You set up a portal for a client, sent the link and heard nothing. Two weeks later they email to ask for the file that’s been sitting there since day one.
Clients don’t avoid portals out of stubbornness. They use whatever is easiest, and email is the habit they already have. To change that, the portal has to be introduced well and be reliably more useful than their inbox.
Why do clients not use a portal
The usual reasons are simple. Nobody explained what it’s for. It’s another login to remember. They looked once and it was empty or out of date. Or they asked a question by email, got an answer and learnt that email works fine.
Each of these is about how the portal is run, which means you can change it.
When should you introduce it
Introduce it at the start, as part of how you work, not halfway through as an extra. During onboarding or the kickoff, show it for two minutes: here’s where you’ll see progress, here are your files, and here’s where we’ll ask for things.
Present it as something for their benefit. “You can check where things are up to at any time without waiting on us” is a better reason than “it helps us stay organised”.
How do you get the first visit
- 01Have something useful there on day oneBefore you send the link, add the current status, the agreed scope or proposal and the first request. An empty portal teaches the client there’s nothing to see.
- 02Send a short invitationExplain in two or three sentences what the portal is for and what you’d like them to do first. Put the link on its own line.
- 03Give them one small taskAsk for something quick, such as confirming their contact details or uploading a logo. Completing one task shows them how it works.
- 04Check they got inIf they haven’t visited after a few days, ask whether the link worked. People often don’t mention a problem with access.
Here’s an invitation you can adapt.
Hi [name], I’ve set up a portal for [project]: [link].
It shows where the work is up to, the files we’ve shared and anything we need from you. To start, could you upload [item] there by [day]?
If the link gives you any trouble, reply here and I’ll sort it out.
How do you keep them coming back
A client returns to a portal when it’s where the current answer is. Three habits make that true.
- Keep it current. Update the status when something changes, and at least as often as you’d send an update anyway.
- Point to it. When you email, link to the item in the portal instead of attaching the file again.
- Use it yourself. If your team answers from the portal, clients learn that it’s where the answers are.
Be consistent. If files sometimes arrive by email and sometimes in the portal, clients won’t know where to look.
What if a client keeps emailing instead
Let them. Reply helpfully, then add the outcome to the portal so the record stays complete. You might write: “I’ve added the latest version to the portal so it’s all in one place.”
Some clients will always prefer email or a phone call, and that’s fine. The portal still helps them, because the files and history are there when they need them. The aim is a client who can find what they need, not a client who follows your process perfectly.
How do you know it is working
Look for a few plain signs over a month or two. You get fewer “where are we up to?” emails. Files and approvals come back without a second reminder. Clients refer to things they saw in the portal.
If none of that is happening, ask a client you trust what would make it more useful. For what to include, read What should an agency put in a client portal? For the product overview, see Stack’s client portals.
Choose one client who is starting new work this month. Add three things to their portal before you send the link, and ask for one small task.