Problem #1: Scattered communication & information

Your customer data and conversations are likely scattered across email threads, Slack messages, spreadsheets, and a few different apps. 

The result? 

Crucial information slips through the cracks, leaving you on a lost trail whenever a client asks for an update. 

That explains why 6 out of 10 support executives blame the lack of unified customer data for negative customer experiences. 

A client portal centralizes all customer communication and consolidates data in one secure location. Your clients have a one-stop platform to find status updates, check regular reports, track invoices, and more. 

Problem #2: Limited scalability of manual workflows 

Let’s face it: you can’t use the same setup for 50 clients as you did for 15. 

As your business grows, manual workflows can stifle scalability. Manual processes become unmanageable, leading to missed deadlines, delayed responses, and growing customer frustration. 

This is where a client management portal can be your silver bullet. 

A customer portal can standardize and automate processes to improve your service delivery. 

You can set up real-time notifications, project trackers, and task management tools to efficiently scale your workflows for more clients. As a bonus, clients can access information and perform actions independently.

Problem #3: Difficulty delivering value to retain customers 

Service businesses often struggle to deliver consistent value to drive customer retention. 

Every few months into a client relationship, you might hit a brick wall and wonder, “What can I do differently to prove my value?”

The answer: a customized client portal. 

A client portal tailored to each customer’s goals, preferences, and branding can make them feel seen and valued. This portal also promotes transparency and keeps clients informed about every project or task. It offers instant value and encourages client loyalty. 

Case in point: Officeheads’ client portal

Officeheads, a financial advisory company, designed a client portal to make it easy for customers to access complex information without getting sucked into spreadsheets.

The company’s CEO, Rebecca, created multiple pages on this portal, including a resource page where the team explained different financial concepts.

This portal includes a project section to share real-time updates with a Kanban tracker and calendar schedule. It also uses an interactive dashboard for automated reporting. This user-friendly dashboard is easy to access and understand. 

"I’m happy that I have the client portal after dreaming about what I wanted it to be. It makes everything complete of what I want to offer,”

‍says Rebecca. 

Read the case study

Problem #4: Unsafe information sharing methods

Without a client portal, you’re forced to share confidential information and documents via email or unencrypted apps. 

As a result, you’re susceptible to data breaches where unauthorized users can access (and leak) this sensitive data. 

On the other hand, a client portal keeps all your information secure with features like:

• Role-based access controls: Restrict access for all your documents based on roles 
• Multi-factor authentication: Use multiple authentication codes to provide access 
• Audit trails: Track which user accessed or edited a document with timestamps

A secure client portal shows your commitment to security. It can go a long way in building trust with your clients. 

1. Registration and onboarding

The registration and onboarding process sets the tone for your entire client relationship. Think of it as your chance to make a great first impression.

Make the signup process short, easy, and intuitive with clear instructions. 

In the onboarding flow, collect relevant information like contact details and project requirements to keep your team informed. That said, make sure the onboarding process doesn’t feel overwhelming to your clients. 

You can also streamline the login process with features like two-factor authentication and easy password recovery. This gives clients the assurance that their data is safe in your portal.

2. Account management

People appreciate the convenience of adjusting their account settings on their own without contacting support. You can build a detailed account management system to give users complete control of their account. 

Here’s a checklist of elements to include in your account management settings:

• Communication preferences: Let clients customize their preferences for notifications via app, text message, email, or other methods.
• Edit personal information: Users can modify, remove, or hide personal information, such as their name, email address, phone number, and more. 
• Access billing details: Give clients easy access to their billing history and pending/upcoming invoices. Allow them to change these details anytime. 
• Change passwords: Make it convenient for users to change passwords and send regular reminders to set a new password as a safety measure.

These account settings can remove friction from the customer experience and reduce the need to contact your team frequently. 

💡Pro tip: Check out this step-by-step tutorial on building a client portal in Softr. Pick a template and get started for free.

3. Client communication

Keep your clients informed about every project with real-time updates and messaging in your self-serve portal. 

While text/email notifications are a great way to update clients about project progress, here are some other communication features to add to your client portal:

• Live chat: Integrate an automated chatbot to offer round-the-clock support and updates based on every client project.
• Comments: Let clients and your team leave comments to share contextual feedback or notes, making it easier for everyone to be on the same page.
• 1:1 meetings: Add the option to schedule a meeting with anyone on your team directly from the client portal.
• Ticket system: Give clients the option to submit queries, requests, or issues through a ticketing system.

A good client portal makes communication a breeze. It saves your clients the hassle of jumping between different apps to find updates.

4. Document sharing and management

Most teams use Google Drive or a similar cloud storage solution to store and share documents. 

Instead of keeping documents scattered across different platforms, build a document-sharing system in your client portal. This way, you can securely upload, download, share, and organize documents. 

Introduce encryption features to protect confidential information and prevent giving access to unauthorized parties. 

Plus, you can incorporate access control to determine who can view, edit, or share specific documents. This is important to limit document sharing to the most relevant individuals. 

Another valuable feature to consider is the ability to send documents for review and signature directly through the portal. This can reduce the back-and-forth in document reviews and fast-track your approval process. 

5. Project management

A client portal should maximize operational efficiency and increase collaboration on every task. How? With seamless project management. 

Building project trackers is one of the best client portal features for simplifying project management. A project tracker typically includes a Kanban or timeline view to track progress across a given timeline. 

You can also build a tabular view to share relevant details for each task, like the owner, estimate completion date, current status, etc. 

Here’s a client portal example showcasing how you can track all in-progress projects and client-wise tasks in one place:

You can also actively involve clients in your workflows with collaborative features like comments, tags, and approvals. Nudge clients to effortlessly share feedback, ask for updates, or assign new tasks. 

Plus, built-in approval workflows make it easier to collect feedback and reach the final stage of your project. 

For example, Strupek, a content marketing agency, designed a content review workflow to let clients view, edit, and approve copy for social media posts. Clients could also preview how these posts would look once published. 

Jonathan Strupek, the founder, explains why he wanted to build a client portal to enhance the customer experience:

“Clients hire us for our expertise, but they also want to understand what we’re doing and what’s being put out there. The easiest way to do that is to show them.”

Read the case study

6. Billing and payments

Billing can be an uphill battle if you don’t have the right systems. It can lead to missed payments, inaccurate financial records, and multiple errors.

You can eliminate these issues and create a hassle-free billing system within your client management portal.

Let users create and share itemized invoices within the platform. Clients can easily review each list item, check associated costs, and process the payment without leaving the app. It saves time for your team and offers convenience to your customers—that’s a win-win!

Plus, automated reminders for overdue payments can save you the effort of manually chasing late invoices. 

This client portal—made with Softr— shows how clients can track every invoice, check its status, and view the details before processing the payment. 

7. Reporting

Convey the impact of your work with accurate and insightful reports within your client portal. 

You can set up customized dashboards and automated workflows to visualize project performance. This will offer insights about how your work has translated into real ROI for your clients. 

Besides, a customizable reporting dashboard ensures that each client sees the data that matters most to them—whether it’s performance metrics, project progress, or compliance updates.

Ultimately, a strong reporting system can build transparency and win clients’ confidence. It also empowers them to make informed decisions. 

8. Integration capabilities

In the best-case scenario, your client portal should consolidate all the different tools in your stack in one place. Think CRM, email automation, accounting, and more. 

This way, you can automate and connect multiple workflows to increase efficiency. Not just that, a consolidated setup will also improve collaboration between different teams. 

That’s why you should choose a platform that offers integration capabilities when building your client platform.

With Softr’s no-code app builder, you can integrate 100s of apps into your client portal. Choose from a vast library of integrations and bring your entire tech stack in one place.