Asking your client for things
Client actions are the requests sitting in the Needs from you section of a portal: an approval, a file, an answer, a payment, a booking.
The client deals with them on the portal itself, without an account. You raise them, and Optivation chases them for you.
Raising an action
Open the portal page, then Actions → Client actions. The menu item only appears on a page bound to a client.
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Type | Approval, File upload, Payment, Booking, or Question |
| Title | The ask itself. What do you need from the client? |
| Description | Optional detail |
| Due date | Optional. Drives the reminder emails and an Overdue badge |
Click Add action.
The five types
Two of them complete in the portal. Three point the client somewhere.
| Type | What the client gets | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Approval | Approve and Request changes | Completes on the portal |
| File upload | Upload | The file reaches you on the portal |
| Payment | Pay | Scrolls them to the Invoices section |
| Booking | Book | Scrolls them to an embedded booking page |
| Question | Answer | Scrolls them to the comment box |
Pointing types need something to point at
A Payment action needs an invoice on the portal, and a Booking action needs an embedded booking block. Without one, the client is told there is nothing there yet.
How the client responds
Approving, requesting changes and uploading all confirm identity first. The client clicks the button, Optivation emails a 6-digit code to the address on their contact record, and they enter it. Once verified they can deal with everything else on that portal without entering another code.
The code always goes to the addresses you hold for that contact, never to an address the client types in. Up to five addresses on the contact can act.
Paying an invoice needs no code.
Approving
Approve marks it done. Request changes opens a box asking What needs to change? and sends the message to you.
Uploading
The client picks a file, up to 25 MB. Common document, image and archive formats are accepted; anything executable is not.
An upload does not close the action
The client sees "1 file received" and the action stays open, so you confirm you have what you asked for and mark it done yourself.
Managing the list
Each row has controls to Move up, Move down, Edit, Mark done and Cancel.
- Mark done stops the client being reminded.
- Cancel keeps the row in the list marked as cancelled rather than deleting it, so the record of what was asked survives. Cancelled actions never reach the client.
What the client is emailed
| When | What they get |
|---|---|
| You add actions | One email covering the batch, titled "[N] things need you on [portal]" |
| An action stays open | The same reminder every three days |
| You click Send portal link | "Your link to [portal]" |
Reminders stop when you mark the action done, when the client unsubscribes, or when you archive the portal. Unsubscribing never removes their access to the portal.
The Portal notifications panel at the foot of the Client actions sheet lists what has actually been sent and when.
When the client will not be emailed
A persistent notice appears if something would stop the email reaching them. The common causes:
| Notice | Fix |
|---|---|
| No client-facing link exists yet | Create a share link with Comment or Edit access |
| The contact has no email address | Add one to the contact |
| The client has unsubscribed | They can still see it on the portal |
| The portal is archived | Restore it |
The action is still created. It simply waits on the portal until the client visits.
What you are told
When a client approves, requests changes, or uploads a file, a notification appears in Optivation: "Your client approved ...", with a link straight to the portal.
Comments and downloads are silent
Nothing notifies you when a client leaves a comment or downloads an invoice. Check the portal for those.
A paid invoice is different, and does email whoever created the invoice. See Online invoice payments.
Related
- What is on a portal — where actions sit among the sections
- Sharing a portal — the access level an action needs
- What your client sees — their side of the exchange