How the Client Self-Service Portal Works
What clients can do on the portal, how portal accounts differ from staff accounts, and how the portal connects to tickets, invoices, and documents.
What the Client Portal does
The Client Portal is a separate, branded web interface that your clients access — it is not the same as the staff dashboard. Clients use it to self-serve: submit tickets, track existing tickets, pay invoices, download documents, and accept proposals. Everything a client does on the portal feeds directly into the platform — no duplication or manual sync.
Where clients access the portal
The portal URL is specific to your tenant — typically portal.yourdomain.com or a subdomain configured in your white-label settings. Clients bookmark this URL and log in with their portal account (not a Plenix staff account).
Key distinction: Client portal accounts and staff/admin accounts are completely separate. A client logging into the portal cannot see any staff features, other clients' data, or any of the platform modules. They only see their own data.
What clients can do on the portal
Tickets
- Submit new support tickets (with attachments, priority, and description)
- View the status and history of all their tickets
- Add comments to existing tickets
- Provide CSAT (satisfaction) feedback when a ticket is resolved
Invoices
- View all their invoices with status (paid / unpaid / overdue)
- Pay outstanding invoices via Stripe, GoCardless, or PayPal — directly from the portal
- Download PDF copies of invoices
Documents
- Access documents your team has shared with them (user guides, reports, etc.)
- Download files with version history
Proposals
- View proposals sent to them
- Accept or decline proposals online
- If configured: sign proposals electronically (e-signature capability)
Devices (if enabled)
- View the list of their monitored devices and current online/offline status
- See basic health indicators
Account
- Manage their contact details
- Add or manage additional portal users at their company
The AI Chatbot and Live Chat
If you have configured the AI Chatbot (in Autonomy → Chatbot), a chat widget appears on the portal. Clients type their question; the chatbot searches your published Knowledge Base articles and answers using AI. If it can't answer:
- It can automatically create a support ticket (with the client's question as the description)
- Or escalate to Live Chat — a real-time conversation with your support team visible in Inbox → Live Chat
If you configure the Live Chat widget separately (from Inbox → Live Chat → Embed Widget), it can also appear on your public website, independent of the portal.
Portal accounts and how to create them
Portal accounts are created in two ways:
- Manually — go to the client's CRM company, click the Contacts tab, find the contact, and enable portal access. They receive an invitation email.
- Automatically — when a client accepts a proposal, a portal account can be provisioned automatically.
Portal users can only see their own company's data. If a company has multiple contacts with portal access, they all see the same shared view of that company's tickets, invoices, and documents.
CSAT (Customer Satisfaction)
When a ticket is resolved, the client receives an email asking them to rate their experience. Ratings are visible on the ticket and in aggregate in Reports. CSAT scores also contribute to the Customer Success health score for that client.
How the Portal connects to the rest of the platform
Service Desk: Tickets submitted on the portal appear immediately in the Service Desk. Client comments on portal tickets appear as comments on the ticket.
Billing: Invoice payment on the portal processes through the same payment providers as direct billing — Stripe, GoCardless, or PayPal.
Documents: Files shared in the Documents module appear in the client's portal.
CRM: Portal user accounts are tied to CRM contacts. Portal activity (logins, ticket submissions) is tracked as engagement.
Customer Success: Portal login frequency is tracked as a health signal — an active portal user is more engaged than one who never logs in.
Where to go next
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