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The Customer Portal

The portal is where your customers answer questions, confirm things and upload documents for their case. They don't need an account. This guide explains how it works from both sides.

How customers get their link

When a case is started, each customer is emailed a portal invitation as soon as a step is waiting on them. You can also send it yourself:

  • When starting a case, choose Send Portal Link Now.
  • On the case, in the Customers panel, choose Resend Link by Email, or Copy New Link to copy a link and send it another way.

Each new link replaces the previous one, which stops working. Choose Revoke Link to stop a link without sending a new one.

What the customer does

  1. They open the link from their email.
  2. On Confirm It's You, they choose Email Me a Code. A 6-digit code is sent to the email address you have for them.
  3. They enter Your code and choose Continue.
  4. They see a checklist of what you need, grouped under To do, Needs another look, Sent and Accepted, with due dates.

For each item they can:

  • Forms: answer the questions and choose Send to your business. Answers save as they go, so they can come back and finish later.
  • Acknowledgements: choose Confirm and Send to your business.
  • Documents you provide: choose Download.
  • Document uploads: choose Take a Photo or Choose a File. They can Remove a file before it is accepted.

The portal shows your business's name, or the Portal display name from Settings → Workflows if you have set one.

Uploaded files

  • Each file can be up to 25 MB.
  • Accepted types are PDF, JPG, PNG, HEIC, Word and Excel. Each request can allow only some of these.
  • Every file is checked for malware before anyone can open it. The customer sees Checking…, then Received.
  • When your team accepts a file, it shows Accepted. If you reject it, the customer sees Needs replacing with your reason.
  • A file that fails the security check shows Couldn't be accepted, and the customer is asked to upload a different copy.

Only your business can see what a customer uploads.

Reminders to customers

If a customer still has things to do, they are emailed reminders on the schedule set in the workflow. They are also emailed when something needs another look (sent back, rejected, or failed the security check). Reminders pause while the case is on hold and wait until your quiet hours end (Settings → Workflows).

Good to know

  • A portal link lasts 30 days. Each time the customer signs in with a code, it is extended by another 30 days.
  • A code lasts 10 minutes. A new one can be requested every 30 seconds. After 5 wrong codes, the link is locked for 15 minutes.
  • A portal session lasts 12 hours, after which the customer needs a new code.
  • The link stops working if the case is completed or cancelled, or the link is revoked or replaced.
  • If a customer's link isn't working, send them a new one with Resend Link by Email.
  • Customers can also email documents or answers if you have a mailbox with Use for Workflows on. See Running Cases.
  • Customers with questions about their request should contact your business directly. The FAQ page "If a Business Sent You a Link" explains the portal to them.