How Research Service Bureau built a secure client portal to manage claim investigation records using Zoho Creator

The company

Research Service Bureau (RSB) has been in the investigative services industry since 1981. Over the years, the firm has grown into a full-service commercial investigative practice, working closely with insurance companies in the investigation and evaluation of death claims, while also delivering medical information and risk management services to the legal and broader business communities.

This work laid the foundation for what came next. In 2011, the company expanded its capabilities through RSB International, a network of industry experts that provides solutions across intelligence, security, and risk management needs.

The challenge

RSB's work involves handling sensitive personally identifiable information (PII) and operating within Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and System and Organization Controls (SOC) compliance requirements. That means every investigation comes with strict timelines, frequent follow-ups, and clear audit trails. For a small team managing a high volume of cases, the pressure added up fast.

Collecting information was one thing, but documenting every step and presenting it back as usable evidence—what was requested, when, how, and from whom—was where the work became overwhelming.

Earlier, they relied on spreadsheets, email lists, and mail merges, but those tools were only solving part of the problem. As the volume of cases increased, their workflows were too complex to be managed in disconnected systems.

That's when they decided to look for a platform that could tick all the boxes.

The solution

The team had little to no familiarity with Zoho. They also knew very little about the cloud environment. But they were clear about one thing: They needed a solution that could support their niche, highly specific operations.

As they began evaluating platforms, compliance became the deciding factor. The system needed to meet HIPAA requirements, along with ISO and SOC compliance standards. If a platform wasn't compliant, it was a non-starter.

After a couple of years of searching, they discovered Zoho Creator, a platform that met all their requirements.

With the help of Office Hub Tech, a Zoho Authorized Partner, they built a custom client portal; and from day one, it became the foundation of their case and order management workflow.

1. Order review

The process begins when clients sign in to the portal and open a new order. They enter key case details, including who the order is about and which insurance company it's associated with.

Clients can also upload supporting documentation that authorize the team to access personal and medical records for the insurance company's clients.

At this stage, clients can specify:

• The current list of known medical providers they want records from
• Whether they want the team to discover additional records they may not be aware of

2. Case assignment

Once an order is created, it's converted into a case and imported into their CRM, since Zoho CRM and the customer portal are tightly integrated. From there, the case is routed to the appropriate trained case managers at RSB for execution.

3. Case execution

The team then documents every step along the way. All case activity is logged, including calls, emails, letters, and applications submitted to custodians.

They also track submission dates, follow-ups, costs and payments, and evidence received. As documents are recovered from medical providers, everything is compiled into a clear report, along with a detailed timeline of the steps taken.

4. Publishing

Once the work is complete, the team uploads the recovered documents back into the portal. Clients are automatically notified when the documents are ready to be collected.

From there, clients can log in at their convenience, download what they need, and close out the case.

Benefits and ROI

After moving their workflow to Zoho Creator, the team saw several operational changes that made day-to-day work easier:

• They were able to cut down two to three days of back-and-forth communication.
• The portal reduced security risk by providing a secure, compliant way for clients to upload documents and download returned records, keeping sensitive information protected throughout the process.
• From a cost standpoint, Zoho Creator was significantly more affordable, at roughly 50–70% less than hiring a team of developers to build a fully customized solution.

Looking forward

With the new system in place, the team is now looking to take it a step further. Their goal is to create a one-stop shop where everything can be done within the application.

The team is encouraged by the product's potential. As they continue to learn more and expand their use of the platform, they expect it to support additional efficiencies and future growth for the organization.