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Why clients struggle to order through email
Without a portal, buying IT products from an MSP usually means an email thread. The client asks for "another Microsoft 365 licence", someone asks which plan, someone else asks whether it is monthly or annual, and the client has no idea whether the order has been placed. Common problems:
- Clients do not know what they already have. They ask for a licence they already pay for, or forget to reduce one when someone leaves.
- Clients do not know what is available. They buy elsewhere because nobody told them their MSP offers it.
- Requests get lost. An email to one person sits unanswered while they are on holiday.
- Nobody knows the status. Approved, ordered or still waiting all look the same from the client's side.
Storefront, service catalogue or quote: which fits which purchase?
"Ordering through the portal" covers three different flows, and most MSPs need more than one.
| Flow | Best for | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Storefront | Cloud subscriptions and licences from a distributor | Client picks a product or existing subscription, enters a quantity and term, and submits a request |
| Service request form | Hardware, new starters, one-off services | Client fills in a form, often with an approval step, which becomes a ticket |
| Quote | Larger or customised purchases and projects | MSP prepares a quote, client reviews it and approves it |
Licences fit a storefront because distributors publish catalogues with prices and terms, and changing a seat count is routine. Hardware is harder to self-serve: stock, delivery and setup vary, and most MSPs want to confirm the specification first. That is why a request form or quote is usually the better path for a new laptop.
What to look for in a client portal storefront
- Visibility of current subscriptions, with quantity, status and term, so clients check before asking for more.
- A curated catalogue. The MSP chooses which products appear rather than exposing a distributor's entire range.
- Prices from a clear source, and certainty about whether the client sees retail prices, your prices or none.
- Approval rules. Who approves requests at the MSP, and whether small changes within limits can skip approval.
- Status the client can follow, with a notification when a request is approved, rejected or fulfilled.
- Honest fulfilment. Know whether the portal places the order with the distributor or whether your team does.
How MSPortal's storefront works
MSPortal's storefront connects to Pax8 and Sherweb. According to the MSPortal storefront guide:
- Subscriptions: clients see their active Pax8 or Sherweb subscriptions with quantity, status and term, and, with Pax8, their Azure usage by month.
- Catalogue: clients browse the products you choose to show, with featured products first. Catalogue visibility applies to all your clients, not to each client separately. Prices come from the distributor: Pax8's suggested retail price for that company, or the customer price set in Sherweb. MSPortal does not add its own markup, and your cost is shown only to staff allowed to see it.
- Requests: clients request a new product, or a new total quantity for an existing subscription, with the term and a note. They get an in-app notification when the status changes.
- Approval: requests go to MSP managers and the approver role you choose. For Pax8 subscriptions, you can set whether clients may change seats, the minimum and maximum, and whether changes within that range need approval. New product requests and Sherweb requests always wait for approval.
- Fulfilment: your team places the order or quantity change with Pax8 or Sherweb. MSPortal does not send it to the distributor for you. After the next sync confirms the new quantity, your team marks the request fulfilled.
The storefront uses the same logo, colours and custom domain as the rest of the portal. Ingram Micro and TD SYNNEX are listed as coming soon.
For purchases outside the storefront, MSPortal offers two other routes. Ticket request templates can collect hardware or service requests, and approval chains can hold them until the client's own approvers sign off before the ticket reaches your PSA (for HaloPSA companies, Halo's own approvals apply instead). Quotes synced from Quoter, QuoteWerks or Salesbuildr appear in the portal, where clients can read the details and open the quote in the quoting tool.
See the storefront in a demo, or read about budgeting for planning those purchases ahead of time.
Related questions
Can clients buy Microsoft 365 licences through an MSP portal?
Yes, if the portal connects to the MSP's distributor. In MSPortal, clients request new licences or seat changes for Pax8 or Sherweb subscriptions, and the MSP's team approves the request and places the order.
Does a portal storefront place orders automatically?
It depends on the product. In MSPortal, no: a request records what the client wants, and the MSP's team places the order with Pax8 or Sherweb, then marks it fulfilled once the next sync shows the new quantity.
How do clients request hardware from their MSP?
Usually through a request form or a quote rather than a self-service store, because specifications, stock and setup vary. A form with an approval step lets the client's manager sign off before the MSP orders.
How do MSPs help clients plan IT spending?
By laying out recurring costs, licences, hardware refresh and projects month by month and tracking them against actual invoices. See How do MSPs help clients plan an IT budget?