Set up your CRM Client Portal

Add a front-end portal for your contacts to access key data linked to your CRM via the Client Portal feature.

Your clients can access the Client Portal to log in, update details, view (and pay) invoices, accept quotes and more, directly on your site.

This provides a direct communication channel with your customers, reducing unnecessary emails and centralizing interactions in one place for greater efficiency.

Create the Client Portal page

The Client Portal works by linking a CRM contact to a WordPress user. You can choose whether Jetpack CRM automatically creates WordPress users for new contacts or if you prefer to generate them manually when editing a specific contact.

The Client Portal page uses this shortcode to create the portal page:

[jetpackcrm_clientportal]

Jetpack CRM automatically creates a page with this shortcode upon plugin installation.

Client Portal Settings

Looking for Client Portal Pro Settings? Check out our dedicated articles for Client Portal Pro.

To configure your portal, go to Jetpack CRM → CRM Settings → Client Portal.

By default, the portal is accessible at the /clients URL.

If you prefer a different endpoint, you can edit or create the page you want to use for the Client Portal, and make sure the page is selected in the “Client Portal page” setting.

Allow Easy-Access links

Typically, your clients access the portal via WordPress accounts (see below in the Generating Client Portal Logins section).

If you prefer not to create WordPress users, you can enable Easy-Access Links, which allow contacts to view quotes and invoices without logging in, using a secure hash-protected URL. This is especially useful for sending quote proposals by email.

Learn more about Easy-Access Links.

Show Transaction Status

Starting with Jetpack CRM v. 5.3, you can set up a Transaction status on Client Portal Transaction page.

To do that, you need to enable the “how Transaction Status” setting, which will make the “Transaction Status” column appear up on your CRM Contact’s client portal Transactions page.

Generating Client Portal Logins

Since the portal relies on WordPress user accounts, you need to generate WordPress users for your contacts. You can either automatically generate accounts for all new contacts or create them manually.

Note that the system doesn’t create new WordPress users automatically with every addition of a contact. You can optionally enable this automatic user generation in the Client Portal settings – see below.

Automatically generate WordPress users

If you’d like Jetpack CRM to automatically generate WordPress users for new contacts, you can enable that setting in Jetpack CRM Settings → Client Portal → Client Portal User Accounts.

By default, this setting will automatically email the new contact a welcome email as soon as they’re added. If you prefer not to have the welcome email sent, you can disable this email template.

Manually generate WordPress users

If there isn’t a user account, you can generate one with Jetpack CRM by following these steps:

1. Go to Jetpack CRM → Contacts, and edit the contact.
2. In the Client Portal section, click the Generate WordPress User button.

Once you’ve generated a new user, Jetpack CRM will email that contact with login details to their Client Portal.

Note: this process creates a ‘Jetpack CRM Customer’ user role. This is a limited capability role (so they cannot access much of the admin panel).

Passwords and Logins for the Client Portal

Client Portal passwords are strong, randomly generated strings. If a client forgets their password, you can reset it from the WordPress Users panel or directly from the contact’s edit or view page.

The portal’s main page displays a login area by default. Once logged in, clients can:

• Download shared documents.
• View and update their profile and contact information.
• Access quotes and invoices,
• View communication notes.

Extending the Client Portal

With Client Portal Pro, you can modify the tabs, endpoints, and icons for your Client Portal. It also comes with additional tabs, pre-made, which power up your Portal such as:

• Display Tasks related to your contact, with “Add to Calendar” links for them – here’s how to do it.
• Show Tickets related to your contact, if using our Awesome Support Connector.
• Allow Files to be downloaded that are displayed on the Portal for your contact – here’s how to do it.

Learn more about extending the Client Portal.

Viewing and Managing Invoices

One of the most used and favourite feature of the Client Portal is the ability of sharing invoices with your contacts.

You send your customer a link to the Client Portal, they log in and can see all of their invoices – whether they are paid or not – all in one place. You can even automatically email new invoices to contacts for payment.

With the Invoicing Pro extension, you can even accept payment online using PayPal or Stripe.

Deactivate the Client Portal

If you don’t invoice clients or don’t need the portal, you can disable it in Jetpack CRM → Core Modules.