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.

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 setup fee/ Standard setup fee/ Premium premium setup fee)
• ✅ Date of purchase / signup
• ✅ Any notes from the sales process (if applicable)

Step-by-Step: Creating the Client Portal

Step 1 — Log Into GHL

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

Step 2 — Check for Existing Contact

1. Go to Contacts in the left sidebar
2. Search for the client by email address or phone number
3. 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   • Update any outdated information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
4. If no contact exists, proceed to Step 3

Step 3 — Create New Contact

1. Click "+ Add Contact" button
2. 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
3. Click Save Contact

Step 4 — Set Up Client Tags & Custom Fields

1. In the contact record, scroll to the Custom Fields section
2. 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

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

Step 6 — Create Client Portal Access

1. Navigate to Sites → Client Portal (or the appropriate portal section in your GHL setup)
2. Click "Invite Client" or "Send Portal Access"
3. Select the client contact from the search
4. GHL will automatically generate login credentials and send them to the client's email
5. Note: The email will come from the Crowned Credit branded sender — confirm this before proceeding

Step 7 — Log Access Confirmation

1. 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."
2. Update the Custom Field: Portal Status → "Active"
3. Update pipeline stage to "Portal Active — Awaiting SmartCredit Setup"

Step 8 — Create DisputeFox Profile

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

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

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

Step 10 — Final QA Check