One client emails to ask whether the quote is ready. Another asks you to resend last month’s invoice. A third calls to find out when the engineer is coming. Each of those questions takes a few minutes, and together a fair part of the week. A client portal gives clients one place where they can check it themselves.
What a client portal is
A client portal is a secure environment where your clients log in and see their own information: ongoing work, quotes, invoices, documents and messages. It is not a separate website but a window onto the software you work in yourself. What you update, the client sees straight away.
That last point is the key difference from a shared folder or an email attachment. In a portal there is no second version to keep up to date. The invoice the client sees is the same one that sits in your administration.
What it delivers
- Fewer status questions: clients see where their job stands without calling or emailing.
- Everything in one place: no attachments lost in an inbox, no wrong version of a contract.
- Faster approval and payment: approving quotes and paying invoices takes one button from the portal.
- Always available: clients look whenever it suits them, including outside office hours.
- Easy to hand over: messages sit with the client, not in someone’s personal mailbox, so a colleague can take over.
Features it often includes
Work and scheduling
- Job status: the steps of the job and where the work stands now.
- Appointments: when the engineer is coming, the next treatment or the check-in time.
Documents and money
- Quotes: view and approve online, with a record of who approved and when.
- Invoices: open and paid invoices, with a payment link for every open invoice.
- Documents: contracts, handover reports, warranty certificates and drawings.
Contact
- Messages: one conversation per client or per job, with the history alongside.
- Uploads: clients send photos or documents themselves, for example a photo of the meter cupboard.
How quotes and invoices are prepared and followed up behind the scenes is covered in automating quotes and automating invoicing. The portal is where the client sees the result.
Who it suits
A portal works best when you have a relationship with clients lasting weeks or months, with documents going back and forth. A few examples:
- Installers and contractors: quotes, scheduling, handover documents and warranty in one place.
- Recruitment agencies: clients see placed workers, timesheets and invoices.
- Garages: customers see the work order, approve extra work and pay before collection.
- Hotels for groups and business guests: bookings, guest lists and invoices per organisation.
- Business service providers: clients upload documents and find their reports.
If your customers mostly come once and pay once, such as at a restaurant or online shop, a portal delivers less. There a clear confirmation and an invoice by email are usually enough.
Security and privacy
A portal holds personal data and often financial information, so the GDPR applies. Watch a few points:
- Logging in: a secure way to log in, such as a one-time link by email or two-step verification.
- Permissions: a client only sees their own data. For business clients you decide per person what they may see.
- Audit log: record who viewed or approved what.
What a client portal costs
We do not quote amounts here, because they depend on what you need. We can explain how the costs are made up.
- One-off investment: the software is set up entirely around your business, with your own services, documents, roles and integrations. The more parts and integrations, the more set-up work.
- Fixed monthly licence: after that you pay a fixed amount each month for hosting, security, backups, updates and support.
At Vorlyo the client portal is not a separate project but part of the software you also use to manage clients, quotes and invoices. Your clients see their ongoing work, open invoices with a payment link, contracts and documents, and can send you a message. Everything it can include is on the client portal software page. How our prices are put together is explained on the pricing page. You hear the price itself after the intake and the call.
Frequently asked questions
Do my clients need to install an app?
No. A client portal works in the browser, on a computer and on a phone. Clients receive a link and log in.
Can I start with just a few features?
Yes. Many businesses start with invoices and documents and switch on quotes, scheduling or messages later.
What if a client does not want to log in?
Then email keeps working. Invoices and quotes still go out by email, with a link to the same information in the portal.
Can the portal match my company’s branding?
Yes. Logo, colours and the wording in the portal are matched to your business, so clients recognise who they are logging in with.