A client portal is a private, secure area you share with one client. Inside it you exchange documents, send workflows and forms for completion or signature, and message each other. This page explains the building blocks and the order to set them up in.
The building blocks
Portal group | A collection of portals that share the same set-up: tabs, folders, forms, workflow templates, welcome text, reminders and security settings. Most firms start with one group (for example "Clients") and add more when different client types need different set-ups (for example "Payroll clients"). The group name is never shown to clients. |
Portal | One client's area. You can create a portal and invite the client straight away, or create it now and invite them later. |
Portal users | The people you invite into a portal (your clients). They sign in with their own email and password. One login works for every portal they are invited to, even portals shared by different firms. |
Team members | Your own staff. Which portals each person can see is controlled with Company Roles and Access groups. |
Subportals | Areas inside a portal for a subset of people, for example one subportal per employee of a payroll client. |
Clients who join through a self-signup link use guest user licences. Check your plan's guest limit if you plan to share the link widely.
Where everything lives
Click Portals in the top menu to see your portal groups. Click + to create a new group. Use the three dots on a group's row for shortcuts to Public documents, Announcements, Form templates, Subportals, Clone to new and Settings.
Click a group's name to open it. Everything you can do with the group is in the left-hand menu, with all its settings under Settings.
Set up your first portal in six steps
Create a portal group. Portals > + > enter a name > Create.
Choose what clients see. Settings > Portal tabs (which tabs appear) and Settings > Folders (the default folder structure). See Set up a portal group: every setting explained.
Write your welcome. Settings > General > Description. This text appears at the top of every portal's Dashboard. See Welcome your clients: Dashboard, Announcements and the Tutorial button.
Set up invitations. Settings > Invitations: the invitation message, automatic reminders and how long pending invitations last.
Add forms or workflows (optional). Form templates and Workflow Templates in the left-hand menu.
Create the portal and invite your client. See Invite clients to portals.
Tip: once one group is set up the way you like, use Clone to new from the group's three-dots menu to copy the set-up into a new group.
Next steps
For your clients: your portal at a glance, a guide you can send to clients or link from the Tutorial button