Custom software · Client portal development
Custom client portal development: one login where customers see their jobs, documents and invoices.
When customers call to ask where their job stands, or dig through email for an invoice, a client portal answers them first. We build portals around how your business delivers its work, on accounts you own. A portal is one of the kinds of custom software for small businesses we build.
What a client portal does
A client portal is a private website where each customer logs in and sees only their own work with you: what's in progress, what's been delivered, what they owe, and a way to ask for something new. Your staff see every customer in one place.
It answers the "just checking in" calls before they happen, and keeps one record of every request instead of a trail across texts, voicemail and inboxes.
A portal we built: a security company
We took over a security company's website and client portal from its previous developer, relaunched the site and hardened its security. In the portal, the company's clients submit requests and see their assignments and invoices, and staff manage the company's operators.
Have a portal someone else built? That's where we start too: an audit of the code and accounts, and a plain account of what we find before we quote any changes.
Custom portal vs SuiteDash, Assembly or a WordPress plugin
If an off-the-shelf portal app fits how you work, buy it. It will usually cost less than a custom build, and you can start this week. Apps such as SuiteDash and Assembly cover the common pieces, like logins, files, messages and invoices, on their platform.
| Option | Choose it when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Portal app (SuiteDash, Assembly) | You need logins, files, messages and invoices, and their screens match how you work. | Pricing that can grow with your clients or seats, and your data on their platform. |
| WordPress plugin | Your site runs on WordPress and each client needs private pages or downloads. | Plugin updates and security fall to whoever runs the site. |
| Custom portal | The portal has to follow your workflow: requests routed to the right person, job status from your own systems, or roles an app doesn't offer. | A 3 to 6 week build, and one decision-maker on your side. |
We'll tell you on the first call which one we'd pick.
What a custom portal can include
- Logins and roles. Customers, staff and managers each see what they should, and nothing else.
- Request forms. Customers ask for new work with the details you need on the first try, and it reaches the right person.
- Job status. Where each job stands, updated by your team or pulled from the system that already tracks it.
- Documents. Contracts, reports, photos and files for each customer, in one place.
- Invoices and Stripe payments. Open and paid invoices, payable by card through Stripe.
- Notifications. An email or text when a job changes, a document arrives or an invoice is due.
Security and access
A portal holds your customers' information, so we design access in from the start. Each customer can reach only their own records, and that rule is enforced on the server, not just hidden in the screens. Staff roles limit who sees billing or changes records, the portal runs over HTTPS, and the admin accounts are in your name.
If your industry has rules for customer data, such as health records, raise it on the first call and we'll say plainly whether a portal is the right place for it.
Connecting it to QuickBooks, Stripe and your CRM
A portal is most useful when nobody updates it by hand: invoices from QuickBooks or Stripe appear with their status, card payments go to your own Stripe account, and new requests and customer records sync with your CRM. If you don't have a CRM that fits, the portal and a custom CRM can share one database, so sales and service see the same records.
Price and timeline
One flat price, quoted in writing before you pay anything, based on the roles, screens and tools involved. Like most custom software we build, a portal usually takes three to six weeks. Hosting and the database bill to your own accounts at the provider's rates. If you'd like us to look after the portal after launch, that can carry a flat monthly fee, quoted in writing next to the build price before you pay anything. See how our pricing works and how a Kinetiq build works.
Client portal questions
- How much does a client portal cost?
- One flat price, quoted in writing after a free 15-minute call and before you pay anything. It depends on the roles, screens and integrations the portal needs. We charge no per-seat or per-client fees. If a portal app fits, we'll tell you, because it will usually cost less.
- Can customers pay invoices in it?
- Yes. Through Stripe, customers pay an open invoice by card and the money goes to your own Stripe account. If you invoice from QuickBooks, the portal can show those invoices and whether they're paid.
- Can you add a portal to our existing website?
- Yes. A portal usually lives at an address like portal.yourcompany.com, with a client login link on your current site, so you don't need a new website to add one.
- Who hosts it?
- You do, on hosting and database accounts in your name. We set them up or transfer them to you at launch with the code, and they bill to you at the provider's rates. If you stop working with us, the portal keeps running.