File management and communication can be challenging for many service-based businesses. You’re creating, sending, and storing numerous documents throughout the course of a growing number of projects that can easily become mismanaged without the right system. This creates problems for both you and your clients.
That’s where a client portal comes in. With the client portal, your clients can see everything about their project at a glance in one centralized dashboard.
Here, we’ll walk you through what you need to know about client portals, how to customize them, how to share them, and more so that you can take full advantage of this feature.
What is a client portal?
A client portal is a centralized digital workspace where businesses and their clients share documents, communicate, and track the progress of a project. These are password-protected, secure hubs that allow for easier project management and communication, in comparison to, say, sending an email for every update or new document.
HoneyBook’s client portal is a feature of our CRM that enables effortless client management. With a website client portal, your clients can log in and see any tasks assigned to them, key project details and project progress, team members, and shared files. Your client portal serves as one centralized dashboard where clients can find everything they need as they navigate the project with you.
What benefits does a client portal offer?
There are many advantages to leveraging the client portal for your various projects. These benefits include:
- Improving organization and your workflow, helping you keep your files in one place and accessible to your client.
- Allowing you to assign tasks to your client with clear deadlines to avoid miscommunication and project delays.
- Giving your client the ability to communicate with you and share files with you in a single, all-in-one tool rather than through a fragmented system of tools, which enhances the customer experience.
- Helping you manage multiple projects with one client with a client portal for website. Clients can switch between projects, which can be necessary if you’re moving through multiple phases of a larger project.
- Refining the client experience through customizations. You can also see the client portal from their point of view, which enables you to tailor your approach based on your clients’ needs.
- Bolstering security and access control, protecting sensitive client data and making sure that only appropriate parties can see documentation, project tasks, and more.
- Supporting simpler client onboarding by connecting clients with one centralized hub where they can view everything they need during the early stages of a new project (contracts, pay plan, welcome packets).
How to create a client portal using HoneyBook
Wondering how to create a custom portal for your business? You might be looking at options like the Softr client portal for no-code solutions or a client portal plugin. But you don’t need a Softr portal or similar solutions to get the client portal you need for your service-based business.
HoneyBook automatically creates a custom client portal for each project, where they can access files, messages, and more.
This simplifies the process of client management so that you can focus on the work itself.
What do you need to do once we’ve created a client portal?
The next steps will help you ensure that your client portal represents your brand and that it’s accessible to clients. While you don’t need to manually create a client portal for each project, you will want to do some customizing to guarantee that your client portal is suitable for your business activities.
Step 1. Navigate to the Domain & client portal in settings
Where can you find the client portal for website settings? Click on your profile photo, then select Company Settings > Domain & client portal. This will bring you to the tab where you can customize your client portal as you see fit.
Step 2. Customize your login screen
The login screen is the first thing your clients see when they click on the client portal link.
We make it easy to customize your login screen so that it fits your brand. Our customization options include:
- Change the background color.
- Toggle on/off to show or hide your company logo.
- Select your company logo shape.
- Choose your title (we recommend using your company’s name to avoid any confusion).
Step 3. Customize your client portal
Once a client logs in, they’ll be brought to the client portal. Here, you have myriad customization options to take advantage of.
You can:
- Select the page background color.
- Choose your highlight/button color.
- Customize the font for titles and headers.
- Select the side bar color.
- Select the button text color.
- Choose between sharp or rounded button corner radius options.
Curious to see what your client portal looks like? We make it easy to test this out. Visit Projects (click on any project) > Client portal > View & edit to see what the login page and client portal look like. Then, you can make changes as needed; you won’t need to hassle with a client portal builder or apps, learn to code. or figure out the integration process.
Be aware that any customizations you make to your client portal will affect every client portal. Customizations are not limited to the project you’re currently on when you’re customizing your client portal.
Step 4. Customize your URL
HoneyBook’s client portals automatically use the HoneyBook domain. Your auto-generated URL will look something like this: prefix.hbportal.co/app.
However, we do offer the option to use your own subdomain for your website client portal. We recommend this option because it creates a sense of professionalism and helps you brand your client portal link.
All you have to do is register your subdomain with HoneyBook. This entails entering your domain name, choosing a subdomain (looks like prefix.yourdomain.com rather than prefix.hbportal.co/app), and creating the subdomain with your website host.
The last part can be trickiest. This help center article on customizing your URL will walk you through the process so that you can brand your URL.
Sharing your client portal with your clients
Now that your client portal is fully customized, how do you make sure your clients can access it? There are several ways you can do this.
The first way is to include your client portal link somewhere on your website. Once clients begin working with you, they can easily find it there and access it when they need it. You can include this link in the header of your website, the footer, or design a button for it that you can place in another area of your website.
You can also:
- Send the link directly to your clients when you first begin your project so that they have a page to bookmark that they can always return to for access to their files and other communications. You can find this link in your client’s project. Specifically, you can find it in the client portal box on the project page.
- You can toggle the on/off button in the client portal box to automatically send a link whenever you send files or emails.
Making it accessible guarantees that it’s convenient to access your website client portal.
Improve the client experience with HoneyBook
Service businesses require strong organization, good communication, and proper management to provide the level of service that clients demand. HoneyBook is the client relationship management platform that supports your business with features like client portals and more.
FAQs
How do my clients log in to the client portal?
There are many ways that clients can log into the client portal. You can send them a temporary magic link or have them log in via code through a file. If this is their first time using the client portal, they will need to create a password if they plan to log in with their email and password.
Do I have to share a client portal with my clients?
No. If you have a project that doesn’t demand the client portal for website feature, you don’t have to use it with your clients. You can also disable the client portal for a project by selecting “Include client portal links in files or emails” in the client portal box and toggling it off.
Can you have multiple projects with the same client?
Yes, and you can also have a client portal for each project. If you’re moving into the next phase of a project that demands a whole new client portal, create a new project with that same client, and a new client portal will be created as a result. Make sure that clients select the new project, or they’ll see the same project in the client portal when they go to check it.
What can clients see in the client portal?
Clients can view certain project activities, invoice files, shared notes, and shared documents. They can also attach their own images and files, as well as view certain project details.
