Running the work
Documents and client portals
Where should your business files live, and how should you share them with clients?
Six short steps. No email or account.
- Who needs it
- Bookkeepers, accountants, legal practices, consultants, and anyone handling client financial or personal records.
- When it matters
- As soon as you handle documents a breach would embarrass you over.
- Compare first
- Client-side simplicity
- Matters most when
- growing, mature
Is this the right tool for you?
Files scattered across laptops, email attachments and personal accounts get lost, go out of date and leave with employees. Clients send sensitive documents by email because there is no better way, and finding the latest version of anything takes too long.
Signs you need it now
- The latest version of a file is whichever one was emailed most recently.
- Important files live on one person's laptop or personal account.
- Clients send tax, identity or financial documents to you as email attachments.
- You cannot quickly remove a former employee's access to company files.
When another area fits better
- You mainly need clients to sign agreements or approve proposals. Read the proposals guide
- Your concern is shared email, calendars and everyday team collaboration. Read the email and file storage guide
Recognise two or more of these? Sort out documents and client portals next.
Tell us how your business runs and get a plan that puts documents and client portals in order with everything else: what to set up first, your must-haves and what to compare.
What matters at your size
Working alone
Company-owned cloud storage with a sensible folder structure and backups. A secure way to receive client documents if you handle sensitive information.
A small team
Shared folders with permissions by role, a client portal or secure upload links, and company-controlled accounts you can shut off when someone leaves.
Several teams or locations
Retention rules, audit history of who viewed what, templates for client folders, e-signature and document requests built into your client workflow.
How the way you work changes the choice
- Accounting, legal and financial firms
- Clients exchange sensitive records every season. A secure portal with document requests and reminders fits better than email. Check what your profession's rules require for confidentiality and retention.
- Trades and field crews
- Photos, permits, plans and warranties belong with the job. Storing documents inside your job management tool often works better than a separate file system.
- Agencies and creative work
- Large files, versions and client feedback. Look for easy sharing, version history and commenting.
What to compare
Client-side simplicity
If the portal confuses clients, they will email the file anyway.
Request and chase
Automated reminders for outstanding documents are the real time saver.
Retention and access control
Know where data sits and who can reach it, especially for regulated work.
Cost and setup effort
- Cloud storage is usually priced per user with a storage allowance. Client portals and document request features are often a separate product or a higher tier.
- Setup is agreeing a folder structure and moving existing files into it. Do it once properly, and set permissions before you invite clients.
Trade-offs to weigh
- General storage or a client portal
- General cloud storage is flexible and familiar. A client portal is more structured and secure for clients but is another login for them.
- Standalone or built into your practice tools
- Documents stored inside your practice or job software sit with the client record. General storage is better for internal files and large media.
When to sort it out
As soon as you handle documents a breach would embarrass you over.
Your next step
Answer six short questions about how your business runs. You get an operating plan: where documents and client portals fits among your priorities, the must-haves to hold every option to, and what to compare when you choose.
Where this comes first
Trades and businesses that usually sort this out early.
Often decided alongside
Other parts of running the work.