Every customer gets their own client portal. In it they can see their balance, view and pay invoices, approve estimates, save a card or bank account, send work requests and leave you a review.
See the portal as your customer does
- Go to Customers > Customers and open the customer’s profile.
- Find the Customer Portal card.
- Click the yellow View Portal button. The portal opens in a new tab.
If Customer Login Required is on, you don’t need their password. The View Portal link lets you in for one hour. The same card is where you turn the login on, set the login email and click Change Password.
Find your way around
The menu on the left has Dashboard, Finance (Invoices, Estimates, Payments and Documents), Pictures, Work Requests, Rate Us! and Refer & Earn. My Profile and Log out are at the top right. On a phone, tap the menu button to open the menu.
If you renamed invoices or estimates in Custom Naming, the menu uses your names.
The Dashboard shows the Outstanding balance, Past due, Credit balance and Paid totals. It also lists their Properties, the Next visit, their Payment method and their Contact info, which they can edit. Upcoming visits, to-dos and meetings show only if you turn them on in Settings > Client Portal.
Invoices and payments
Under Finance > Invoices, customers see every invoice you’ve sent, plus paid ones. They can filter, export and print. Click an invoice number, or use the row menu and choose View Invoice, to open it.
Only sent invoices can be paid. With LawnPro Payments, the payment box on the right asks What would you like to pay?:
- Pay This Invoice: the full amount due.
- Make a Partial Payment: any amount they type.
- Pay Account Balance: everything they owe.
Next they can Add a tip if tips are on for your company and that customer. Then they pick a method: Credit card, Bank (ACH) or PayPal. Each tab shows only if you accept that method. Bank (ACH) also needs ACH turned on for your account. If you pass card fees on, a Card Processing Fee line appears.
Other processors look different. With Stripe, customers click the card logos next to Pay Online: and choose Pay This Invoice, Pay Partial Invoice Amount or Pay Account Balance. With Paystri, a Pay by card box takes an amount, an optional tip and a card.
Finance > Payments lists past payments. If you allow customers to add a payment as a credit, they can click Add Credit there.
Save a card or bank account
Customers save payment methods under My Profile. A portal login comes first:
- Turn on Require login to view this portal.
- Enter an email and a password. Click Save Changes.
- Under Payment Methods, click Add A Card or Add A Bank Account.
The add buttons stay grey until the login is set up. With Stripe, the bank buttons are Connect Bank Account For ACH and Enter Bank Manually. With Paystri, customers can save cards only. Bank options show only when you accept ACH.
Once a card is saved, customers can tick Allow [your company] to automatically charge this card for services rendered. A bank account may need two small test deposits before it can be charged.
Estimates
Finance > Estimates lists sent estimates with their status and any decline reason. Inside an estimate, customers can pick optional services and then:
- Approve. If a deposit is due, the button is Approve and deposit. If you turned on Require credit card on file before customer can approve an estimate, customers with no card on file see Add Card and Approve.
- Approve and pay in full, if you allowed it on that estimate.
- Request Changes.
- Decline Estimate. They must pick a Reason for Declining. A comment is required for Other (Please explain).
Documents and pictures
Finance > Documents lists documents you sent the customer, with the date and whether they viewed it. They click the document icon to open one.
Pictures shows before and after photos and visit photos that are visible to the customer, grouped by visit date.
Work requests
Work Requests lists past requests and their status. Customers click New request to send a new one. If you turn on Disable Work Requests Feature in Settings > Work Request Form, this page is hidden.
Reviews
On Rate Us!, customers tap a star rating, pick the Service Performed and write a review of at least 10 characters. Then they click Submit Review. The service list comes from Settings > Rate & Review Services.
Refer & Earn
Refer & Earn shows only when Customer Referrals is turned on in Settings > Customer Referrals and your company has a LawnBidder.com page. Customers get a personal link to copy or share by text, email or Facebook. They also see the credit they’ve earned and who they referred. The dashboard shows a share card too.
