Every industry uses the same building blocks: portal groups, portals, subportals, forms and workflows. If you are new to these, read How client portals work first. The table below shows the processes customers in each sector most often run through portals, and the set-up we suggest as a starting point.
Sector | Typical processes | Suggested set-up |
Accountants, bookkeepers, tax advisers and payroll | Engagement letters, approving accounts and VAT returns, client onboarding and AML checks, distributing payroll reports and payslips | One portal group called Clients, one portal per client. For payslips, add a subportal group called Employees and use secure document distribution. Collect ID and KYC data with forms in portals. |
Wealth managers, IFAs, pensions, VCs and M&A | Client onboarding, pension paperwork, investment rounds and transaction data rooms | A portal group per process (for example Onboarding and Deals). For onboarding, build a portal workflow; for a data room, a plain portal with folders is usually enough. |
Law firms, paralegals and insurance brokers | Engagement letters, client questionnaires, secure exchange of client information, M&A data rooms | |
Consultancies and marketing agencies | Engagement letters, card authorisation forms, sharing confidential client reports, onboarding | One Clients group. Use quotes via portals or Proposals to win the work, then the portal to deliver reports. |
Real estate: investors, landlords, managers, mortgage advisers | Investor and tenant onboarding, loan and mortgage applications, transaction data rooms, maintenance teams | A portal group per audience (Tenants, Investors, Contractors) so each gets its own settings. Use broadcasts to request updated documents from many portals at once. |
Company boards and HR | Sharing board packs securely, investment rounds, employee onboarding | A group for the board and a separate group for employees. Use access restrictions so only the right team members see each portal. |
Schools | Admissions, bursary applications, distributing student reports | One portal group per process, one portal per pupil. Use secure document distribution for reports. |
Care homes and health professionals | Patient and resident questionnaires and onboarding, invoices, sharing reports | One portal per resident or patient. Send questionnaires as forms; turn on two-factor authentication for portal users in the group settings. |
Sales and business development | Proposals, client onboarding, secure exchange of client information | Send Proposals by email, then move signed clients into a Clients portal group. A self-signup link lets prospects try the portal before they sign. |
Three rules that apply to every sector
One portal group per process or audience. Settings (tabs, Dashboard, invitations, security) apply to the whole group, so keep clients, employees and deals apart.
One portal per client, matter or deal. Invite everyone who needs access to that portal; see Invite clients to portals.
Give your clients a guide. Point the Tutorial button at Your client portal at a glance so they know where to start.
Want to copy a set-up you have already built? See How to upload a portal configuration file. For a bespoke workflow built for you, contact customerservices@mydocsafehq.com.