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A customer portal that answers 'any update?' before it is asked
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The short answer
A customer portal is the self-service side of customer management: a login where clients check the status of their job or file, download documents, approve items and pay invoices, all drawn from the same records your team keeps in the CRM. Redenn builds each portal on Next.js and Supabase with row-level security, so every client sees only their own records. Each portal is scoped and quoted per project and runs on Redenn Dynamic hosting or on your own accounts.
What changes
- Fewer status questions for your staff, because the portal answers them
- Documents delivered and approvals collected with a record of who did what, when
- Invoices visible and payable without a chase
- Each client sees only their own records, enforced at the database level
- One set of records serving both staff and clients
What is included
- Client login with status view for each job, file or order
- Role-based access for clients, staff and admins
- Document delivery and upload
- Approvals and e-signature where needed
- Invoice view and payment links
- Notifications when something changes
- Staff-side admin to manage clients and records
- CRM or job-system connection so records update once
How it works
- 01
Decide what to expose
We list the questions clients ask and pick the records that answer them.
- 02
Connect the source
The portal reads from your CRM or job system so staff update one place.
- 03
Build and test
Client and staff sides built on staging, tested with a real client case.
- 04
Onboard and keep current
Clients invited; a short staff routine keeps the records the portal depends on up to date.
Price
Quoted per project
Prices are in Canadian dollars and exclude taxes. Any tax that applies is shown separately on your invoice.
Full price listWho this is for
Businesses that carry client work over weeks or months and field the same status questions daily: immigration consultants, law firms, accountants, mortgage brokers, renovators and freight companies. The portal turns those questions into a page the client checks.
It is not for one-visit customers or for a business that will not keep records current. A portal showing stale information does more harm than none.
What clients can do
| Client action | Data source | What it replaces |
|---|---|---|
| Check status of a file, job or shipment | CRM or job system stage | The 'any update?' email |
| Download documents | Stored files linked to the record | Attachments hunted through email |
| Upload requested documents | Checklist per file | Missing paperwork chased by phone |
| Approve a quote or change order | Document with e-signature | Printed, signed, scanned |
| Pay an invoice | Accounting or invoice record with payment link | Cheque in the mail |
| Send a message on the file | Thread tied to the record | Loose email chains |
How it is built
The portal is a Next.js application with Supabase providing authentication, Postgres storage and file storage. Row-level security policies mean a client's query cannot return another client's rows, whatever the interface does. Staff use an admin view on the same system, so there is one source of truth.
Integrations are named in the quote: a CRM feed so new clients appear automatically, accounting software for invoice status, e-signature for approvals, or an AI assistant that answers routine questions from the client's own records.
Keeping it current
The portal only works if it reads from records your staff already keep. We connect it to the CRM or job system rather than creating a second place to update, add notifications so clients know when to look, and give staff a short routine: update the stage when it changes, attach the document when it is ready. A weekly check on stale records is part of the first three months.
What it costs
The portal is quoted per project. On Redenn hosting it runs on Dynamic at CA$49 per month or Pro Managed at CA$99 per month, plus usage. CRM integration from CA$99 connects the records; payment integration from CA$99 adds Stripe payment links, with processor fees paid to Stripe.
Usage (AI, call minutes, SMS, email) is billed by each provider directly to your own account; none is included in our prices. Ask about a trial period to see your real usage first.
Prices are in Canadian dollars and exclude taxes. Any tax that applies is shown separately on your invoice.
Limitations and honest notes
Client records are personal information. PIPEDA governs how businesses handle personal information in their commercial activities across Canada; Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia have their own private-sector privacy laws, and Quebec's Law 25 adds obligations there. Quebec's Charter of the French Language, as amended by Bill 96, requires businesses operating in Quebec to make their commercial websites and publications available in French; other languages can sit alongside. This is general information, not legal advice.
Some clients will never log in. The portal reduces status questions; it does not end them, and the phone still needs answering.
Redenn does not build portals that duplicate data. If your CRM or job system cannot be connected, that is fixed first.
Questions
Do clients need to install anything?
No. The portal is a secure website that works on any phone or computer, with an emailed invitation to set a password.
Can clients message through the portal?
Yes, on the record they are asking about, so the thread stays with the file instead of in a personal inbox.
What about clients who will not use it?
They keep phoning, and your staff answer from the same records. The portal removes the questions from the clients who prefer to self-serve.
How is client data kept separate?
With row-level security in Postgres. Each query runs as the logged-in user and the database itself refuses rows that do not belong to them, independent of the interface.
How long does a customer portal take to build?
It depends on the number of record types and integrations, so the ship date is in the written quote.
Related
Services
- Web ApplicationsAccounts, data and workflows on Next.js and Supabase, scoped to a fixed price with a ship date in writing.
- CRM IntegrationsForms, chat, booking, phone and ad lead forms feeding your CRM with the source recorded.
- CRM for Small BusinessOne system for leads, customers, conversations and jobs; off-the-shelf setup first, custom when it must be.
- Document AutomationQuotes, contracts, intake forms and reports generated from data you already hold.
- Website SecurityStatic builds, SSL, updates, access control and monitoring included with hosting; audits of other sites quoted.
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Manage it. With customer portal.
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