Your clients are used to self-service. They check their bank balance at midnight. They track their Amazon delivery in real time. They expect the same convenience from you.
That expectation has many service businesses wondering: do we need a client portal?
The answer isn't automatic. A client portal is an investment—in software, in process change, in ongoing maintenance. Before you commit, understand whether it's actually right for your business.
What Client Portals Actually Do
At their core, client portals give customers secure access to information and services without contacting your team. Common features include:
Document access. Contracts, invoices, reports, and deliverables in one place. Clients find what they need without emailing your team.
Project visibility. Status updates, milestones, timelines, and progress reports. Clients see where things stand without asking.
Communication tools. Messaging, request submission, and support tickets. Conversations stay organised and searchable.
Self-service actions. Appointment booking, information updates, payment submission. Clients help themselves when convenient for them.
Secure file sharing. Upload and download capabilities with appropriate access controls. No more large email attachments.
The promise is compelling: happier clients who feel informed, and fewer interruptions for your team. But the promise and reality don't always match.
When Portals Make Sense
Client portals add genuine value when:
Client interactions are frequent. If clients regularly need documents, updates, or to submit requests, a portal reduces repetitive work for both sides. Monthly accounting clients checking financial reports. Ongoing consulting engagements with regular deliverables. Property management with tenants needing maintenance requests.
Information needs are self-serve compatible. Some questions are "look it up" questions—invoice dates, project status, document retrieval. Portals handle these brilliantly. Other questions require conversation and judgment. Portals don't help there.
Document management is already painful. If you're drowning in email attachments, struggling with version control, or worried about security, a portal centralises everything with proper access controls.
Clients expect it. In some industries, portals are table stakes. Financial services, legal, accounting—clients expect secure online access. Not having one signals you're behind.
When Portals Don't Make Sense
Portals are wrong investments when:
Client relationships are infrequent. If you deliver a project, hand over the files, and move on, there's nothing to portal. One-time engagements don't justify the infrastructure.
Personal relationships matter more than efficiency. Some clients want to talk to a human. They value the relationship more than the convenience. A portal can feel like you're pushing them away.
Your processes aren't ready. A portal surfaces your processes to clients. If those processes are messy, inconsistent, or unclear, the portal will expose that. Fix the processes first.
You don't have capacity to maintain it. Portals aren't set-and-forget. They need content updates, user support, software maintenance, and security attention. If you can't commit to ongoing care, the portal will degrade into an embarrassment.
The Options
If you decide a portal makes sense, you have three paths:
Off-the-shelf portal software like Clinked, SuiteDash, or client portal features in practice management tools. Cost: £20-£100/month. Setup: days. Limitation: you adapt your processes to the software's capabilities.
Portal features in your existing platform. HubSpot, Salesforce, and similar tools offer portal modules. Cost: varies by platform tier. Advantage: integrated with your existing data. Limitation: features may be basic compared to specialist tools.
Custom-built portal designed around your exact requirements by a client portal development agency or web application consultancy. Cost: £15,000-£50,000 typically. Timeline: 8-16 weeks. Advantage: works exactly how you want. Limitation: higher investment, ongoing maintenance responsibility.
The right choice depends on how unique your requirements are and how many clients you're serving.
GDPR and Security Considerations
UK businesses handling client data through a portal must take security seriously:
Data protection by design. Your portal must protect personal data with appropriate technical measures. Encryption, access controls, audit logging.
Clear privacy information. Clients need to know what data you're collecting and how you're using it. Your portal needs appropriate privacy notices.
Access management. When client relationships end, access should be revoked promptly. When staff leave, their access must be removed. Build these processes from day one.
Secure hosting. Where does the portal data live? UK or EU hosting is safest for GDPR compliance. Understand your provider's security certifications.
These aren't optional extras—they're legal requirements. Factor compliance into your planning and budget.
Making the Decision
Ask yourself these questions:
- How often do clients need information or documents from us?
- What percentage of client enquiries could be handled by self-service?
- Are we losing clients or damaging relationships due to accessibility issues?
- Do competitors have portals, and does it matter?
- Do we have capacity to implement and maintain a portal properly?
- What's the realistic cost-benefit over three years?
If you score high on the first four questions and can answer yes to the last two, a portal probably makes sense. Working with a bespoke client portal development agency in London or a web application development consultancy can help you get it right.
If you're uncertain, start smaller. Share documents through a secure service like SharePoint or Google Drive. Use project management tools with client access. Test the concept before committing to dedicated portal infrastructure.
A client portal can be a genuine differentiator. Or it can be expensive shelf-ware that nobody uses. The difference is whether you're solving a real problem or chasing a trend.