What portals usually include
- Documents and contracts to view, sign or upload.
- Invoices, payment history and a way to pay.
- Appointments or bookings, with changes and reminders.
- The status of a job, order or case.
- Messages with the business, kept in one thread.
Who benefits
- Firms exchanging documents with clients: accountants, attorneys, insurance agents.
- Contractors and builders with long jobs and many updates.
- Property managers, for owners and tenants.
- Anyone whose customers call to ask for information you already have.
Built securely
Our own platforms and the client portal we use with our own customers are built this way, and we run the company to the SOC 2 criteria. Our security page lists the controls.
- Each customer sees only their own records, enforced on the server, not just hidden in the page.
- Two-step sign-in available, and required for staff.
- Files stored privately, with links that expire.
- A record of who viewed or changed what.
- Backups, and a plan for when someone leaves the business.
Written by Nikita Huttenlocher, founder and lead engineer at Huttenlocher Technologies, a web design and software company in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.