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Why client portals go unused
Most portals that fail were switched on rather than launched. The usual reasons are easy to recognise:
- Logging in is harder than sending an email. Another username and password, an invitation lost in a spam folder, or a sign-in page that does not look like the MSP.
- There is nothing there the client cannot get faster another way. If the portal shows only the tickets the client already gets emails about, there is no reason to visit.
- Nobody told them what it is for. Clients were sent a link with no explanation of what they can do there.
- The MSP does not use it either. Technicians reply by email and the account manager sends reports as attachments, so the portal is never the place where anything happens.
Make the first login easy
Adoption starts with the first few minutes:
- Create accounts before you announce the portal. Import client contacts from your PSA or Microsoft 365 rather than asking clients to register, and check that each person has the right access.
- Use the sign-in clients already have. Microsoft or Google sign-in, or a one-time email link, removes the forgotten-password problem.
- Put it on your own address and brand. A portal at a web address with your name on it, showing your logo, looks like part of your service rather than a third-party tool. See Can an MSP brand a client portal as its own?
- Send a clear invitation. Say what the portal is, what the client can do there today, and who to contact if sign-in fails.
Give every user a reason to log in
Different people at a client need different reasons:
| Person | A reason to log in |
|---|---|
| Employee | The fastest way to raise a request, and the place to find how-to guides and the guest Wi-Fi details |
| Office manager | Every ticket for their office in one list, plus approvals for requests from their team |
| Finance | Invoices and agreements without asking for copies |
| Executive | Reports, compliance status and the technology plan between business reviews |
Start with the one or two things each client asks you about most. If a client calls weekly to ask whether backups ran, sharing backup status in the portal answers that call for good.
Make the portal the answer, every time
Habits form when every route leads back to the portal:
- Link to it from ticket emails so a client who replies can see the full history.
- Share answers as portal links. When a client asks for a document, send the link to it in the portal rather than an attachment.
- Publish reports there. If business review material lives in the portal, executives learn to look there between meetings.
- Show it in meetings. Walk through the portal on screen during onboarding and reviews.
- Meet clients where they work. A browser extension or a Microsoft Teams app puts the portal one click away for employees who never visit a website on purpose.
Avoid forcing the change by refusing email or phone requests. That frustrates clients and pushes urgent issues into the wrong channel. Make the portal better instead.
How MSPortal supports portal adoption
MSPortal includes several tools for this rollout:
- Account setup: import client contacts from your PSA or Microsoft 365, assign each user a company role, then send welcome emails when you are ready. Importing a contact does not send an invitation, so you control the launch date. The guide to preparing company users covers the steps.
- Sign-in and branding: clients sign in with Microsoft, Google or an emailed magic link. On your custom domain, the sign-in page shows your logo, colours, welcome text and help instructions.
- Easier ticket entry: clients describe a problem in their own words, AI fills in the matching request form, and they review it before submitting. See tickets.
- Reasons to come back: shared documentation and passwords, published reports, compliance status, devices and invoices, depending on what you connect and share.
- More ways in: a Chrome extension for tickets, training and the AI assistant, and a branded Microsoft Teams app with the portal views you choose as tabs. The Teams app is enabled per account, so ask MSPortal support to turn it on.
- Start with new clients: client onboarding workspaces let a newly signed client upload documents, sign and approve in a branded portal, so the portal is part of the relationship from day one.
- Announcements: a portal status banner on the home page for outages and maintenance.
To see how a client's first login looks, book a demo.
Related questions
Should an MSP stop accepting tickets by email to drive portal use?
Usually not. Refusing email frustrates clients and can delay urgent issues. It works better to make the portal faster and more useful than email, and to link to it from every ticket reply.
How do clients sign in to an MSP client portal?
Most portals support a username and password, and many also support Microsoft or Google sign-in. MSPortal supports Microsoft, Google and an emailed magic link, and on a custom domain the MSP chooses which of those methods to offer.
What is the best way to launch a client portal to existing clients?
Prepare accounts first, start with a few friendly clients, show the portal in a meeting, and send invitations that explain what clients can do there today. Then expand client by client.
How can clients follow their tickets in a portal?
Clients open the portal to see status, the assigned technician and public replies for the tickets they are allowed to see. See How can clients see the status of their IT tickets?