Custom secure client portals
A client portal is a private area of your website where each of your clients logs in to find what concerns them: their documents, the progress of their file, their exchanges with you. FastSolve builds it around the way you work.
You can see the result before discussing it: the link below is available online, with no sign-up required.
Answering the same question ten times
Four situations turn up as soon as you are following more than a dozen clients.
- "Where is my file at?" comes round every week, from the same people, and each time you have to reopen a document to answer.
- A client has lost the invoice you attached six months ago. You search your sent messages to send it again.
- Documents travel by email, which means they exist in five copies, and nobody knows which one is current.
- A client asks you for information you already gave them, because they cannot find it in the thread.
This time is never billed and never shows up in the accounts. It only appears when you add up a week's worth of interruptions.
Four functions of a client portal
Most of the requests we handle combine all or part of these four functions.
1. A login that keeps each client separate
This is the foundation, and it is where trust is won or lost. Each client enters their own space and only their own. That separation is tested systematically before delivery, because a leak from one client to another would be the gravest possible failure.
Typical case. A practice shared files through unprotected links that could be forwarded to anyone. Each client now has a named login, and the open links are gone.
2. Documents available at all times
Contracts, invoices, reports, deliverables: viewable and downloadable at any hour, without going through you. This is the function that removes the most incoming requests.
Typical case. An accountant re-sent documents several times a week. His clients now find them on their own, including last year's.
3. Progress the client can see
Received, in progress, waiting on information from you, done. The client sees for themselves where their file stands, which replaces the chasing call and reassures without an exchange.
Typical case. A building firm was rung every week for progress on a site. The client now follows the stages and the photographs from their own portal.
4. A view suited to each profile
An individual, a company and a partner do not need to see the same thing. Adapting the view avoids exposing unrelated information, and keeps the portal readable.
Typical case. A supplier served freelancers and companies through one screen. Each profile now sees its own sections, and questions about "what is this part for" have stopped.
What a client portal will not do
It gives your clients independence. It does not excuse you from putting something in it.
- It does not fill itself. A portal with nothing in it pushes clients back to email, and the effort is wasted.
- It does not suit everyone. A clientele that will never log in gets more out of a well-made automatic send.
- It does not remove the relationship. It takes away the exchanges with no value so there is time for the others, it does not replace a call when one is needed.
- It needs input from you. This service requires you to answer a few questions along the way, about access and about what each profile should see. That is why it carries a star on our home page.
The gain is in the requests that stop reaching you, and in looking like a business that keeps its files in order.
Frequently asked questions
Will my clients agree to log in?
That is the real question, and it is settled before building. Adoption depends on what they find there: if they have to create a password to read one line of information, they will not come back. If they find all their documents and the progress of their file, the habit takes hold. We always plan for a simple way in, with no drawn-out registration form.
How much does a client portal cost?
The amount depends on the number of different profiles, on whether the client acts or merely consults, and on the volume of documents to handle. A read-only portal and one where the client uploads items and approves stages are in no way comparable. The price is set after scoping. As a guide, excluding VAT, most client portals fall between 4,000 and 10,000 euros. A portal where the client uploads documents and approves stages can reach 15,000 euros.
Is the data properly separated?
That is the first point checked and it is tested explicitly: a logged-in client cannot reach another client's file, even by editing the address in their browser. That check is part of delivery, not an option.
What if a client loses their password?
A self-service reset by email is included. Without it, every lapse would become a request for you, which would cancel out part of the benefit.
Can it be added to an existing site?
Yes, usually at a dedicated address, with the same visual identity. That is what gets checked during scoping, since the answer depends on how your current site is built.
What about personal data protection?
A client portal holds personal data and often sensitive documents. Hosting, retention periods, deletion on request and limits on access are therefore covered during scoping and appear on the quote. We are not lawyers: the compliance of your practices stays yours to confirm.
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