If you are a content creator working as a freelancer, you truly know the struggle of growing your career. If you are even slightly good, your inbox does not sleep. Your phone is always going off and the notifications from multiple messaging apps are off the charts. At some point, you must’ve taken client calls at 10 in the night explaining exactly which email thread has the document they are looking for.
The more clients you have, the more challenging it is to manage this communication. Technology can save the day though. You can opt for a project management portal. If you are a savvy person, you are sure to have a website to show your work and one that helps potential clients reach out to you.
If you currently communicate via email, you might be using several other software for the actual work, from a document collaboration software to a file sharing one. On top of this, you also need a niche contract management software, to streamline the legalities with your clients.
With a client portal, you can have it all in one place making it much better for you and your clients. Let’s see how:
Your brand image:
In a creative field like content creation, a cohesive brand image is important. This means your client portal should reflect your website. If your website and the portal have the same design language, it helps the client navigate it. They know what to expect from each button or swipe and this can lead to a smoother experience. On top of that, when you provide a collaboration interface, it looks more professional. You gain a much needed edge in the competitive freelancing market.
Smoother communication:
A client portal can streamline all your communication with each client. This eliminates the risk of miscommunication. All the work related discussions with them are in one place for them and you to refer. Since this portal can have design mock-ups, content documents, contracts, etc. all in one place it adds convenience to collaboration.
Work-life balance:
A traditional concept of 9 to 5 does not exist for a freelancer. So work and life can very easily be caught up in each other. But since you are juggling more than one specific project at a time, you need a work life balance even more. You can set your calendar on the portal so that your clients know when they can get in touch with you for a call or a meeting. They can also know if there are certain days when you are not working so that there is no conflict regarding your unavailability.
Technological comfort:
No matter the work these days, technology comes into the picture one way or the other. But not all software is created equal and not everyone knows how to use it. But that shouldn’t hinder the workflow. A project management portal easily becomes a single place where your client gets everything they need from you, from managing a contract, signing up for additional services after the initial one, etc. Because the tool is easy to use and provides hassle-free experience, your client is likely to come back.
Future options:
If you begin working as a graphic designer but in the future, you want to expand by getting into content writing, a project management portal would give you a head start. Just like you can add modules to your website, you can add modules to your portal. And when your client base expands, this portal is ready for it.
Secure access:
Since a portal is a gateway, it needs to have login credentials. A secure portal protects the client’s sensitive data and it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. A client will always trust you more if you make sure to provide them with a secure, reliable collaboration environment, and that definitely includes the technology you use to do the work.
A client portal is about providing top-notch customer service. And being a freelancer does not mean you can compromise on it. Maintain your quality of work, but also elevate how you interact with your clients and the ease you provide with a client portal.
We make customer portals in various CRM-CMS combinations and we can customize a freelancing portal for your use case. To talk about the nuances of your needs, drop a comment here and we will get back to you. You can also get in touch with us here.
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