Client Portals in the Cloud

With technology changing at an ever increasing rate and new capabilities becoming available almost daily, it’s time to revisit or visit for the first time client portal technology and what it might be able to do for your professional services firm.

I’ve been spending quite a bit of time in this space over the last few months and it has become very clear that a client portal with the right functionality could deliver better client service, greater efficiencies, and more opportunities to promote yourself.

So what do you look for in a good client portal? Well here are a number of things:

  1. integration with your practice management software
  2. the ability to share and exchange documents securely
  3. the capability to digitally sign documents all in the one place
  4. instant alerts and the ability to direct alerts to the right person internally
  5. an audit function where you can monitor how your messages are being actioned
  6. a branded landing page or dashboard promoting your firm and your services
  7. automation of regular communication and follow ups
  8. the ability to upload multiple documents and files without data restrictions
  9. the capability to deliver marketing information and tailor communication to client segments

I could keep going.

A quick search online and a number of client portal options pop up, each with their pros and cons, different options, and methods of pricing. One I found that ticks all of the above boxes and more is Nimbus Technology. Without going into a sales pitch about it, the Nimbus solution appears to provide a robust client environment that not only allows you to exchange sensitive information with your clients in a secure environment, but also gives you the capability to promote your services and news to a captive audience independent of which practice management system you may use.

Upon comparing other client portal solutions out there, I decided to recommend Nimbus Technology to a number of clients and have since become a partner with them. Why? Because they provide a solution that delivers a number of things all in the one place and they are “cloud agnostic”. In other words, they will integrate with any practice management system (provided it’s Open SQL based), not just one. In this day and age of rapidly changing technologies that’s a significant differentiator and a great way to maintain your flexibility in case you want to change down the track.

A final word…if you’re still exchanging sensitive information with your clients via email, you’re running a very big risk of having that information compromised or stolen. Do yourself a favour and speak with us about how a client portal will enhance the way you do business and interact with your clients.