Contacts
Invite a customer to the portal
Send a sign-in link so the customer can access their cars, billing, documents, and schedule from the customer portal.
The customer portal gives your customers a self-service view of their relationship with your facility. Once invited, a customer can sign in to view their stored vehicles, review billing history, access documents and contracts, see upcoming events, and communicate with your team - all without calling or emailing.
You will send a portal invite so the customer can sign in on their own to see cars, billing, documents, and schedule information your team has prepared.
Sending a portal invite is the step that connects a customer record to a live sign-in account.
Before you start
- The customer record must have a valid email address — the invite is sent as a magic-link email to this address.
- Confirm the customer is linked to the right cars, invoices, and documents — whatever is linked will be visible to them in the portal.
- Review your team's portal settings (in Settings → Portal) to confirm the right sections are enabled and visible to customers.
- If your onboarding flow includes contracts (storage agreements, liability waivers), consider whether those should be in place before or after the invite.
- If you want an additional contact, such as an assistant or spouse, to have portal access instead of or in addition to the primary customer, add them in the Contacts section of the customer detail page first. See Manage additional contacts.
Send an invite from the Contacts list
The fastest way to invite a customer is directly from the Contacts list page using the inline action button.
- Open the Contacts page
Navigate to the Contacts page. Find the customer you want to invite in the list.
- Click Send Invite
On the customer's row, look for the Send Invite button (or Resend Invite if they have been invited before). Click it to open the invite confirmation dialog.
- Review the confirmation dialog
The dialog shows:
- The customer's name and email address where the invite will be sent.
- Whether the customer has cars assigned (helpful context if your onboarding contracts reference vehicle details).
- Whether Stripe/payment setup is connected (if your facility uses billing through the portal).
Review these details to make sure everything looks correct before sending.
- Click Send Invite to confirm
Click the Send Invite (or Resend Invite) button in the dialog to send the email. The system sends a magic-link email that allows the customer to sign in without a password.
A success toast confirms the invite was sent. The customer's record is updated with the invite timestamp.
The confirmation window shows exactly which email address will receive the portal invite before you send it.
Send an invite for a sub-contact
If a customer account has additional contacts (spouse, assistant, bookkeeper, vehicle handler) who need their own portal access, you can send individual invites from the customer detail page.
- Open the customer record
Go to the Contacts page and click the customer whose sub-contact needs portal access.
- Scroll to the Contacts section
On the detail page, scroll down to the Contacts section. This lists all additional people associated with the customer account.
The Contacts section lists additional people tied to the customer account, each with their own communication preferences. - Ensure the contact has an email and portal access enabled
The sub-contact must have:
- A valid email address entered.
- Portal access toggled on (the "Can access portal" checkbox in the contact's edit dialog).
If either is missing, edit the contact to add the email and enable portal access first.
The Add Contact dialog lets you set up a sub-contact with their own email, role, portal access, and communication preferences. - Click Send Invite on the contact
Once the contact has an email and portal access enabled, click the Send Invite action on that contact's row. The system sends a magic-link email directly to the sub-contact's email address.
What the customer receives
When you send a portal invite, the customer receives an email containing:
- A brief welcome message from your facility.
- A sign-in button that opens the portal for them. They do not need to create or remember a password.
- A link to complete any onboarding steps your team has configured (contracts, payment method, profile completion).
What the customer sees in the portal
Once signed in, the customer can access (depending on your team's portal configuration):
- Their vehicles — photos, status, event history, and condition reports for every car linked to their account.
- Billing — invoice history, outstanding balances, and payment methods (if your facility uses Stripe billing through the portal).
- Documents — contracts, agreements, and uploaded files shared by your team.
- Events & Schedule — upcoming appointments, sessions, and activity related to their cars.
- Messages — conversation history with your team (if inbox/messaging is enabled).
If you want a full staff script for helping a customer after they sign in, read Guide a customer through the portal.
Communication preferences for portal contacts
Each sub-contact can have individual communication preferences that control which types of notifications they receive:
- Invoices — billing notifications and payment receipts.
- Estimates — quote and estimate communications.
- Scheduling — appointment and event reminders.
- Car Updates — vehicle status changes, photo sessions, and condition reports.
- Contracts — document signing requests and agreement notifications.
- Social Events — invitations to community events and gatherings.
- Marketing — promotional communications and newsletters.
Set these preferences when creating or editing a sub-contact to ensure each person receives only the communications relevant to their role.
Tips for smooth portal onboarding
A good onboarding experience builds trust and reduces support requests:
- Add cars before inviting — when the customer signs in for the first time and sees their vehicles already there, it feels polished and professional.
- Prepare contracts in advance — if your onboarding includes document signing, have the contracts ready so the customer can complete everything in one session.
- Set up billing first — if you use portal-based billing, link the customer's Stripe record before inviting so payment setup is seamless.
- Tell the customer to expect the email — a quick phone call or text saying "I'm sending you a portal invite now, check your inbox" dramatically improves open rates.
- Check spam folders — if a customer says they did not receive the invite, the email may have been caught by spam filters. Resend and ask them to check spam/junk.