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How can clients find IT documentation without opening a ticket?

Short answer

Clients can find IT documentation without opening a ticket when their MSP publishes approved guides, documents and shared passwords in the client portal they already use, with visibility set by company and role. MSPortal shows documentation shared from Hudu or IT Glue next to pages and files written in MSPortal, and logs every time a client reveals a shared password.

By MSPortal · Updated

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Which documentation clients actually look for

Most "quick question" tickets ask for something the MSP has already written down. Typical examples:

  • the guest Wi-Fi network and password;
  • how to connect to a printer or the VPN;
  • how to set up email on a new phone;
  • the acceptable use policy or another company policy;
  • a vendor's support number or login page;
  • what to do on a new starter's first day.

These are worth sharing. Technician runbooks, network diagrams with admin details, and anything that would help an attacker are not. Draw that line before you share anything.

How to share IT documentation with clients safely

A few rules keep shared documentation useful and safe:

  1. Share nothing by default. Publish specific folders or documents deliberately, rather than exposing everything and hiding exceptions.
  2. Share by role. The office manager may need vendor logins that other staff do not.
  3. Treat passwords separately. Give password access its own permission, show values only on request and record who revealed what.
  4. Keep one source of truth. Write documentation once in your documentation tool and show it to clients from there, so it does not drift out of date in two places.
  5. Use clients' words. Title a guide "Connect to the office Wi-Fi", not "SSID config – HQ".
  6. Put the common items up front. A short page of the documents people use most beats a deep folder tree.

Where client-facing documentation should live

MSPs usually choose between three places. A shared drive or emailed PDF is easy to start but goes out of date and is hard to find later. A documentation tool's own client portal means clients have yet another login to remember. A client portal that already holds tickets, reports and invoices puts documentation where clients already go, so they search there before they email.

The third option works best when it is also where clients raise requests. A client who cannot find the answer can open a ticket from the same screen. See what an MSP client portal is.

How MSPortal shares documentation with clients

MSPortal connects to Hudu or IT Glue, one per portal. It syncs documents, folders, assets, procedures or checklists and password entries, and with IT Glue also configurations. If you use Liongard, its inspector data can appear in Documentation too. Content is automatically updated on a schedule; documents and articles, for example, sync every four hours. You still create and edit provider content in Hudu or IT Glue, so MSPortal does not replace your documentation tool.

You can also write pages in MSPortal's editor and upload Word, Excel, PDF and CSV files, with revision history. These do not need Hudu or IT Glue, and they sit in the same folder tree as your provider folders.

Clients see only what you share. You set visibility by folder, document, asset, procedure and password, for each client company and role. A resource hub puts the documents, folders and links clients use most on one page, and can serve as the documentation home or the client's overview page. Global search finds shared documents alongside tickets and devices.

Shared passwords have extra controls:

  • Password sharing stays off until you turn it on, and users need a separate password permission.
  • Values are fetched from Hudu or IT Glue each time someone clicks Reveal, not stored in MSPortal.
  • A revealed value hides again after 90 seconds, and every reveal is logged. If the log entry cannot be written, the password is not shown.
  • One-time codes are never displayed.

Two features help clients find answers before a ticket is needed. The portal's AI assistant answers questions from the documents each user can see. Related guides offers up to three relevant documents while a client drafts a ticket; AI writes a summary for each guide and a person marks it reviewed before any client sees it. MSPortal support turns Related guides on per organization.

The documentation feature page shows the client view, and the documentation guide and shared password guide cover the details.

Which documentation tools does MSPortal integrate with?

MSPortal integrates with Hudu and IT Glue, with one connected per portal. Liongard inspector data can also appear in Documentation. Pages and files written in MSPortal work without any documentation integration.

Are shared passwords stored in MSPortal?

No. MSPortal fetches a password from Hudu or IT Glue each time an authorized user reveals it. The value hides after 90 seconds and every reveal is logged.

Can clients edit documentation in the portal?

No. The MSP manages pages, uploads, folders and sharing, and provider records are edited in Hudu or IT Glue. Client users read what has been shared with them.

Does sharing documentation reduce the need for tickets?

It gives clients a way to answer common questions themselves, such as finding the Wi-Fi password, and a ticket is still one click away. See how MSPs get clients to submit better tickets.

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