Help Centre

Client Portal

The client portal gives each of your clients a private, branded login where they can see their quotes, invoices, files and appointments - and message you - without anything getting lost in email. This guide covers inviting a client, choosing what they can see, and what they can do once they are in.

Inviting a client to their portal

1 Open the client's record and go to the Portal access section.
2 Choose an Invite email from the client's saved addresses - they need at least one email on file before you can invite them.
3 Set the toggles for what they should see (see the next section), then select Send invite.
4 CMA creates a portal login for the client and emails them a link to set their password and sign in. The wording of that invite email can be customised in your team settings.
5 Once sent, an Invited badge appears on the card so you know they have been asked.

Choosing which features clients can access

1 In the Portal access section, the Visible sections toggles control what the client sees: Quotes, Invoices, Files, Meetings and Messages.
2 Switch any section off to hide it from that client - for example, leave Invoices on but turn Meetings off if you do not take bookings from them.
3 The Enable portal toggle is the master switch: turn it off to suspend a client's access entirely without deleting their login.
4 Select Save access to apply changes to the toggles without sending another invite email.
5 Each toggle controls both what the client sees and what they can do - turning Files off, for example, also stops them uploading.

How clients view and accept quotes

1 With the Quotes permission on, the client sees their quotes in the portal and can open one to read the full breakdown of line items and totals.
2 Where you have marked lines as optional, the client can tick or untick them and the total updates to match what they have chosen.
3 To accept, the client enters their name and signs on screen - CMA records the acceptance date, the name, the signature and the client's IP address as proof.
4 Once accepted, the quote is locked and shows that it was accepted, with the date and name, to both of you.
5 Clients can also leave a comment against a line if they have a question before accepting.

Client-side file uploads and messaging

1 With the Files permission on, the client can upload photos, sketches and documents from the Project Files & Inspiration page in their portal, and you get an email when they do (see the Documents & Media guide).
2 With the Messages permission on, the client can chat with you from a Messages page, and their replies land in your Messages inbox (see the Messaging guide).
3 Both are two-way: files the client uploads appear on their record, and messages stay in one shared thread you can both read.
4 Turn either permission off for a client who should not have that section.

Booking meetings through the portal

1 With the Meetings permission on, the client sees a Book a meeting page showing your free weekday slots for the next two weeks.
2 They pick a slot and confirm, and the appointment drops straight into your diary as Scheduled, with an email to both of you (see the Scheduling guide).
3 A client can cancel one of their own bookings up to 24 hours before it starts - any closer and they need to contact you directly.
4 Turn Meetings off for any client you would rather book in yourself.

Want the bigger picture? See the full feature overview .

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