The words we use
Six terms come up again and again. Here is what each one means.
Template
A workflow you build on the portal group's Workflow templates page.
A template is the master version. Clients never fill in the template itself. Every client works on their own copy of it.
Copy
A workflow that sits inside client's portal.
A copy is created whenever:
you send a workflow to a client
you create one from a template inside their portal
or, a client starts a workflow themselves.
The copy belongs to that one portal. No other client can see it, open it or complete it.
Because each client works on their own copy, their answers and documents stay separate. Editing the template later does not change copies that already exist.
Visible
A setting on the template. Visible means every client in the portal group can see it.
A visible template is listed in the Workflows section of every portal in the group, and any client can start it whenever they like.
(visible inside the portal)
Visibility is a group-wide setting. There is no way to make a template visible to one client and hidden from another.
Invisible
The opposite setting. Invisible means no client can see the template.
The template still exists and you can still use it. A client gets it only when you put a copy in their portal.
Draft
A workflow you have not finished building yet.
Clients never see a draft, even if it is set to visible. You also cannot copy a draft into a portal or set it as the default. Finish the workflow first.
Default for new invitees
A setting you switch on for one visible template in the group, using the three-dot menu on the Workflow templates page. A star then appears next to its name.
Default means "this has to be done first." When a new client logs in for the first time, this workflow opens on its own, and the client cannot use any other part of the portal until it is finished.
1. Visible and default: what each one controls
These two settings are easy to mix up, so here is the difference in one line each:
Visible answers "can clients see this workflow?"
Default answers "must clients do this workflow first?"
| What it does |
Visible | Puts the workflow in the Workflows list of every portal in the group, ready for anyone to start |
Default for new invitees | Opens the workflow automatically when a new client logs in for the first time, and keeps the rest of the portal closed until they finish it |
Why default is more than just visible
A visible workflow is optional. It sits in the client's list, and they complete it whenever they like, or never.
A default workflow is required. It is the first thing the client sees, and nothing else in the portal opens until it is done.
A workflow has to be visible before it can be default
You cannot set an invisible workflow as the default.
The reason: once a client finishes the default workflow, it stays in their Workflows list as a record of what they sent you and signed. Your portal is meant to show clients everything they have submitted. Hiding the workflow again would take that record away.
So there is no such thing as default = yes and visible = no. If only some of your clients should ever see a workflow, do not make it the default. Send it to those clients one by one instead.
If you want to tidy up one client's list later, you can delete their finished copy from inside their portal. See section 7
2. Sharing a workflow with a client manually
How to send it
Go to Portals and open the client's portal.
Open Workflows.
Choose the workflow:
Visible template: click Send workflow invite on it in the list.
Invisible template: click the + button → Create from template, choose the workflow, make any changes for this client, then click Send workflow.
Choose the recipient. You can add your own message.
Click Send.
What your client experiences
They get an email called "Invitation to Complete Workflow: [workflow name]"
They click the link, sign in, and the workflow opens straight away.
They can close the workflow at any time and come back to it later, from the Workflows section of their portal or from the email link. A workflow you send by hand does not block the rest of their portal.
If the workflow has a deadline set in days, for example "5 days after sending", the countdown starts the moment you send it. The client sees the deadline before they even open the workflow.
Every send creates a copy
Sending a workflow always puts a copy of it in that client's portal. Their answers and documents stay separate from everyone else's, and editing the template afterwards does not change copies you have already sent.
Two things about copies are easy to misread in the list:
A copy made by sending has exactly the same name as the template. Nothing in the list marks it as a copy, so it looks like the original. It is not. It belongs to that portal only.
A copy made with + → Create from template is named "[workflow name] (copy)".
Visible or invisible: what changes
| Visible template | Invisible template |
Before you send it | Every client in the group can already see it and start it themselves | No client can see it |
After you send it | The client gets the invitation email and their own copy, named the same as the template | The client gets the invitation email, and the workflow appears only in that client's portal |
Other clients | Still see the template and can start it themselves | Never see it |
3. Giving different clients different workflows
You do this with copies, not with visibility.
A copy lives inside one portal and is never listed for anyone else. So the steps below give you Client A → workflow A and Client B → workflow B, with neither client able to see, open or complete the other's workflow.
Build each workflow on the Workflow templates page and set it to invisible. Make sure it is finished and not a draft, as drafts cannot be copied into a portal.
If there is one workflow that genuinely every new client should do first, keep that one visible and set it as the default. Everything else stays invisible.
Open the portal of the client who needs a particular workflow.
Go to Workflows → + → Create from template and pick the workflow. A copy named "[workflow name] (copy)" appears in that portal.
Change anything that is specific to this client, then click Send workflow and choose the recipient.
The client gets the invitation and sees the workflow in their own portal. No other portal in the group changes.
Good to know: A copy created with + → Create from template is live for that client as soon as it exists, before you click Send workflow. Create the copy only when you are ready to send it.
Moving a client to the next stage
Workflows do not chain. Finishing one does not assign or start the next one. Someone on your team creates and sends each new workflow using the steps above.
If you want the client to move from one stage to the next without waiting for you, put the stages in a single workflow and separate them with a message step, such as "Stage 1 complete, please continue with stage 2". The client gets one uninterrupted run, but the stages end up in one record instead of several.
4. When clients start a workflow themselves
A client can start a workflow themselves when it is visible and not a draft.
What your client experiences
They open the Workflows section of their portal, or a navigation tab if you have added the workflow as a portal tab.
They click the workflow. It starts straight away, with no invitation needed.
Their own copy is created, exactly as when you send it, and it replaces the template in their list. Their answers stay private to their portal.
What you see
The workflow and its progress appear in that client's portal and on your Workflows dashboard.
You can be notified when a client completes a workflow. Turn it on in Personal Settings → Notifications → Portal notification settings → Portal workflow completed. In-app notifications are on by default and email is off. Each team member chooses their own settings.
5. Default onboarding workflows (visible + default)
Use a default onboarding workflow when every new client should finish something before they can use their portal, such as a welcome form, KYC checks or signing your terms.
How to set it up
Open the portal group and go to Workflow templates.
Click the three-dot menu on a visible, finished workflow.
Select Set as default for new invitees. A star appears next to the workflow name.
To stop using it, open the same menu and select Unset as default.
Clients you invite by hand
When you create a portal or add a member (Manage Access → Add member), the Onboarding workflow field is already filled in with the group's default.
Keep it, pick a different workflow, or choose No workflow for this client.
The pending invitation shows the workflow, so you can check what the client will be asked to complete.
To see pending invitations, click the icon next to the contact:
Clients who sign up with your self-signup link
Clients who sign up through the portal group's self-signup link get the group's default automatically. You cannot choose a different workflow for them at sign-up.
If the group has a default, new sign-ups have to complete it.
If the group has no default, they go straight to the portal home page.
To be notified when someone signs up, turn on Portal self-signup in Personal Settings → Notification settings → Portal notification settings. Each team member controls this for themselves.
What your client experiences (invited or self-registered)
They accept the invitation or finish signing up, and sign in.
Their portal opens straight into the onboarding workflow instead of the home page.
Until they finish it, they cannot close the workflow or open any other page in the portal. Every time they come back, including after logging out and in again, they are taken to the workflow.
When they complete the last step, the portal opens as normal and stays open. They are not sent back to the workflow again, and their finished copy stays in the Workflows list as their record.
Every new client gets their own copy of the onboarding workflow, so one client's answers are never shown to another.
This is the part most worth walking through yourself before you go live. How to test the experience internally shows you how, and how to avoid the usual mistake of opening the invitation in the browser where you are already signed in as an admin.
Who is not asked to complete it
Existing clients. Clients who joined before you set a default, or who were invited with No workflow, are not affected. They will see the workflow in their list, but nothing prompts them to complete it. To require it for one of them, assign it in Manage Access (see section 6).
Your own team. Company users you add to a portal are never asked to complete the onboarding workflow.
Groups with no default. New clients go straight to the portal home page.
6. Changing or removing a client's onboarding workflow
If a client gets stuck, or you picked the wrong workflow, you can change it without deleting and re-inviting them:
Open the portal group and find the client's portal.
Click the three-dot menu → Manage Access (or click the icon next to the contact)
In the client's row, change the Onboarding workflow to another workflow, or select No workflow.
Save.
If you choose No workflow, the client can use their portal as normal the next time they open it.
7. Deleting templates and copies
Switching a template to invisible does not remove workflows clients have already started or finished. Those are copies in their portals, and they stay there as the client's record.
When you do want to delete something, it matters which one you delete.
You delete | What happens |
A copy inside one client's portal (Portals → the portal → Workflows) | Only that client loses that workflow. Every other portal is untouched. This is how you tidy up one client's list. |
The template on the Workflow templates page | That workflow's history is removed from every portal that holds a copy of it. Use this only when you no longer need any client's record of that workflow. |
Quick reference
Scenario | What the client sees |
You send a visible workflow | Invitation email. Their own copy, with the same name as the template, replaces the template in their list. They can close it and come back later. |
You send an invisible workflow | Invitation email. The workflow appears in their portal only. They can close it and come back later. |
You use + → Create from template | The copy, named "[name] (copy)", appears in that portal straight away, even before you send it |
Client browses Workflows | Every visible, finished template, plus any copies in their own portal. Clicking one starts it. |
Client invited with an onboarding workflow | Taken straight into the workflow, and cannot use the portal until it is complete |
Client invited with No workflow | Portal home page as normal |
Client self-registers and the group has a default | Taken straight into the default workflow, and cannot use the portal until it is complete |
Client self-registers and the group has no default | Portal home page as normal |
Company user added to a portal | Portal as normal, never asked to complete onboarding |
FAQ
Can I set a workflow as the default without making it visible?
No. A workflow has to be visible before it can be default, and it stays visible afterwards so the client keeps a record of what they completed. If a workflow is only for certain clients, do not make it the default. Send it to those clients individually.
Can I make a workflow visible to just one client?
Not with the visibility setting, which always applies to the whole portal group. Put a copy in that client's portal instead (section 3). A copy is never listed for any other client.
A workflow I only sent to one client has appeared in another client's portal. What happened?
Copies do not travel between portals. There are three usual explanations:
the workflow was sent to that client as well, which quietly creates a copy with the same name as the template;
someone created it from the template inside that portal;
the template is visible, so it is listed in every portal in the group.
Check whether the row is the template or a copy, and whether anything has been sent from that portal.
Why do two portals for the same client show different workflows?
Each portal keeps its own copies, and a portal stops listing the template as soon as it has a copy of its own. So two portals drift apart the moment one of them receives a workflow. If you have portals with almost identical names, rename them so it is clear which is which.
What does the + next to a workflow name mean?
It means the client can run that workflow more than once. It comes from the workflow's own settings. Copies are always created with it switched off, so a copy never shows it.
(This is not the same as the + button in the Workflows section, which is how you add a workflow to a portal.)
Can the next workflow start automatically when a client finishes the previous one? Not at the moment. Each workflow is sent by a member of your team. If you want the client to keep going without a pause, combine the stages into one workflow with a message step between them.
A client says they are "stuck" in a workflow and cannot reach their documents. They have been asked to complete an onboarding workflow. Once they finish every step, the portal opens as normal. If they should not have to complete it, set their "Onboarding workflow" to "No workflow" in Manage Access.
A client clicked their invitation and ended up in someone else's portal.
This happens when the invitation link opens in a browser that is already signed in to another MyDocSafe account. The link continues in that existing session instead of starting the new one. Ask the client to sign out first, or to open the invitation in a private browsing window. No data has been shared between the two accounts. The same thing catches people out when they test their own setup, so see How to test the experience internally.
I made a workflow invisible and it disappeared from all my clients' portals. Is that expected?
Yes. Visibility applies to every portal in the group. Copies clients already have, including finished ones, stay in their portals.
Can clients see draft workflows?
No. Drafts are not listed for clients even when they are set to visible, and they cannot be copied into a portal. Only a finished, visible workflow can be set as the default.
I want to delete the workflow that is set as default. What should I do?
Select Unset as default first, then delete it. Remember that deleting the template also removes that workflow from every portal that holds a copy of it. If your clients' finished records matter to you, delete the individual copies instead (section 7).