In this video:
Send client portal invitations
Client's view of the client portal
Sharing files in the client portal
Sending eSignature requests
The Client Portal is how you share files, client requests and send other information back and forth with your clients. We recommend inviting your clients to the Client Portal as soon as they are onboarded, but if you don't, no biggie, Canopy will remind you to invite them if you attempt to send anything their way.
It is important to remember that clients cannot make their portal, they have to be invited with their email address to get portal access.
Sending Client Portal Invitations
You can invite a client to the portal either individually or in bulk.
To send individual Client Portal Invitations:
Click Client.
Select Client List and select the client.
Click the + button next to Client Portal
The Client Portal window will pop up. Select the client by clicking on the check box.
You can also add additional people here.
Heads-up! As a heads-up, it doesn't have to be a current client that you add here. It can be someone outside of your client list. And even if the spouse or contact is not active and therefore not a billable contact, they can also still be invited to the client portal This way they can still provide information as part of the portal to do's.
Something to be aware of is that it doesn't have to be a current client that you add here. It can be someone outside of your client list. And even if the spouse or contact is not active and therefore not a billable contact, they can also still be invited to the client portal This way they can still provide information as part of the portal to do's.
Add a personalized message. You can either type into the box or select a template.
Hit Send and your client will get an email inviting them to create a portal login.
You can monitor the invitations for individual clients by clicking on their name underneath the client portal, it'll show you when the invitation was sent, and you can choose to remove access or resend the invitation.
Send Bulk Invitations
Click on Clients in the global navigation bar
Go to Manage Client Portals This is where you can see all of your client portal users,
In the upper left corner click Without client portals to filter your clients without a client portal.
Use the checkbox at the top to select all clients in this list.
Click Send Invite in the upper right corner.
Client's Point of View
Your client will receive an email with a secure link to create their client portal account. When they click on the link they will be prompted to create a password. Once they agree to the terms of service they can sign in.
They will start on the home tab when they first log in and the portal is laid out so they can see several tabs.
Home tab - where they'll see a quick overview of recent To-Do's and files.
To-Do's - Lists any task that you've assigned to them.
Files- shows them any files you've shared with them,
Billing - if applicable will show their outstanding balance, invoices, and payment history.
If you've set it up, they can schedule an appointment with you by clicking on the schedule button.
Down at the bottom is where they can find all of the resources support library as well as their user settings.
Please Note: As a best practice, you might want to share this link with them in your client portal invitation email as part of your onboarding, which will help give them resources on how to best use the client portal.
Best Practice: We also recommend that you have your users set up two-factor authentication via a text message or an authenticator app. They'll do that by going into their user settings and then down at the bottom. Authentication is required every thirty days on sign-in. It's going to default to the email that they've shared with you, but they can put in a phone number if they would like to receive this two-factor authentication via text message, or they can set up an authenticator app using the QR code.
Sharing Files in the Client Portal
There are many benefits to using the client portal, one being you can easily and securely share and sign any files.
Start by going back to your client record,
Click on files, and here you can upload any files that you would like to share with them. by clicking the upload button at the top.
Select your files.
Once uploaded, a window will pop up with a toggle to make the file visible to the client in the client portal.
You can also make it visible by selecting the person icon in the visible column on the file list.
When your client logs into their portal, any files you have shared will show up in their files tab, and on the home screen under recent files.
Electronically Signing Documents
Once your client has an active client portal, you can easily send their files to be electronically signed straight to their portal.
Go to the file you want signed under the file tab.
Right-click on the file.
Click on the first option - eSign Request.
The eSign request will open another window.
In this new window, the first tab is going to be where you want to place your signature.
You'll do the same thing for your recipient's signature. You can drag it and drop it where you need to, and then you'll be able to choose which clients you would like.
Add an initial field.
Add a date field.
Once you have all of the signatures initials and dates that you need, you can move on. All signers are going to receive an email with a link to complete the request, even if they don't have a client portal. But client with a client portal will be able to see this within their portal.
You can then rename the file if you would like, add a due date, and add a reminder.
Down at the bottom, there's a quick note, which you can change or edit.
Click send now.
Your client request has been sent. After sending, a task is created. To view the task, go to the task tab in the client record. Here, you can view and change the status.
Support and Knowledge Base
If you have any questions that came up while watching this video or going through this article, please reach out to support. When you click back on your profile icon, you will see a button at the top to chat with support, which will open up a little window. You can also reach them by calling this phone number during their open hours: 1-855-616-7305.
Another great tool is our Canopy Help Center. By clicking on the little graduation cap you will open up all of the different resources that we have for you. You can do a quick search at the top for any in-app guides or help articles. You can also go directly to our Knowledge Base.
The Knowledge Base is a great resource where you can search and find articles on all of the different features within Canopy, as well as guides for your clients and anything new coming into Canopy.