This is the final check before your first real client invitation goes out. Do not skip it. The five minutes you spend on this test can prevent the kind of first impression that requires a follow-up phone call to recover from.
Branding and configuration check
Go through each of these before starting your test session:
Workspace branding
- Firm name appears correctly in the portal header
- Logo is uploaded, displays at the correct size, and is not blurry or stretched
- Brand colors are applied and match your firm's identity
- Portal preview looks correct on both desktop and mobile screen sizes
Email configuration
- Sender name in client emails matches your firm name
- Reply-to address routes to a monitored inbox
- Email footer includes your firm's contact information
- Test email has been sent and verified (see Settings → Workspace → Email → Send test)
Checklist content
- Every step in the checklist has a clear, client-readable label
- Each step has instructions that explain what is needed and why
- Required steps are marked as required; optional steps are clearly labeled as optional
- Steps are in the correct sequence (intake → agreement → payment → documents is the most common order)
- No internal-only notes or draft placeholder text is visible to clients
Team and notifications
- At least one team member is assigned as the owner or reviewer for this checklist
- Notification settings are configured so the right person is alerted when the checklist is completed
- The submission dashboard has been opened and is familiar to whoever will review the first real submission
Test session: what to verify
Create a test checklist instance using your own email address (or a colleague's) and complete the entire portal flow from start to finish.
Invitation email
- Does the email arrive in a reasonable time (usually within two minutes)?
- Does the sender name and email look like it comes from your firm?
- Is the portal link prominent and easy to find in the email?
Portal first screen
- Is the firm name and logo visible immediately?
- Is the next required action obvious without reading instructions?
- Does the portal open without requiring a login or account creation?
Intake form
- Are all form questions clear without additional context?
- Do required fields prevent advancement if left blank?
- Does the form submission confirmation look correct?
Document upload
- Does the file upload accept the types of files your clients will actually have (PDFs, Word documents, images)?
- Is the upload confirmation clear — does the client know the file was received?
- What happens if a client uploads the wrong file? Can they replace it?
Signature step (if applicable)
- Does the document display correctly in the signature viewer?
- Is the document title and description accurate?
- Is the signature completion confirmation clear?
- Did the signed document appear correctly in the submission dashboard?
Payment step (if applicable)
- Does the payment amount match what is stated in the engagement agreement?
- Is the payment description accurate and uses client-readable language?
- Does the payment confirmation state what happens after payment is received?
Completion state
- After the final step, is there a clear confirmation that the client is done?
- Does the confirmation explain what happens next and when the client will hear from you?
- Did your team receive the completion notification?
After the test: reviewing the submission
Open the submission dashboard and find your test submission. Verify:
- All form responses are visible and formatted correctly
- Uploaded documents are accessible and correctly named
- The signature record shows the signed document
- The payment status reflects the completed payment
- The checklist status has moved to the correct state (Completed or Awaiting Review)
If any of these are incorrect, this is the right moment to fix them — not after a real client has gone through the flow.
Sending to your first real client
For the first real invitation:
- Choose a client or matter you know well. If something goes wrong, you can resolve it quickly with an existing relationship.
- Use the Send link button from the checklist instance to generate the invitation. Do not copy a test link — generate a fresh invitation.
- After the client completes onboarding, ask them one question: "Was anything confusing about the process?" Their answer is worth more than any internal review.
What to do when something breaks
If a client reports a problem during onboarding, you can:
- Resend the portal link: From the instance view, use the "Resend invitation" option to generate a new magic link for the client.
- Mark a step as complete manually: If a technical issue prevented a step from registering completion, you can override the status from the instance view. Document your reason in the internal notes.
- Contact support: Use the in-app chat or email [support contact] for issues that cannot be resolved from the dashboard. Include the checklist instance ID from the URL when contacting support — this allows the team to investigate the specific session quickly.
Continue with
- Build your first checklist — if you have not yet built your template
- Client portal — learn how clients experience the portal
- Add your team — set up team members and notification routing