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Portal Creation

Portal Creation — Step-by-Step Guide

This guide walks Onboarding Specialists through the complete process of creating a new client's portal in GoHighLevel (GHL). This must be completed within 24 hours of a client's payment being received.

⏱️ Time Requirement
Portal creation should take approximately 10–15 minutes per client. Complete this task immediately when you receive a new client notification — do not batch it or wait until "later in the shift." The 24-hour clock starts the moment payment is confirmed.

Before You Begin

Confirm you have the following information from the client's purchase record:

    ✅ Client's full legal name ✅ Client's email address ✅ Client's phone number ✅ Plan purchased (Basic $150 / Standard $249 / Premium $1,095) ✅ Date of purchase / signup ✅ Any notes from the sales process (if applicable)

    Step-by-Step: Creating the Client Portal

    Step 1 — Log Into GHL

      Navigate to app.gohighlevel.com and log in with your team credentials Ensure you are in the correct Crowned Credit sub-account (check the top of the sidebar) If you are in the wrong account, click the account name and switch to the Crowned Credit workspace

      Step 2 — Check for Existing Contact

        Go to Contacts in the left sidebar Search for the client by email address or phone number If a contact already exists (e.g., they were a lead before purchasing):
          Click into the existing contact Update any outdated information Proceed to Step 4 If no contact exists, proceed to Step 3
          ⚠️ Duplicate Prevention
          Always search before creating a new contact. Duplicate contacts cause confused automations, split conversation history, and billing errors. When in doubt, merge duplicates using GHL's merge contact function before proceeding.

          Step 3 — Create New Contact

            Click "+ Add Contact" button Fill in all required fields:
              First Name / Last Name: Use legal name exactly as on purchase record Email: Primary email used at purchase Phone: Include country code (e.g., +1 for US clients) Address: Leave blank — will be collected during document intake Tags: Add tag: new-client, [plan-type] (e.g., standard-plan) Source: Select "Meta Ads" or the appropriate source Click Save Contact

              Step 4 — Set Up Client Tags & Custom Fields

                In the contact record, scroll to the Custom Fields section Fill in the following fields:
                  Client Start Date: Today's date Plan Type: Basic / Standard / Premium Onboarding Specialist: Your name Assigned CSR: Leave blank until handoff is complete SmartCredit Status: "Pending Setup" Documents Received: "No"

                  Step 5 — Add Client to Onboarding Pipeline

                    In the contact record, click "Add to Pipeline" Select the Onboarding Pipeline Set the stage to "New Client — Portal Creation" The pipeline card will now appear on the Onboarding board

                    Step 6 — Create Client Portal Access

                      Navigate to Sites → Client Portal (or the appropriate portal section in your GHL setup) Click "Invite Client" or "Send Portal Access" Select the client contact from the search GHL will automatically generate login credentials and send them to the client's email Note: The email will come from the Crowned Credit branded sender — confirm this before proceeding
                      📧 Portal Access Email Template
                      After sending portal access, follow up with this SMS:

                      "Hi {{contact.first_name}}, welcome to Crowned Credit! 🎉 We just sent your portal login to {{contact.email}}. Check your inbox (and spam folder) for an email from us. Once you're in, reply here and let us know — we'll schedule your welcome call right away!"

                      Step 7 — Log Access Confirmation

                        Once the client confirms portal access (via SMS reply, email, or call), log it in GHL:
                          Go to the contact record → Activity/Notes section Add note: "Portal access confirmed by client on [date]. Client logged in successfully." Update the Custom Field: Portal Status → "Active" Update pipeline stage to "Portal Active — Awaiting SmartCredit Setup"

                          Step 8 — Create DisputeFox Profile

                            Log into DisputeFox Click "Add New Client" Enter the client's full name, email, phone, and start date Select the appropriate dispute package (matches their plan) Save the profile — do not add any dispute items yet (Dispute Team will do this after credit report pull) Go back to GHL and note the DisputeFox client ID in the contact record

                            Step 9 — Trigger Automation (if not auto-triggered)

                              In the contact record, go to Automations / Workflows Confirm the New Client Welcome Sequence has been triggered (automated email + SMS welcome series) If it has NOT triggered, manually launch it by clicking "Enroll in Workflow" → select "New Client Welcome" Verify the first email/SMS has been sent in the contact's Conversation tab

                              Step 10 — Final QA Check

                              Checkpoint Verified? Contact record created with correct name, email, phone Tags applied: new-client, plan type Custom fields filled (start date, plan, specialist name) Added to Onboarding Pipeline at correct stage Portal access email sent to client SMS follow-up sent with portal instructions DisputeFox profile created and ID noted in GHL Welcome automation confirmed as triggered Orientation call scheduled (or outreach attempt logged)