The Customer Portal
The customer portal is your customers' branded self-service hub. They can view their service history, pay invoices, see upcoming jobs, message you, and (on Pro+) book new appointments — all without you doing anything.
What's on the portal
For each customer:
- Dashboard — quick view of upcoming visits, open balance
- Jobs — past and future jobs with status
- Quotes — open quotes (with sign + accept buttons)
- Invoices — paid and unpaid (with Pay buttons)
- Photos — non-private photos from their jobs
- Messages — chat thread with you
- Refer a friend — their unique referral link
- (Pro+) Book a service — self-booking flow
- (Pro+) Saved cards — auto-pay setup
- Profile / preferences — they can update their email, phone, address, communication prefs
How customers access it
Three ways:
Magic link
Each customer gets a one-time login link in any HandyBook-sent email. One click → they're in. Most common.
Password
For repeat customers, they can set a password and log in via your portal URL.
From an invoice or quote
Every link to a hosted invoice/quote also leads to their full portal.
Enabling the portal
By default it's on. To disable: Settings → Customer Portal → Active toggle. Most users keep it on.
Customizing the portal
Settings → Customer Portal:
- Welcome message — first thing customers see when they log in
- Featured services — call out specific services (e.g. "Book a spring tune-up")
- CTA banner — a banner at the top with a custom message and link
- Show / hide sections (e.g. hide the booking section if you don't offer self-book)
- Reviews widget — show your Google reviews on the portal as social proof
- About us — short blurb about your business
- Photo gallery — public showcase of your work (separate from per-job photos)
Self-booking (Pro+)
Customers book jobs directly from the portal:
- Select a service from your service catalog
- Pick a slot from your real availability
- Add notes
- Confirm
The job appears in your Jobs list as lead (or scheduled depending on your setup). You're notified to review.
Configure self-booking rules:
- Service hours
- Buffer between jobs
- Days in advance allowed
- Services bookable vs. inquiry-only
- Auto-confirm vs. requires-approval
Auto-pay for recurring customers
Customers can save a card for:
- Automatic payment on future invoices
- Recurring plan dues
Cards are stored at Stripe (PCI compliant). Customers can update or remove their card from the portal.
Messaging
The portal has a chat thread tied to each customer. Both sides can message asynchronously:
- Customer types a question, you reply when convenient
- Threaded with their job/invoice context
- Notifications via email and push for both sides
Privacy
What customers see:
- Only their own data
- Photos marked public (those marked private don't show)
- No internal notes or tags
- No other customers' data
Mobile-first
Most customers access the portal from phones. Layout adapts cleanly. Touch targets are big, forms are short.
FAQ
Do customers need to sign up? No. The magic link in your emails logs them in directly. Setting a password is optional.
Can I disable the portal for specific customers? Yes — on the customer record, toggle off "Portal access." Useful for one-time / commercial cases where you handle everything yourself.
Can I see when a customer is on the portal? Yes — the customer's activity feed shows portal logins. Useful for "they're looking at the quote right now" timing.
Can the portal be embedded in my website? Yes — on Pro+, embed via iframe with the customer's auth token. Some setup required; ask support for help.
What happens if a customer forgets their password? "Forgot password" link sends a reset email. Or they can use the magic-link flow on a fresh email from you.