--- title: Customer Portal subtitle: Give your customers self-service access to their information icon: globe-alt order: 12 alt_slug: portail-client excerpt: Let your customers view their jobs, site visits, and invoices through a dedicated self-service portal -- reducing phone calls and building transparency. --- ## Overview The Customer Portal is a separate, customer-facing area of Check-in ARTISAN that gives your clients direct access to their own information. Instead of calling your company to check a site visit time, review an invoice, or see what is on file for their project, customers can log in and find everything themselves. This saves you time, reduces phone interruptions during active jobs, and builds trust through transparency. ## What the Customer Portal Is The Customer Portal is a **dedicated space** -- a distinct section of the application with its own interface, designed specifically for your customers. It is completely isolated from your company's admin panel, so customers only see their own data and cannot access any business management features. Think of it as a "window" into their records: they can look at their information, but they cannot change your company's settings, see other customers' data, or access anything that does not belong to them. ## How Customers Access the Portal ### Authentication Customers access the portal through a dedicated login page. They authenticate with their email address and password, just like any standard web application. ### Account Setup For a customer to access the portal, they need: 1. **An email address on their customer record** -- This serves as their username. 2. **A user account linked to their customer record** -- This provides the authentication credentials. 3. **The portal URL** -- The web address where they can log in to the customer portal. You can provide customers with their login details when they first engage your company, or send the information by email. The portal URL is specific to your company. ## What Customers Can See Once logged in, customers have access to three main sections, each presented as a clean, easy-to-navigate list. ### My Jobs The jobs section shows the customer all the projects and interventions you have on file for them. **What is displayed:** - **Title** -- The job title (e.g., "Kitchen pipe repair", "Electrical rewiring - ground floor"). - **Type** -- The job type and service category, displayed in the customer's language. - **Location** -- The site address or location for the job, if recorded. - **Status** -- The current status of the job (e.g., open, in progress, completed). - **Site visit count** -- The total number of site visits associated with this job. This gives customers a sense of the work history at a glance. **Access level:** Read-only. Customers can view their job information but cannot edit it. Any changes to job records must be made by company staff through the admin panel. ### My Site Visits The site visits section gives customers visibility into their past and upcoming scheduled visits. **What is displayed:** - **Date and time** -- When the site visit is or was scheduled. - **Job title** -- Which project the visit relates to. - **Comments** -- Any notes associated with the visit (e.g., specific instructions, observations from the technician). **Requesting new site visits:** Customers can also **request new site visits** directly from the portal. The request form includes: - **Job** -- Select which of their jobs the visit is for (dropdown populated with their jobs only). - **Start time** -- The requested start date and time. - **End time** -- The requested end date and time. - **Comments** -- Any special instructions or notes for the visit. When a customer submits a site visit request, it appears in your company's admin panel for you to review, confirm, or reschedule. This is not an automatic booking -- you retain full control over your schedule. **Access level:** Read-only for existing site visits; can create new site visit requests. ### My Invoices The invoices section provides customers with access to their billing history. **What is displayed:** - **Invoice number** -- The unique invoice identifier (following your company's numbering format, e.g., FA2602-0001). - **Total** -- The total amount of the invoice. - **Paid status** -- Whether the invoice has been marked as paid. **PDF download:** Customers can download a **PDF copy** of any of their invoices directly from the portal. This is convenient for: - Personal record-keeping. - Work insurance or warranty claims documentation. - Expense tracking for business clients. **Access level:** Read-only. Customers can view and download their invoices but cannot modify them. ## Data Scoping and Security ### Strict Data Isolation The Customer Portal enforces strict data scoping. This means: - **Customers only see their own data.** A customer named Alice will never see Bob's jobs, site visits, or invoices -- even if they use the same company. - **Scoping is enforced at the database query level.** This is not just a visual restriction; the application physically filters all queries to only return records belonging to the authenticated customer. - **No access to other company data.** Customers cannot see company configuration, other customers, staff information, inventory, or any administrative data. ### What Customers Cannot Do To be explicit about the boundaries, customers in the portal **cannot**: - Edit their own personal information (name, email, phone). - Edit their jobs' information. - Modify or delete existing site visits. - Edit or delete invoices. - View any other customer's data. - Access the company's admin panel. - View company settings, inventory, suppliers, or financial reports. This design keeps the portal simple and safe while still providing real value to your customers. ## Benefits for Your Company ### Fewer Phone Calls The most immediate benefit is a reduction in routine phone calls. Customers who can check their site visit times, download their invoices, and review their job records online do not need to call you for that information. This means fewer interruptions while your technicians are on-site. ### Professional Image Offering a customer portal demonstrates that your company is modern, organized, and customer-focused. It sets you apart from competitors who rely on paper records and phone-only communication. ### Transparency and Trust When customers can see their own records -- site visits, invoices, and job details -- it builds trust. There are no surprises on invoices, visit times are clear, and project history is accessible. ### Site Visit Requests The ability for customers to request site visits through the portal is a significant convenience feature. Customers can describe what they need and submit requests at any time -- including outside your business hours -- without needing to call. You review and confirm requests on your own schedule. ## Setting Up the Customer Portal ### Enabling Customer Access To give a customer access to the portal: 1. Ensure the customer record has a valid **email address**. 2. Create a **user account** linked to the customer record with the appropriate role. 3. Provide the customer with their **login credentials** and the **portal URL**. ### Communicating With Customers When introducing the portal to your customers, consider: - Mentioning it when you complete a job: "Did you know you can view your site visits and invoices online?" - Including the portal URL on your printed invoices or job completion cards. - Sending an email to existing customers announcing the portal and providing login instructions. - Adding a link to the portal on your website and social media profiles. ## Best Practices ### Keep Customer Records Accurate Since customers see exactly what is in the system, make sure their records are accurate and up to date. If a customer notices an error in their job details or an incorrect site visit time, it erodes trust in the system. ### Respond to Site Visit Requests Promptly When a customer takes the time to submit a site visit request through the portal, respond as quickly as possible. A prompt confirmation makes the customer feel valued and reinforces the usefulness of the portal. ### Educate Your Customers Not all customers will be tech-savvy. Take a moment to walk less confident customers through the portal after completing a job. Show them where to find their visit history, how to download an invoice, and how to request a new site visit. ### Use Comments Effectively The comments field on site visits is visible to customers in the portal. Use it for information that is useful to the customer (e.g., "Check the pressure valve after 48 hours" or "Paintwork can be applied after 24 hours drying time"). Avoid internal-only notes in this field -- use other methods for notes that should stay between staff members. ### Review Site Visit Requests Regularly Build a habit of checking for new site visit requests at the start and end of each business day. Customers expect a reasonably quick response when they submit a request online. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Can customers book site visits directly? Customers can **request** site visits, but these are not automatically confirmed. You review each request in your admin panel and can approve, modify, or decline it. This keeps you in control of your schedule. ### Can customers update their own information? No. The portal is read-only for personal details, job records, and invoices. All edits must be made by company staff through the admin panel. This prevents accidental data corruption and maintains data integrity. ### What if a customer forgets their password? Customers can use the standard password reset flow on the portal login page. They will receive a reset link at the email address on file. ### Can customers from different companies see each other's data? No. The portal is fully scoped to the individual customer. Even within the same company, Customer A cannot see Customer B's data. Across different companies, data isolation is even stricter due to the multi-tenant architecture. ### Is the portal available on mobile devices? Yes. The portal uses a responsive design. Customers can access it from any device with a web browser -- desktop, tablet, or smartphone. ## Summary The Customer Portal is a powerful self-service tool that benefits both your company and your customers. By giving clients read-only access to their jobs, site visits, and invoices -- along with the ability to request new site visits -- you reduce your administrative burden, project a professional image, and build lasting trust. Combined with strict data scoping that ensures each customer only sees their own information, the portal is a secure and valuable addition to your Check-in ARTISAN setup.