What is a client portal, and does my business need one?
A client portal is one private page per customer where quotes, agreements, invoices, files and messages live together. It earns its place when clients sign or pay more than once, send files, or phone to ask where things stand. If most jobs are one call and one invoice, you do not need one, and we will say so.
Do my clients need an account or a password?
No. A signed link in an email or text opens the portal directly, and a homeowner in iFloor never creates an account. For the private rooms we add a second key: Messages and Files ask for a 6-digit code sent to the address on file, then trust that device for 30 days.
Is an electronic signature valid in British Columbia?
For most business agreements, yes. BC's Electronic Transactions Act says a legal requirement for a signature is met by an electronic one, with exceptions such as wills, powers of attorney and documents that transfer an interest in land. We record who signed and when; for a document with special legal weight, ask your lawyer first.
What is recorded when a client signs?
The signer's typed name, the time, the IP address and, on iFloor, the drawn signature and browser, with consent ticked and a second signature on the same document refused. Staff can download a PDF of every version, every signature request and every event, and the signed copy is filed on the client's record.
Can clients pay inside the portal?
Yes. The portal shows open invoices with a pay page and a PDF, receipts and the running plan. After signing a monthly agreement a client pays the first month by card in one step, the card is saved for later months, and a receipt goes out once when the money settles.
Can you add a portal to the CRM or website we already use?
We start by checking what your current tools can share, because a portal is only as current as the records behind it. Ours read live from the CRM underneath, so nothing is copied by hand. If your tools cannot share records reliably, the assessment says so and recommends the simplest path, including a CRM built around the portal.
How is this different from a signing app or a portal subscription?
A standalone signing tool handles one step, and your client meets its brand instead of yours. In a portal we build, the signature sits between the quote the client accepted and the invoice that follows, on one record in your colours and on your web address, so nobody retypes a price or chases a signed copy.
Who owns the portal and the signed documents?
You do. The signed agreements, the client records and the files are your business records, and the code we write for you is yours once the project is paid. In NameCRM one click exports everything as a zip of spreadsheet files with a manifest of the files, so your records never depend on us.