and applications, leading to inefficiencies and a lack of a cohesive experience. The challenge was to create a unified, global solution that catered to the needs of diverse clients while maintaining scalability and flexibility for future enhancements. It was also imperative that we created an efficient design system, clear governance, and embraced Agile and Design Thinking methodologies.
Key Objectives:
Consolidate multiple platforms into a single, user-friendly portal.
Offer 24/7 self-service access to policies, documents and support resources.
Implement a design that is globally adaptable, supporting multiple regional requirements.
Ensure seamless integration with existing systems and data sources.
Reduce client dependency on support teams.
Create a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, and customer focus.
My Role: I am responsible for guiding the entire development process from concept to launch, collaborating and building partnerships with key cross-functional teams, diverse stakeholders and senior leaders. Some of my key contributions to the portal are:
Research & Discovery: Conduct research to identify pain points and opportunities, and gather insights from clients, support teams and stakeholders to create a clear problem definition.
Defining the Product Vision: Develop an outcome-based product roadmap that aligns with both customer needs and the company’s strategic goals. I prioritize features that would deliver the highest value while staying within scope and timeline.
Collaborating with Cross-Functional Teams: Work closely with Engineering, Architecture, Design, Operations, Marketing, Change Management, and Legal/Compliance to ensure smooth execution. I facilitate sprint planning, feature prioritization and product demos to keep the project on track and aligned with the broader vision.
Design & User Testing: Partner with UX/UI teams to ensure the portal is intuitive and user-friendly.
Managing Stakeholder Expectations: Regularly communicate with senior leadership, regional teams and key stakeholders to align on progress, provide updates and adjust priorities as needed.
Supporting Rollout Strategy & Adoption: Developed pilot rollout strategies, including training materials, onboarding guides, and customer communication plans to drive adoption. Worked closely with teams to introduce the client portal during renewal and sales cycles, ensuring a smooth transition and high engagement post-launch.
Data-Driven Decisions: Utilize analytics and customer feedback to make informed decisions. I introduced OKRs and KPIs such as customer satisfaction scores and portal usage metrics, to measure success.
Leading Agile Transition: Applied Agile and Design Thinking methodologies, along with approaches to “from Project to Product” definition, prioritization and funding principles.
Outcomes:
Increased client retention by launching the product to three new client segments in our Retail division, including Middle Market, Small Business and Personal Lines
Surpassed goal of getting 1,000 clients onto the portal within one year, representing $48M in revenue
20% reduction in customer support requests within the first year
99% YOY client retention rate on the portal
The portal’s flexible architecture allowed for future feature expansion into new regions, including Canada, New Zealand, UK and LatAm
Reflection: This global client portal underscores the importance of maintaining a clear product vision while staying adaptable to changing needs. By prioritizing client feedback and collaborating across departments, we were able to deliver a product that not only met immediate business objectives but also laid the foundation for future expansion and innovation.