What is client portal software?

Easily manage clients with a client portal

Client portal solutions have become popular because in many ways they have replaced the traditional office. In the past, if you are an accounting firm or law firm, your experiences with clients were likely very relationship-based and in-person. But over time, more and more interactions started to happen via phone calls, video calls, and various tools for communication. In other words, things started to get fragmented and impersonal.

The benefit of clients portals is that they become your online office - a place, with your own branding, where clients can speak with you, share docs with you, pay you, and more.  

What is a client portal?

A client portal is a secure web-based electronic platform for data sharing and collaboration between an organization and its clients. It lets both internal users (professionals) and client users login to the same place and gives both parties a single place for communication and collaboration. Client portals also allow for multiple permission levels and roles; so that a firm owner can invite his or her team.

Benefits of a client portal

Thanks to client portals, customers no longer have to contact company representatives directly for every little thing. A client portal empowers your clients and provides them with greater transparency into your business operations. Moreover, this frees your team up to focus on more pressing matters.

Message your clients from one location

Client portals come equipped with messaging capabilities, allowing professionals and their clients to communicate with each other conveniently and efficiently. The messaging module is also a much more secure means of communication compared to email. Client portals encourage quick feedback and chats that go a long way in improving your customers' experience and keeping projects in sync.

Share and store documents

What distinguishes a client portal from other means of file sharing, like email, for instance, is high or unlimited storage limits, increased security for data-sharing, and more flexibility in storage options. The self-service features let the clients access the data and information themselves, making for a more client-centric experience.

Create invoices and subscription payments

Client portals are integrated with invoice and subscription payment services and let you set up reminders and notifications for payments. This eliminates the need for employing a separate service for billing, providing both professionals and their clients with a smoother user experience. Many private client portals also allow clients to keep track of their transaction history with your business, and directly obtain their statements.

Manage your portal without coding

The best client portals are white-label and have maximum flexibility when it comes to customization. Some client portals even let you host the portal on your own domain which is important because it makes the experience for clients more professional.

Portal - The best client portal software

Portal provides secure branded portal solutions to businesses. With Portal's modular approach, you can decide which features to turn on and which to turn off. The modules include file sharing, billing, messaging, and more. Virtual businesses can enjoy a modern “all-in-one commerce solution” using Portal as it provides all these modules through one application.

CRM

The Portal CRM allows you to track entities in one location. These are divided into three categories: client users, client companies, and projects.

Billing

Portal lets you create invoices and subscriptions through its Payments module and relieves you of the hassle of managing an extra billing service. The Payments Module’s underlying infrastructure is powered by Stripe, ensuring security and broad support for different payment methods. You can read more about the Billing module here.

File-sharing

Portal makes data sharing between professionals and their clients easy and efficient through its Files module. You can organize files in folders and have the ability to upload regular files or add links (so that you can point to Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.). Following a recent release, this module is now real-time, meaning that internal users can see what actions their clients are taking without having to refresh the portal. You can read more about the Files module here.

Conclusion

Modern client portal software can help any professional services business transition to be a modern tech-enabled firm with just a single app. The modular approach that Portal employs lets you decide exactly what features to turn on. What isn't needed can simply be turned off, so that the user experience for clients is not harmed.

What makes Portal stand out is the degree to which it allows for customization. With the added ability to connect your custom domain, Portal is a fully white label solution that can set your business apart. In addition, modern product design and a focus on mobile usability make this a tool that most of your clients will actually want to use. Get in touch with Portal now to grow your brand's digital presence to new heights!