The client portal is the onboarding experience your clients see. It is the branded, secure link where clients complete everything — intake questions, document uploads, signature, and payment — without creating an account or downloading software.
The portal should feel like the front door to your firm: professional, clear, and organized. A well-configured portal tells clients you have done this before.
How clients access the portal
When you send a checklist invitation, the client receives an email from your firm. The email contains a unique magic link — a one-click URL that authenticates the client when they open it.
No password. No account creation. The link is the authentication.
When the client clicks the link, they land on the portal home screen, which shows:
- Your firm's name and logo
- The title of their onboarding checklist
- A list of the steps they need to complete
- A progress indicator showing which steps are complete and which are pending
The client experience, step by step
Arriving at the portal: The client sees a welcome screen with your firm's branding and the checklist title. If you have configured a welcome message, it appears here. This is a good place to explain what the onboarding process covers and roughly how long it takes.
Completing fields: The client moves through each step in order. Required fields must be completed before the next section unlocks. Optional fields are labeled clearly and can be skipped.
Uploading documents: File upload fields show a clearly labeled upload area. Clients can drag and drop files or use the file picker. After upload, the file name and size are displayed as a confirmation. Clients can replace a file by uploading a new one to the same field.
Signing documents: Signature fields display the document in a readable format with a signature widget below. The client can sign using a mouse, trackpad, or touch input. After signing, they receive an immediate confirmation that the signature was recorded. A copy of the signed document is sent to the email address on the checklist instance.
Completing payment: Payment fields display the amount, a brief description, and a payment form. Payment is processed through Stripe. The client's card information is entered directly in the Stripe-hosted form and is never transmitted to or stored by SwiftChecklist. After payment, the client receives a receipt email from Stripe.
Finishing the checklist: After the last required step is completed, the client sees a completion screen. The completion message should confirm what was received and explain what happens next. Clients often return to the portal after submission to re-read the completion message or download their signed documents.
Writing good portal copy
The quality of your portal copy directly affects how often clients complete onboarding without asking for help. Every field should answer these questions without the client having to email you:
- What specifically are you asking them to do?
- Why do you need it?
- What counts as a valid response?
- What should they do if they cannot complete this step?
Poor field label: "Documents" Better field label: "Upload your most recent business bank statements (January–March 2026)"
Poor field instructions: "Please provide the required documents." Better field instructions: "Upload all pages as a single PDF. If you have statements from multiple accounts, upload each account as a separate file. If March is not yet available, upload January and February and note the missing month in the comments."
The second version answers every question the client was going to ask.
Customizing the portal appearance
All portal customization is controlled from Settings → Workspace → Branding:
Logo: Appears in the portal header. Upload a horizontal version of your logo at high resolution. The portal scales it automatically, but blurry logos at any size indicate a low-resolution source file.
Brand colors: The primary color is used for buttons, progress indicators, and highlighted active steps. The accent color is used for links and secondary visual elements.
Portal welcome message: An optional introductory message shown to the client when they first open their portal. Use this to confirm what the checklist is for and how long it takes to complete.
Portal completion message: Shown to the client after they submit. This message should confirm what was received and what happens next. "You're all set — we'll review your submission and contact you within one business day to confirm your account is open" is an example that does both.
Sending and resending portal links
First invitation: From any checklist instance, click Send invitation. Enter the client's email address (pre-filled if the instance was created from a client record) and an optional personal message. Click Send.
Resending after a link expires or goes unopened: From the instance view, click Resend invitation. A new magic link is generated and the previous link is invalidated. The client receives a fresh email with the new link.
Sharing the link manually: In some cases, you may need to share the portal link directly rather than through email — for example, if a client asks you to text them the link. Copy the portal URL from the instance view and share it through your preferred channel. Note that the link authenticates the client, so treat it like a password — do not share it with people other than the intended recipient.
Handling common client questions
"I didn't receive the email" Ask the client to check their spam or junk folder. If it is not there, confirm the email address is correct from the instance view, then use Resend invitation. If delivery continues to fail, check your email configuration in Settings → Workspace → Email.
"The link says it has expired" Magic links expire after 30 days by default (configurable). Use Resend invitation to generate a fresh link. Their progress is preserved.
"I uploaded the wrong document" The client can replace a file by opening the same upload field and uploading the new file. They do not need to complete the whole checklist again.
"I'm not sure what you're asking for" This is a signal to improve the field instructions. After answering the client's question, go back to the template and update the instructions for that field so the next client does not have the same question.
"I already signed but it's still showing as incomplete" This occasionally happens if the browser is interrupted during the signing step. Ask the client to re-open the portal link and check the status of the signature field. If it still shows incomplete, contact support with the instance ID.
Continue with
- Client records — managing the client relationship record
- Review and handoff — what happens after the client submits
- Send for signature — configuring the signature step