White-Label Client Portal Launch for Retainer Accounts (10-14 days)
A fixed-scope engagement that stands up a branded, permissioned client portal for an agency's top retainer accounts, replacing scattered email threads and ad hoc file links with one auditable workspace. Scoped so a two-person delivery team can ship a live portal in two weeks. Time: 10-14 days.
By InnovaAI ResearchPublished
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White-Label Client Portal Launch for Retainer Accounts (10-14 days)
A fixed-scope engagement that stands up a branded, permissioned client portal for an agency's top retainer accounts, replacing scattered email threads and ad hoc file links with one auditable workspace. Scoped so a two-person delivery team can ship a live portal in two weeks.
- Signed scope naming which client accounts move into the portal first (cap at 3-5 for the pilot wave) Domain or subdomain access plus brand assets (logo, palette, typography) released by the client Inventory of current file storage, approval channels, and billing touchpoints per account Named internal portal owner and a documented escalation path for client-side access requests Agreed data handling note covering what client material may and may not live in the portal
- 1.Map every current client touchpoint: file drops, approval emails, invoice sends, status calls
- 2.Count weekly email volume per account to establish a before-baseline
- 3.Confirm which accounts join the pilot wave and who signs off on access
- 1.Draft the portal information architecture: spaces, folders, and approval stages
- 2.Define role tiers (client admin, client viewer, agency delivery lead, agency finance)
- 3.Flag any client material that must stay outside the portal
- 1.Configure the chosen platform's workspace structure to match the architecture
- 2.Apply brand assets to the client-facing surface and test on mobile
- 3.Set permission rules per role and per client space
- 1.Migrate active deliverables and open approvals for the pilot accounts
- 2.Archive superseded files rather than importing them wholesale
- 3.Verify file naming conventions survive the migration
- 1.Wire the automation stack to portal events (new file, approval requested, invoice posted)
- 2.Connect billing or invoicing output so clients see current balances in one place
- 3.Test notification routing to the correct client contact, not a shared inbox
- 1.Build the client-facing onboarding note: what lives here, what does not
- 2.Record a 3-minute walkthrough video for client stakeholders
- 3.Prepare a one-page FAQ covering access resets and approval etiquette
- 1.Run an internal dry run with a fake client account
- 2.Break the approval flow deliberately and confirm the fallback works
- 3.Fix permission gaps found in the dry run before any client sees it
- 1.Onboard pilot account one with a live walkthrough call
- 2.Collect first-session friction notes from the client contact
- 3.Adjust labels or folder names that confused the client
- 1.Onboard remaining pilot accounts in short sessions
- 2.Confirm each client admin can invite their own team members
- 3.Log every access request and resolve within the same day
- 1.Set the retainer reporting view: deliverables shipped, approvals pending, hours logged
- 2.Document the weekly portal hygiene routine the delivery team will own
- 3.Hand the routine to the account manager with a written checklist
- 1.Run a 5-day adoption check against the email baseline
- 2.Identify accounts still defaulting to email and intervene directly
- 3.Capture client quotes on what changed for them
- 1.Deliver the handover pack and close the engagement
- 2.Schedule the 30-day review to decide whether to expand to the next account wave
- 3.Confirm the portal owner signs off on the definition of done
Portal work is priced on displaced coordination cost, not on software seats: an agency billing $8,000-$15,000 monthly retainers can justify a five-figure setup fee when the portal removes approval chase time from every account in the wave. Margin comes from repeatability, since the second and third client waves reuse the same architecture and permission templates at roughly half the setup hours. Bundled platforms compress the stack but concentrate vendor risk, and that trade-off is worth pricing explicitly rather than absorbing silently.
- Configured branded portal with role-based permissions for the pilot accounts
- Migrated deliverable library with archived superseded files
- Automation map connecting portal events to notifications and billing output
- Client onboarding note, walkthrough video, and access FAQ
- Weekly portal hygiene checklist owned by the account manager
Every pilot client admin has logged in at least once, completed one approval inside the portal, and the agency's weekly hygiene checklist is signed off by the named portal owner.