What should an agency put in a client portal?
Put current progress, shared files, clear requests and the next milestone in your agency client portal. Keep internal notes and unfinished work private. Every item should help the client understand what is happening or what they need to do.
Give the portal a clear job
A client portal is a shared place where a client can see selected information about their work with your agency. Its purpose should be easy to explain: see progress, find the current files and understand what you need from them.
For a small agency, start with those jobs. Adding every internal task and document can make the portal harder to use. A useful portal answers a few practical questions reliably.
What belongs in the portal
| Client question | What to show |
|---|---|
| Where are we up to? | A short current status and the next milestone. |
| What do you need from me? | A specific request, who should answer it and when it is needed. |
| Where is the latest file? | The current shared version, clearly named and labelled. |
| What changed? | A dated update explaining the decision or change. |
| Who should I contact? | The agency contact and agreed place to ask questions. |
Write requests the client can act on
A request should explain the action, the context and the timing. “Please upload assets” leaves the client to work out what you mean. “Please upload your current logo as an SVG or high-resolution PNG before the design kickoff” is more useful.
Only set a deadline you can explain. If an input affects a milestone, say how. If it can wait, avoid presenting it as urgent. Group related requests so the client does not have to piece together instructions from several places.
Keep these things internal
- Rough work that has not been selected for client review.
- Internal estimates, staffing discussions and private notes.
- Information or files belonging to another client.
- Superseded files that could be mistaken for the current deliverable.
- Passwords or access details that belong in an approved credential-sharing process.
Decide what to share deliberately. Before inviting a client, check the portal from their perspective and confirm the visibility of each item. Access controls help, but they do not replace a review of what you have chosen to expose.
Keep progress updates short
A useful update can be three lines: what is complete, what is happening next and what is needed from the client. If a milestone moves, explain the change and the new next step. Avoid showing a reassuring status while the underlying work is blocked.
Illustrative example: “The homepage design is ready for review. Next, we will apply the agreed direction to the remaining pages. Please send one combined set of comments by Thursday so we can confirm the next review date.”
Agree how the portal and email work together
Tell the client where final files and current requests will live. Explain whether you will also send an email when something needs attention. Do not assume a client sees an update simply because someone added it to the portal.
If you use notifications, test the actual experience before promising how they work. Decide who follows up if an important request receives no reply. A portal can hold the request; your team still owns the communication.
Is a portal worth setting up for every client?
It can be useful when work has repeated reviews, several shared files or ongoing requests. For a small, one-off piece of work with one deliverable, a clear email and an agreed file location may be sufficient. Choose the process that is easiest for the client to keep using.
Do not judge adoption by whether the portal exists. Ask whether the client can find the current file and tell you what they need to do next. If they keep asking for the same information by email, check the wording and organisation before adding more features.
Using a portal in Stack
Stack includes client portals alongside client management. The published product information describes shared progress, documents, messages and requests, with the agency choosing what the client sees. Use that as the starting point for a small, deliberate setup.
Before inviting your first client, review one real portal: check the visible files, write a clear next request and confirm how the client will hear about it. Keep the setup small enough that the team can maintain it.