Using the Client Portal

Overview

The Client Portal is a secure, branded web page your clients access to view quotes, accept work, check job progress, view invoices, and message your team. There is no app to download and no login required — each link is personal to the client and works in any browser.

Who uses this feature

The Business Owner (or Admin) enables and configures the portal. Anyone who builds a quote sets the portal link in motion. Supervisors can share job and portal details with clients. Finance manages the invoice that appears in the portal. Tradies and Apprentices deliver the work and add the updates clients see, but do not manage portal settings. The client uses the portal directly.

When to use this feature

• You want clients to accept quotes online with one click.
• You want clients to see real-time job progress.
• You want a centralised place for client messages, quotes, jobs, and invoices.

What you can do with this feature

• Enable or disable the Client Portal (Business Settings → Site).
• Send quotes that include a portal link for online acceptance.
• Share job details (booking time, location, description, status updates, notes, photos) with the client.
• Allow clients to view invoices.
• Allow clients to message your business via the portal.
• Show licences and qualifications on portal quotes (per licence, opt-in).

How the feature works

Step 1 — Enable the Client Portal

1. The Business Owner or Admin goes to Business Settings → Site tab.
2. Toggle Client Portal to ON and save.
3. Note that there are two separate toggles on this tab — make sure you enable the Client Portal toggle.

Step 2 — Send a quote

Once the portal is on, every new quote includes a View and Accept Quote link in the client notification email. Create and send the quote as normal — see Creating and Sending Quotes.

Step 3 — The client opens their portal

1. The client clicks the link in the email.
2. The portal opens in their browser on a clean dashboard showing a count of active quotes and jobs, with an Action Required alert if a quote is waiting.
3. The portal has five tabs: Messages, Quotes, Jobs, Invoices, and Enquiries.
4. Clients can also submit a new enquiry using the Make another enquiry button.

Step 4 — The client accepts the quote

1. The client opens the quote and sees the header and status, a Quote Summary (subtotal, GST, total), a full line-item breakdown with a PDF download, your licences and qualifications (if shared), and a visual Quote Progress timeline.
2. They select Accept Quote.
3. A Questions? Message us link lets them contact your team without leaving the portal.

Step 5 — Your business is notified and creates the job

1. Your business receives an automatic notification that the quote has been accepted.
2. A Business Owner, Admin, or Supervisor selects Accept and Create Job to convert the accepted quote into a job.
3. The client is automatically notified by email when the job is created.

Step 6 — Set the schedule and share job details

1. Once an accepted job has had its schedule set, MyApprentice presents the Client Sharing option.
2. Use Client Sharing to share job details — booking time, location, description, status updates, notes, and photos — with the client through the portal.

Step 7 — The client tracks progress

1. The client opens the job from the Jobs tab to view shared details in real time.
2. As Supervisors and assigned staff deliver the work, portal job statuses move through Scheduling in progress, Scheduled, Work in progress, and Completed.

Step 8 — The client views the invoice

1. When Finance or the Business Owner sends the invoice, it appears in the client’s portal showing the invoice summary, amount paid, outstanding balance, line items, and an Invoice Progress indicator.
2. When online payments are set up, the client can pay from the portal with Pay Now. Which link appears — Xero’s hosted Pay Now page (authorised invoices, when the Xero Pay Now setting is on) or the MyApprentice Stripe link — and how the payment reconciles depends on your Stripe, Xero, and Client Portal setup. See Connecting Stripe for Online Payments.

What clients can and cannot see

Clients only see information your business has explicitly shared with them. By default, most information is internal:

• Visible: the quote, the job (only after Client Sharing is enabled and the schedule is set), the invoice, and shared photos (those with Share with Client toggled on).
• Not visible by default: internal team notes, internal-only photos, other client records, financial reports.

Role-specific notes

• Business Owner / Admin: enable, configure, and share. Decide what to share with clients.
• Supervisor: can share job and portal details with clients.
• Finance: manages the invoice that appears in the portal.
• Tradie / Apprentice: deliver the work; add the status updates, notes, and photos that the client sees (when the photo is shared) — but do not manage portal settings.

Related workflows

• Creating and Sending Quotes
• Recording Quote Acceptance and Converting to a Job
• Creating and Managing Jobs
• Doing the Work on Your Shift
• Messaging Clients
• Creating, Sending, and Tracking Invoices
• Connecting and Using Xero

Important notes

• Portal OFF: quote links are hidden from emails. The client receives the quote PDF only and accepts by reply email or phone — no online acceptance button. Job updates and invoice communication are managed by phone, email, or SMS.
• Portal ON: the client can accept online via the portal, and can still accept by reply email or phone.
• Disabling the portal mid-job immediately removes all client access. Coordinate with the client before disabling.
• Client Sharing appears after scheduling. The option to share job details is presented once an accepted job has had its schedule set.
• Licences and qualifications are shown per-licence — tick Show on client portal quotes for each licence you want clients to see.
• Quotes are not affected by Xero. With Xero connected, invoice payment is reconciled in Xero, so Mark as paid is hidden in MyApprentice.