Onboardings

An onboarding is one copy of a template sent to one client. This page covers the Onboardings list, the new-onboarding wizard, and the page each onboarding has.

Owners and Admins create, send, and change onboardings. Members can open every onboarding and read it, but they see no buttons that change anything. See Team and roles.

The Onboardings list

Open Onboardings from the sidebar. Two tabs sit under the page title: Show all onboardings and Archived.

When your team has more than one member, a second row of tabs appears: All onboardings, My onboardings, and Unassigned. My onboardings shows the onboardings assigned to you.

The table has five columns:

• Client: the client's name, with the template name and the client's email below it. Click the client's name to open the client's page. Click the template name to open the onboarding.
• Status: one of the statuses in How it works, such as Sent or Needs review (2). A red Overdue marker joins it when the due date passes. A pause icon means the client has not been active for 5 or more days.
• Progress: the share of required questions the client has submitted. A "to review" badge, such as "2 to review", counts submitted answers nobody has reviewed yet.
• Due: the due date. Before the client submits, it turns amber when the onboarding is at risk. Once the date passes, it turns red with a warning icon.
• Created: the day the onboarding was created.

On a narrow screen, each onboarding shows as a card with the client, template, status, progress, and due date. Tap the card to open the onboarding, or tap the client's name to open the client's page. For the attention flags behind these colors and icons, see Dashboard.

Search, filter, and sort

• Search: type in Search by client or template... to match the client name, client email, or template name.
• Status filter: choose All statuses, Active, or one status. Active shows the onboardings you sent that the client has not submitted.
• Sort: click Date, Due date, Progress, or Client. Click the active option again to reverse the order. Date sorts by creation date, newest first.
• Rows per page: choose 25, 50, or 100 at the bottom of the list, then use Previous and Next.
• Table view and Board view: the two icons beside the status filter switch the layout. See Board view.

A link from a dashboard card opens the list with that card's filter, such as Awaiting your action. A bar above the list names the filter and the count. Click the close button on that bar to see every onboarding again.

On a client's page, the Onboardings section lists up to 25 onboardings. When the client has more, click the View all link, such as View all 31 onboardings. The list opens filtered to that client, and a bar reads Client: with the client's name. Click the name to go back to the client's page. Click the close button on the bar to see every onboarding again.

On the Templates page, click the count on a template card, such as Used by 3 onboardings, to list the onboardings made from that template. A bar reads Template: with the template's name.

While the list is filtered to a client or a template, New onboarding opens the wizard with that client or template already chosen.

When you reach your monthly onboarding limit, the list shows an upgrade banner. See Billing and plans for what counts toward the limit.

Bulk actions

Tick the checkbox beside one or more rows, or tick the header checkbox to select every row on the page. A bar shows how many are selected, with these actions:

• Assign to...: assign the selected onboardings to a team member, or choose Unassigned. It appears when your team has more than one member. On the Archived tab it is greyed out.
• Archive: move the selected onboardings to the Archived tab. On the Archived tab this button reads Restore.
• Clear selection: untick every row.

Archive and Restore take effect at once. A banner, such as "2 onboardings archived.", offers Undo for at least 10 seconds. Only Draft or Cancelled onboardings without signature or payment history can be archived. Portico skips any selected row that does not qualify and tells you how many it skipped.

Restoring an onboarding keeps its client links switched off. Archived onboardings do not appear on the Dashboard.

Row menu

On a wide screen, right-click a row to open its Assign to menu. Choose a team member or Unassigned. The menu appears when your team has more than one member.

Create an onboarding

1. In Onboardings, click New onboarding.
2. Under Choose a template, search the Template list and select one. The list shows your own templates and the gallery templates, with step and field counts.
3. Click Continue. To pick another template later, click ← Change template.
4. Under Choose a client, search the Client list. To add someone new, click New client and enter a Name and Email. You can also fill in Company (optional) and Phone (optional).
5. Check the Due date. If it is empty when you pick a template, Portico fills in a date 14 days ahead. Legal templates get 21 days and consulting templates get 7. You can change or clear it.
6. Optionally set a Link expiry date. After it passes, the link stops working and the form accepts no more answers.
7. If your team has more than one member, choose someone in Assign to.
8. Click Create onboarding. In the new-client card, Create client and onboarding does the same.

You can also start from a client or a template. On a client's page, click Start onboarding for and the client's name. On a template card, click Send onboarding. The wizard opens with that client or template already selected.

Portico saves the onboarding as a Draft and opens its page. A banner reads "Draft saved for" and the client's name. Nothing goes to the client yet. Dates use your team's timezone, which the wizard shows under each date field.

If the email you enter already belongs to a client, Portico says so and offers Use this client. Members see "Only admins can create onboardings." in place of the wizard.

The wizard has no reminder or PIN settings. Each new onboarding starts with your team's default reminder schedule from Settings > Client experience, or reminders 3, 7, and 14 days after send. Change it on the onboarding page before you send. You set a PIN in the send dialog.

The onboarding page

The header shows the client's name and status badge. The client's email and company sit below the name. Two links follow: Client: with the client's name opens the client's page, and Template: with the template's name opens the template.

A side panel holds the details. It sits beside the tabs on wide screens and below them on narrow ones. Owners and Admins see the due date, link expiry, and assignee as buttons with a pencil icon:

• Status: the status badge with a one-line hint, such as "Your client opened the form and has not submitted it yet."
• Due date: shows "Due" and the date, or No due date. Click it, pick a date, and click Save. Clear the date and save to remove it. Once the due date passes, an Overdue marker appears beside the status while it is Sent, Opened, Reopened, or Changes requested.
• Link expiry: shows "Closes" and the date, or No link expiry. Edit it the same way. If it passes before the client submits, the status changes to Link expired.
• Reminders: shows how many reminders are set, or No reminders. While the onboarding is a Draft, click it to edit this onboarding's schedule. After you send, the count links to the default reminder schedule in Settings > Client experience, which applies to onboardings you create later. See Reminder schedule.
• Assigned to: shows the assigned team member or Unassigned. Click it and choose a team member. It appears when your team has more than one member.

The buttons on the right of the header change with the status:

Within 24 hours of a send, reopen, or reminder, Copy client link comes first and Send reminder moves into More actions. Review responses opens the Responses tab. Members see no buttons, except Export PDF on an Approved onboarding.

Send to client

1. Click Send to client.
2. Portico checks the onboarding. If it finds problems, a dialog lists them under Must fix before sending and Warnings.
3. With items under Must fix before sending, click Fix issues, fix them, and start again. With warnings only, click Send anyway.
4. In the Send to client? dialog, check the email address. To require a PIN, enter 6 digits under PIN protection (optional).
5. Click Send.

The check blocks sending when the template has no fields or the client email is missing or invalid. It also blocks sending when a signature field still holds the sample agreement text from a gallery template. To fix the agreement text, edit the template, then create a new onboarding from it. A required payment field also blocks it when its amount is invalid or Stripe is not connected. A payment field that is optional, or sits in an optional step, never blocks sending. Warnings cover a missing due date, a missing or empty reminder schedule, and fields without labels.

After you click Send, Portico can still refuse the send. That happens when you have reached your monthly onboarding limit, or your plan cannot collect a required payment (Free, or an expired trial).

After you send, the status becomes Sent and a banner reads "Sent to" with the client's name and email. History shows when your client opens it. Portico never emails the PIN, so share it with your client yourself. See Client experience for what the client receives.

Firm name check

Clients see your firm name on every email, form, and PDF. That name is your Email sender name from Branding, or your team name when no sender name is set.

Portico names every new team after its owner, such as "Alex Kim's team". If no sender name is set and the team name still ends in "'s team", Portico stops the send, reopen, or change request. It asks for your firm name instead:

1. Enter the name under Your firm name as clients see it. Portico fills in the name from your team name as a starting point, such as "Alex Kim" from "Alex Kim's team". A name ending in "'s team" is refused.
2. Click Save and send. When you were reopening an onboarding, the button reads Save and reopen. When you were requesting changes, it reads Save and request changes.

Portico saves the new team name and then finishes what you started. You can change the name later in Settings > Account. See Account settings.

Resend

Resend is in More actions while the onboarding waits on the client. It becomes a header button when the client's 30-day link has lapsed. Portico runs the same check as for a first send, then opens the Resend to client? dialog. Leave the PIN empty to keep the current PIN, or enter 6 digits to set a new one. Click Resend.

If the client saved an answer in the last few minutes, a second dialog opens: Client is currently working. A resend signs the client out of their current link, and they need the new email to continue. Click Resend to send anyway, or Cancel to wait.

A resend sends a new link, and every earlier link stops working. Portico cancels pending reminders and schedules the saved ones again from the moment you resend. A PIN set on an earlier send stays in place unless you enter a new one.

Send reminder

Click Send reminder to queue a reminder email to the client. It goes out within a few minutes. The dialog shows the client's email address and when the last reminder went out. Click Send reminder to confirm. The reminder carries a link to the onboarding and lists the items still open. Links sent before keep working. A reminder you send this way goes by email only, never by SMS.

Portico accepts a manual reminder only an hour or more after the last send, reopen, or reminder, and tells you when you can send one. It also refuses when the client has no email address or the link expiry date has passed. History records the request, then the email once it is sent.

Copy client link

Click Copy client link to share a link yourself, for example in a chat. Portico creates a new link and copies it. If your browser blocks the copy, the banner shows the link with a copy button. The new link keeps the PIN, if one is set, and the banner reminds you that the client needs it.

The link works for 30 days, but never past the link expiry date or the expiry of the last invitation link. Links you sent earlier keep working. If the last invitation link has expired, Portico asks you to resend the onboarding instead.

Cancel and reopen

• Cancel onboarding: in More actions until the client submits. Portico asks "Cancel this onboarding?". Click Cancel onboarding to confirm. The client link stops working and pending reminders are cancelled.
• Reopen onboarding: in More actions after the client submits. After you cancel, or after Portico closes an expired onboarding, it is a button in the header. Portico asks "Reopen this onboarding?". Click Reopen to confirm. A signature field with the sample agreement text blocks a reopen as it blocks a send. See How it works for what reopening changes.

When you approve every answer, a banner says so and the header offers Export PDF. Export ZIP is in More actions.

You archive onboardings from the Onboardings list, not from this menu. An archived onboarding's page shows no buttons that change it. Restore it first.

Reminder schedule

Each onboarding has its own reminder schedule. Click Reminders in the side panel to open the Reminder schedule card above the tab content. You can edit it only while the onboarding is a Draft.

1. Set the number of days on each row.
2. Choose the timing. after send is always available. With a due date set, you can also choose before due or after due (overdue).
3. Click + Add reminder to add a row, up to 20. Click the remove button on a row to delete it.

Changes save on their own a moment after you stop editing, and the card shows when they are saved.

Each row takes 1 to 90 days. The before due and after due (overdue) rows count days from the due date. Those reminders go out at 09:00 in the due date's time zone.

Portico schedules reminders when you send, resend, or reopen the onboarding. It skips an after send reminder that would fall on or after the due date. Changing the due date later moves the reminders that have not gone out yet. Each reminder email carries its own fresh link, so reminders keep working after the first link's 30 days, while the onboarding is open.

With SMS reminders turned on, each row also shows an SMS checkbox. A ticked row also goes out as a text to clients who have a phone number and have not opted out. See SMS reminders.

Tabs

The onboarding page has four tabs. The Messages and History labels also show counts, such as Messages (2).

Responses

The tab label shows how many questions have answers, such as Responses (4/12). Answers appear step by step, and each step shows how many answers you approved.

Filter answers with All, Needs review, and No response. Changed since review, Approved, Changes requested, and Rejected appear once an answer has that state.

An answer the client changed after you reviewed it goes back to Needs review and shows Updated by client. Files added since your review show New. A resubmitted answer shows your earlier request under Earlier request.

File answers list each file with its size. Click an image name to preview it, or a PDF name to open it in a new tab. Other files download when you click the name. Images and PDFs also have a Download link.

Owners and Admins review each submitted answer:

• Approve: accept the answer. Undo on the row reverses it for a few seconds. After that, Review again returns the answer to unreviewed.
• Request changes: from the answer's menu (⋯). Write what the client should change. Portico shows the note on the field and emails the client a link to it. It is unavailable when the client's answers hide the field.
• Reject: from the same menu. The reason is optional and the client gets no email. Undo and Review again work as they do for approvals.
• Approve plus a count, such as Approve 3 answers, on a step: approve every waiting answer in that step at once. It appears when two or more wait.
• The review banner's button, such as Approve all 5 answers: approve every waiting answer on the onboarding at once. It appears when two or more wait.
• Start review: when answers are ready, a banner offers a review queue. Press A to approve, R to request changes, S or → to skip, ← to go back, and Esc to exit.

After a bulk approval, a banner offers Undo for at least 10 seconds. Undo returns every answer in that approval to unreviewed. If one of them changed since, nothing is undone, and you review them one at a time.

An answer the client saved but has not submitted shows a Draft badge. Requesting changes on a finished onboarding reopens it, as Quick start explains.

On an answer with comments, or one marked Changes requested or Rejected, you can reply in its comment thread. The client sees field comments. See How it works. Signature fields that need your team's signature show Countersign. See Signatures and countersigning.

Messages

The Messages tab is a thread between your team and the client. Messages the client writes in the form appear here too.

To write to the client, type your message and click Send message. A Subject field, marked optional, is there if you want one. Insert merge tags such as {{client_name}} from the merge tag picker. After you send, a status line says whether the email notification is queued, was sent, or is unavailable. The message is recorded in the thread either way.

A message you sent shows Seen by client once the client opens the Messages panel in the form. Field review feedback stays on the fields in the Responses tab.

History

The History tab lists every logged action on the onboarding, newest first, with its time. Filter it with All, Reviews, or System. Reviews and System appear only when they have entries. Reviews shows review actions, such as approvals, bulk approvals and their undos, rejections, and change requests. The client's answer submissions, manual reminders, and copied client links appear under System.

Click Export CSV to download the whole log, whatever filter is active. The file has the columns Timestamp, Action, Actor Type, and Details.

Compliance

The Compliance tab shows consent records and the compliance audit trail, plus signature certificates when the onboarding has signatures. On plans that include them, it also offers Verify integrity and Export client data. See Compliance for each section and the plans that include it. A link at the bottom opens the client's page, with their files, signatures, and other onboardings.

Export responses

On the Responses tab, open the Export options menu (⋯). It appears once the client has saved at least one answer.

To export the History log, use Export CSV on the History tab.