Customer Portal Launch Checklist

The most common portal failure isn’t picking the wrong platform. It’s rushing the launch — skipping steps, forgetting to train the team, and going live with an empty dashboard that makes clients wonder why they bothered logging in.

This checklist breaks the launch into four phases so you can go live with confidence. Follow it in order. Skip steps at your own risk.

Phase 1: Pre-Launch Preparation

This is where most of the real work happens. A well-prepared portal launch is smooth. A rushed one creates problems that take months to fix.

Define user roles and permissions

Identify your user types (e.g., admin, team member, client, read-only viewer)
Define what each role can see and do — role-based access controls prevent clients from seeing each other’s data and team members from accessing things they shouldn’t
Map out the client-facing experience: what does a client see when they log in?
Map out the team experience: what does your team see and manage?

Create your content

Write knowledge base articles for your top 10-20 most common client questions
Create a welcome message or onboarding guide that explains what the portal offers
Prepare email templates: invitation, welcome, password reset, ongoing notifications
If you have existing documents, organize them by client and prepare for migration
Write short help text for each portal section (what it’s for, how to use it)

Set up integrations

Connect your CRM if applicable (CRM integration guide)
Connect billing/invoicing if using portal billing
Set up email notification delivery (verify deliverability — check spam folders)
Test any API integrations with existing tools
Verify data flows correctly in both directions

Configure branding

Upload your logo and set brand colors
Configure your custom domain (if available on your plan)
Customize the login page — this is the first thing clients see
Review all default text and replace generic copy with your voice
Check that white-label branding looks correct across the entire portal

Internal testing

Create test accounts for each user role
Walk through the complete client experience: invitation email, first login, dashboard, key features
Test on mobile — open the invitation email on a phone and go through the full flow
Test on different browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox at minimum)
Have someone unfamiliar with the portal try to complete common tasks — note where they get stuck
Verify that documents uploaded by clients appear correctly for your team
Test the notification system: do emails arrive? Do links work?

Create your communication plan

Draft the announcement email to clients (focus on benefits, not features)
Prepare a simple one-page guide or short video walkthrough
Brief your team on how to introduce the portal to clients
Decide on your launch timeline and communication sequence

Phase 2: Soft Launch (1-2 Weeks)

Don’t go from zero to all clients overnight. A soft launch lets you find and fix problems before they affect everyone.

Invite your beta group

Select 5-10 clients who are engaged, tech-comfortable, and willing to give feedback
Send personalized invitations (not a mass email) explaining they’re among the first to access the new portal
Pre-populate their accounts with relevant documents, projects, or information — don’t send them to an empty dashboard
Provide a direct line for feedback (email, phone, or in-portal messaging)

Collect and act on feedback

Ask specific questions: Was the login process easy? Could you find what you needed? What was confusing?
Track where beta clients get stuck — these are your UX problems
Note which features they use and which they ignore
Ask what they expected to see that wasn’t there

Iterate on issues

Fix any bugs or usability problems identified by beta clients
Revise confusing navigation, labels, or help text
Adjust the onboarding flow based on real behavior
Update knowledge base content if beta clients asked questions that should be covered
Re-test the complete flow after changes

Phase 3: Full Launch

Your beta group is happy. The major issues are fixed. Time to go wide.

Announce to all clients

Send the announcement email — lead with the benefit, include login instructions, link to a quick-start guide
Stagger invitations if you have many clients (50 per day rather than 500 at once) — this prevents a flood of support questions
Post an announcement on your website if appropriate
Mention the portal in any regular client communications (newsletters, check-in calls)

Include step-by-step screenshots in the invitation email
Provide a “What you can do in the portal” summary with 3-5 key actions
Offer password setup / SSO instructions specific to your authentication method
Set up a dedicated support channel for portal questions during the first week

Make the portal the default channel

Train your team: when clients email asking for something the portal provides, respond with a link to the portal
Update your email signature to include a portal login link
Update your website with a prominent “Client Login” link
Update client-facing documents (welcome packets, proposals) to reference the portal
Redirect standard requests (invoices, documents, status updates) to the portal

Train your team

Walk the entire team through the portal from the admin perspective
Role-play common scenarios: client asks for an invoice by email, client can’t log in, client reports a bug
Establish team protocols: who handles portal issues, how to escalate, when to use the portal vs. email
Ensure every client-facing team member can explain the portal’s benefits in one sentence

Phase 4: Post-Launch (Ongoing)

Launch is the beginning, not the end. The first 90 days after full launch are critical for adoption.

Track adoption metrics

Monitor activation rate — what percentage of invited clients have logged in?
Track monthly active users — are they coming back?
Identify non-adopters after 2 weeks — follow up personally to understand why they haven’t logged in
Measure channel shift — is email/phone volume decreasing?

Review usage data weekly (for the first month)

Which features are used most? Double down on these.
Which features are ignored? Consider whether they’re hidden, confusing, or unnecessary.
Where do users drop off? This identifies UX problems.
What are clients searching for in the knowledge base? Fill content gaps.

Add features based on feedback

Collect feature requests from clients and your team
Prioritize based on frequency of request and impact on adoption
Release improvements in small batches — announce each one to remind clients the portal is evolving
Don’t add features just because they’re available — add them because clients need them

Maintain and update content

Review knowledge base articles monthly — are they still accurate?
Add new articles based on recurring support questions
Update screenshots and guides when the portal interface changes
Archive outdated content rather than leaving it visible
Keep the portal feeling fresh — a stale portal signals a business that’s moved on

Celebrate and communicate wins

Share adoption milestones with your team: “80% of clients are now active on the portal”
Share specific improvements with clients: “Based on your feedback, we’ve added [feature]”
Track ROI metrics and report to leadership: time saved, tickets deflected, client satisfaction

Common Launch Pitfalls

Even with a checklist, a few things trip people up:

Launching before content is ready — An empty knowledge base is worse than no knowledge base. Write the content first.
Mass email blast on day one — Stagger invitations. You don’t want 200 clients hitting login issues simultaneously.
No fallback plan — If the portal goes down on launch day, what do you tell clients? Have a brief contingency plan.
Forgetting the team — Your team needs to be trained and bought-in before clients see the portal. Internal adoption drives external adoption.