The Customer Portal provides a place for a Customer to review an Order or Estimate, including documents, files, comments, proof approval, and online payment. The Customer Portal is available from a Customer Portal Link and after the Customer signs in. Prices on a Pending Estimate stay hidden until the Estimate is ready to share.
Table of Contents
- Important Information
- Before You Begin
- Opening a Shared Link
- Files
- Comments
- Proof Approval
- Request Changes
- Signing an Invoice
- Signing In
- Home
- Orders
- Estimates
- Payments
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Related Articles
Important Information
- A Customer Portal Link opens one Order or Estimate without signing in. Signing in opens Home, Orders, Estimates, and Payments for that Contact.
- The record screen shows a status beside the number, the description under the number, an Estimate or Invoice card, Details, Summary, and Line Items.
- Line Items show a status name over a progress bar and an Amount. Amount is the pre-tax total, with the quantity and unit price under it.
- While an Estimate is Pending, Line Item amounts and Summary Subtotal, Tax, and Total show TBD. Prices appear when the Estimate is Awaiting Approval or further along. Pointing at TBD explains that the price is waiting to be finalized. Order prices stay visible.
- Request changes and Approve appear when a Line Item is waiting for approval. The banner shows how many items need approval.
- What appears also depends on Customer Portal Options. For more information, please see Customer Portal Options.
Before You Begin
- Customers can open a single Order or Estimate from a Customer Portal Link, or sign in after you grant portal access on the Contact. For more information, please see How to Invite Customers to the Customer Portal.
- What appears in the portal, including history, reorder, and online payments, depends on Customer Portal Options. For more information, please see Customer Portal Options.
- Approve and Request changes are available when a Line Item is waiting for Customer approval. On the Line Item, the change button reads Change. For more information, please see Customer Portal Approval Process.
Opening a Shared Link
When a Customer opens a Customer Portal Link, they see that Order or Estimate. They do not need to sign in to review it.
a. Status - The status of the Estimate or Order, shown beside the number.
b. Estimate - The Estimate card, Details, and Summary. On an Order, the card reads Invoice. The card shows the document number and PDF. Click the card to open the document. Details lists Placed, Due date, Terms, Contact, and Company. Started as appears when the Order began as an Estimate. Summary lists Subtotal, Tax, and Total. On a Pending Estimate, those amounts show TBD. On an Order, Summary also lists Order total, Amount paid, Amount due, and Balance. Make a payment appears when a balance is due. For more information, please see Paying Through the Customer Portal.
c. Amount - The pre-tax total for the Line Item. On a Pending Estimate, Amount shows TBD. Point at TBD to see that the price is waiting to be finalized. When the price is ready, the quantity and unit price show under the amount.
Note: Sign in is in the header. Home, Orders, and Payments open the full lists after the Customer signs in. Signing in requires access from Grant Access on the Contact. For more information, please see How to Invite Customers to the Customer Portal.
Files
On an Order or Estimate, the Customer can view, upload, download, and preview shared files. Files is on each Line Item and on the Estimate or Invoice card. The button shows the file count.
1. Click Files on the Line Item.
The Files dialog opens.
a. Upload - Adds a file.
b. Folder - Adds a folder.
The list shows the shared files. The Customer can preview a file and download it.
Comments
Customers use Comments on a Line Item to leave a note or request information about that item.
1. Click Comments on the Line Item. The button shows the comment count.
2. Enter a comment in the field.
3. Click Post Comment.
Note: Previous comments show who posted and a time stamp.
Proof Approval
When a proof file is attached to a Line Item, the Customer can open the thumbnail to review the artwork.
Note: This is also available after the Customer signs in.
1. Click the proof thumbnail.
2. Click Approve on the Line Item, or Approve 1 item on the banner when one item needs approval.
3. Accept Approval Terms.
4. Click Approve.
Request Changes
When a proof file is attached to a Line Item, the Customer can open the thumbnail to review the artwork and request changes.
Note: This is also available after the Customer signs in.
1. Click the proof thumbnail.
2. Click Request changes on the banner, or Change on the Line Item.
3. Enter the change request.
4. Click Send request.
Signing an Invoice
When the Invoice includes a signature line, the Customer can sign it from the Order.
1. Click the Invoice card.
The Invoice opens. Click to sign is on the signature line.
2. On the signature line, click Click to sign.
The Sign this invoice dialog opens.
a. Your Name
b. Email for Confirmation. A confirmation is sent to this address.
c. Draw. Sign in the box. Clear removes the drawing.
d. Type. Enter the signature in Type Your Signature.
e. Select the checkbox to agree that the electronic signature is the legal equivalent of the Customer's handwritten signature on this Invoice.
3. Click Sign invoice.
After the Customer clicks Sign invoice, the signature is recorded and a confirmation is sent to the address in Email for Confirmation.
Note: If Click to sign is not on the Invoice, that Invoice does not include a signature line. Open the Invoice the Customer Portal uses, turn on Show Signature and Date in Layout Options, and click Save. For more information, please see E-Signature.
Signing In
Customers sign in with the username from Grant Access (usually the Contact email) and the password they set from the invitation or a Password Reset. They can click Sign in from a shared link.
a. Email - The Customer Portal username.
b. Password.
c. Sign In - Signs the Customer in to the full Customer Portal.
Note: If the Customer does not have an account, the login screen tells them to reach out for full Customer Portal access.
Home
After the Customer signs in, Home is the starting screen for that Contact and Company.
a. Home, Orders, Estimates, and Payments tabs open each list.
b. My Profile - The name in the header opens options to change appearance (Light, Dark, or System), and Sign Out.
c. Start a reorder - Opens the Orders screen with the Completed tab selected, so the Customer can select an Order to reorder.
d. Make a payment - Opens Payments when the Company has a balance.
e. Needs your attention - Items that need attention appear here on cards. Clicking a card opens the Order or Estimate.
f. Recent orders - Recent Orders for the Company. The Customer can open an Order from this list.
g. Account Balance - Open balances for the Company, with Make a Payment and a link to payment history.
h. Quick reorder - Lists recent completed products when reordering is enabled.
Note: If the Contact is linked to more than one Company, they select the Company before these lists fill in.
Orders
Customers use Orders to find and open Orders for the Company.
a. Search bar - Searches for a specific Order.
b. Make a payment - Opens a screen to complete a payment on an Order. For more information, please see Paying Through the Customer Portal.
c. Tabs include All orders, Needs attention, Open, Unpaid, and Completed. The tabs filter the Order list by status or by the action needed.
d. Date Range - Selects the window of time shown.
e. Sort Order - Selects the order in which the records are shown.
f. Orders - Each row shows quick options for that status, such as downloading an Invoice or reordering.
Note: Clicking an Order opens the record screen shown in Opening a Shared Link.
Estimates
Customers use Estimates to find and open Estimates for the Company.
A Pending Estimate shows TBD in place of the total until the Estimate is ready to share.
a. Search bar - Searches for a specific Estimate.
b. Make a payment - Opens a screen to complete a payment on an Estimate. For more information, please see Paying Through the Customer Portal.
c. Tabs include All estimates, Needs approval, Pending, Approved, and Closed. The tabs filter the Estimate list by status or by the action needed.
d. Date Range - Selects the window of time shown.
e. Sort Order - Selects the order in which the records are shown.
f. Estimates - Each row shows quick options for that status, such as downloading an Estimate or reviewing and approving it.
Note: Clicking an Estimate opens the record screen.
Payments
Customers use Payments to review open balances and payment history. For more information, please see Paying Through the Customer Portal.
a. Open Balances - Lists Orders with a remaining balance. Customers select what to pay, then click Pay now.
b. History - Lists closed Orders.
c. Search - Searches for a specific record.
d. Sort Order - Selects the order in which the records are shown.
e. Selecting an Order starts a payment.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the difference between a Customer Portal Link and signing in?
Answer: A Customer Portal Link opens one Order or Estimate. Signing in opens the full Customer Portal for that Contact, including Home, Orders, Estimates, and Payments.
2. Where does a Customer search Orders and Estimates?
Answer: Search on the Orders, Estimates, and Payments lists is available after the Customer signs in. A shared link opens one Order or Estimate.
3. Why are Approve and Request changes unavailable?
Answer: Those actions are available when the Line Item is waiting for Customer approval. For more information, please see Customer Portal Approval Process.
4. Why does a Customer not see History or Reorder?
Answer: Order History, Estimate History, Payments History, and reorder are turned on in Customer Portal Options. If an option is off, that section does not appear in the portal.
5. Why is Click to sign missing from the Invoice?
Answer: That Invoice does not include a signature line. Turn on Show Signature and Date for the Invoice the Customer Portal opens. For more information, please see E-Signature.
6. Why does an Estimate show TBD instead of a price?
Answer: The Estimate is still Pending. Line Item amounts and the Summary show TBD until the Estimate is Awaiting Approval or further along. Point at TBD to see that the price is waiting to be finalized.
Related Articles
Customer Guide to Using the Customer Portal
Customer Portal Approval Process
How to Invite Customers to the Customer Portal