Online Community Management Software Glossary: Key Terms & Concepts
List of Online Community Management Software features
Self Service Portal
A self-service portal is a website or app that enables workers (or external clients for externally visible support providers) to help themselves when they require assistance, information, ...read more
Customer Portal
A customer portal is a website that allows current customers to access services and information. It's usually safe and confidential, and it requires authentication. Account information, pa...read more
Supplier Management
Supplier Management covers the process of sourcing, selecting, and managing suppliers to keep the supply chain running efficiently. It helps organizations manage vendor relationships and c...read more
CRM
Customer relationship management (CRM) is a tool that allows to keep track of all of the company's relationships and interactions with its customers and prospects. Its objective is straigh...read more
Training Management
Training management is a software feature that helps organizations efficiently manage their training programs and activities. It serves as a centralized platform for creating, scheduling, ...read more
Document Management
A system or process for capturing, tracking and storing electronic documents such as PDFs, word processing files, and digital photographs of paper-based content is known as document manage...read more
Chat (Messaging)
The act of conversing, communicating, and/or exchanging messages through the internet is known as chatting. It entails two or more persons interacting via a chat-enabled service or softwar...read more
Discussion Boards
A discussion board is an internet application that allows people to have online conversations. Discussion boards are referred to as web forums, message boards, internet forums, community f...read more
Content Management
Material management is the end-to-end acquiring, designing, processing, and distributing of content. It is a set of methods and technologies that make it easier to collect, handle, and tra...read more
Collaboration Tools
People can collaborate more easily with the help of collaboration tools. The goal of a collaboration tool is to help a group of two or more individuals achieve a common goal or objective. ...read more
Alerts
An app or software sends out alerts, which are actionable and content-rich push notifications. These alerts can be for various reasons, including messages from teammates, reporting manager...read more
Gamification
Gamification is the technique of introducing game aspects into non-game environments to boost engagement, such as a website, online community, learning management system, or a company's in...read more
Knowledge Base
A knowledge base is a centralized documentation repository that includes frequently asked questions, how-to guides, and troubleshooting instructions. Its goal is to make it simple for peop...read more
Collaboration
Collaboration has received a lot of attention in the marketing world recently. It's taking off in a big way but still has many questions surrounding it that make the majority of business o...read more
Timeline View
A project timeline is a list of tasks or activities organized by the date that allows project managers to see the entire project in one place. A project timeline is usually shown by a hori...read more
About the reviewer
Rajat Gupta is the founder of Spotsaas. Over the past two years, he has reviewed 2,000+ tools across CRM, HR, AI, and finance — applying hands-on product research and a background in commerce and the CFA program to evaluate software through a business and ROI lens. His goal: help teams make software decisions they won't regret.
Disclaimer: This research has been collated from a variety of authoritative sources. We welcome your feedback at [email protected].
