Top 5 Best Client Portal Software for 2024
Managing client information and communication effectively is a key part of running a profitable agency. To make your job easier, modern solutions such as client portal software are at your disposal. The popularity of these apps has grown exponentially in recent years—and there’s a reason for that. The best client portal tools can help you replace multiple services that are probably making your current workflow messy.
With so many software variations available, choosing the right one for your business can be a daunting task. To help you out, I’ve put together a list of client portal solutions (featuring Service Provider Pro and other tools) to streamline your operations.
What is client portal software?
Customer portal software is an online tool that allows businesses to manage all their tasks, from client onboarding to invoice generation, payment processing, and task management. There is a clear distinction between a dedicated client portal where customers log into to mange subscriptions, and solutions that allow companies to also log in and manage projects.
What most companies are looking for is a customizable client portal software that they can modify in order to suit their needs. The software could, for instance, allow them to adjust the branding in order to provide a unified experience for their customers. Some client portal software enables businesses to also extend its features, for instance by integrating with Zapier, or providing an API.
Features client portal software should have
According to the PwC Future of Customer Experience Survey 2017/18, customers area ready to pay more for convenience and efficiency. With the right platform, you can offer them exactly that.
Where do you begin, though, when it comes to doing research, and narrowing your selection down to a handful of candidates? While there are tons of different kinds of options out there, a great client portal for agencies is defined by the following:
Self-service: According to our own customer portal best practices, self-service should play a major role in your company. Basically, your clients should be able to log in and find the information they need to resolve their own issues without having to rely on you or your team. Thanks to everything being behind a login and on a self-service basis, there’s potential to automate onboarding of your clients.
Security: A great software solution will have features in place, so that your clients’ data safe is kept securely on a server out of reach to third parties. They are able to securely share files and data without having to leave the portal. And everything is saved redundantly in cloud storage to minimze data loss.
Customizable: A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work for everyone. The best client portals can be customized to fit the specific needs of your business. This usually goes above and beyond simply uploading a logo. For instance, an SEO agency might need to display reports on a per-client basis.
Cloud-based: No need to hire anyone to maintain the app, as the original developer takes care of the cloud hosting and maintenance. Plus, you don’t have to worry about updates or security vulnerabilities.
Centralize information: Project data, email notifications, tasks—everything is managed from one place (for you and your clients). This makes it easy for you to collaborate with external parties too!
4 benefits of using client portal software
With the growing number of customer portals, it’s important to make sure that their feature set aligns with what your team needs currently (and in the future). With that said, any portal should bring clear benefits to your team.
Here are four that you can mention to your team if they are not yet convinced:
It helps you stay organized: If you’re working with multiple clients at once, it can be tough to keep track of everything. A portal for your clients helps you keep all of your client information in one place, so you can easily find what you need when you need it.
It makes communication easier: Thanks to in-app messages and email notifications, a client communication portal makes it a breeze to stay in touch with your clients. You can easily stay in touch with your clients while allowing them to reply to you how and when they want to. This makes it simpler and faster to get the information your clients need.
It improves the customer experience: When your clients can easily access the information they need, it makes them happy. And when your clients are happy, they’re more likely to stick around. Increased customer satisfaction also reduces the chance for churn while increasing the possibility of them leaving a review.
It saves you time: Modern software solutions allow you to automate some of the tasks that you would otherwise have to do manually. This saves you time and energy, so you can focus on other things.
If you want to learn more about the many benefits of portal software for clients, feel free to check out this article on why you need a client portal.
Let’s move on to the five software solutions I’ve picked out to feature in this blog post.
Best client portal software for 2024
1) Service Provider Pro (SPP): ideal for agencies
If you’re looking for a software solution that’s specifically designed for B2B agencies and service providers, Service Provider Pro (SPP) is a great choice. The client billing portal is designed with flexibility and simplicity in mind—two musts when it comes to B2B product portals.
Whenever a new client places an order, a client account is automatically registered with SPP. When the client logs in, they can access their account to view order updates, invoices, documents, and more from a central dashboard. They can also message you directly through the portal—so, no more switching back and forth between email and your portal!
For agencies, SPP streamlines workflows by combining project management and collaboration tools within the the same interface. This makes it easy to keep your team organized and on track, while still providing your clients with the information they need—even for small companies.
Other great features of SPP include:
fully white label portal on certain plans
ability to upload your own logo, colors, and use a custom domain name
built-in billing, and order management systems to help you manage your clients and their projects
the helpdesk makes client communication seemless
payment gateways powered by Stripe and PayPal
the ability to dive into the code and customize the portal to fit your specific needs
built-in reseller affiliate program to track referrals
integrations with popular products like Mailchimp and Zapier
SPP allows me to keep everything from payments, orders, client communication, order forms, tasks, etc all in a single place. It’s the solid foundation I need to be able to SCALE.
If you’re looking for the ideal customer portal for B2B agencies and service providers, check out Service Provider Pro (SPP). It’s the perfect solution for those who want to switch away from a client portal for WordPress.
2) Zoho Invoice: best budget option
Of the customer portal examples on our list, Zoho Invoice is simple and affordable, especially for those looking to start a new agency. It offers all the basics, like billing and project updates, while being user-friendly. Oh, and it’s totally free to use!
Invoice creation as well as sending them only takes a few clicks. Your clients can log into the portal to view them, make payments, and leave comments if changes need to be made. The portal can be used to track of your projects, and update clients regarding their progress.
Other Zoho Invoice features include:
A wide range of templates to choose from
The ability to add your own branding
Integrations with popular payment processors like PayPal and Stripe
A mobile app so you can manage your product portal on the go
If you’re looking for a scalable solution, with flexibility to conform to the way you’re doing business, I’d say give Zoho Invoice a look. I'm an individual consultant, and it works great for me. I'm able to brand my invoices, send reports, and give customers access to a client portal, so they can see what has been invoiced, when it's due, as well as see the time I'm logging.
If you’re looking for a simple and budget-friendly solution, Zoho Invoice is a great choice. With that being said, you are getting what you pay for, as this solution doesn’t offer as many features as other alternatives on this list.
3) Moxo: perfect for larger businesses
The Moxo OneStop Client Hub is an enterprise-level software with an impressive list of clientele that includes:
Citibank
FIS
American Equity
It’s packed with features, like a CRM, project management tools, and document sharing. Plus, it offers a high degree of customization, so you can make it work for your specific business needs.
Moxo is designed to be a one-stop shop for your clients. They can log in to view their project progress, documents, and more. Plus, they can easily contact you or your team through the portal.
Other features include:
A wide range of integrations, so you can connect all of your business tools
A custom-branded customer portal to strengthen your brand
Advanced security features to keep your data safe
The ability to track your sales pipeline and close more deals
Moxo has been incredibly straightforward for my clients to adopt as their portal. It helps the client be very clear on what their expectations are, gives them the ability to communicate as if they were texting thanks to the app, and helps me set expectations.
However, it’s worth noting that this solution is geared towards larger businesses. For starters, it’s fairly expensive. The basic pricing tier will cost you $120/month plus a $300 setup fee, but the recommended tier costs $450/month plus a $1,500 setup fee. Plus, it requires a bit of a learning curve to use.
With that being said, if you’re looking for an enterprise-level app, the Moxo is definitely worth considering.
4) Huddle: impresses with its security features
If security is a top concern for your business, Huddle is worth a closer look. It offers military-grade security features, like 256-bit encryption and two-factor authentication. Plus, it comes with all the other features you’d expect from this type of software, like project management tools and secure file sharing.
Businesses that need to comply with data security regulations (e.g., HIPAA and GDPR) and those that work in industries where security breaches could have serious consequences (e.g., law firms and healthcare organizations using EMR software), are the main target group for Huddle.
Other security features include:
User activity tracking, so you can see who’s accessing what data
The ability to set security permissions, so you can control who has access to sensitive data
A comprehensive audit trail, so you can see who’s been doing what with your client’s data
Huddle allows us to collaborate across members and businesses. This is essential for our committees and provides a safe, secure space for the storage of confidential information.
Although it might seem like the tool is geared towards technical people, it’s rather user-friendly, so you’ll be up in running in no time.
5) SupportBee: known for customer support features
SupportBee is a customer support platform at its core, so it focuses on client communication feature. It offers everything you need to provide great customer service, like a ticketing system and live chat. Plus, it has a few extra features, like project management and document sharing.
One of the things that sets SupportBee apart from the other portal software on this list is its focus on customer support. If your business offers services or products that require ongoing customer support, this could be a great solution for you.
Some of SupportBee’s customer support features include:
a knowledge base, so your customers can find answers to their questions without needing to contact you
a self-service portal, so your customers can view their support tickets and submit new ones
integrations with popular CRM platforms, so you can keep track of your customers
To summarize, SupportBee is a great choice if you need a solution with robust customer support features.
Improved client experience with secure client portal software
Cloud-based software for your client management can help you take your business to the next level. By giving them a central place for their data, you can make it easier for them to do business with you. Plus, you can use it to streamline your own internal processes, and scale your company.
If you’re looking for a solution that’s built with agencies in mind, be sure to check out Service Provider Pro (SPP). Our platform is packed with client portal features that will help you win more clients and deliver great results.
