How to build a client portal with monday.com in less than 5 minutes

Learn how to build a simple file exchange client portal connected to monday.com, where clients can upload required documents, track inspection progress, and access completed reports.

Table of contents

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Companies often need to collect files from clients before they can start their work and then share finished reports or documents once the work is complete. Learn how to build a simple client portal on monday.com where clients can upload required documents and access completed reports from one place.

In this guide, we build a simple example for a fictional property inspection company called Westwood Inspections. Clients provide the documents required for an inspection through the portal. Once the inspection is complete, Westwood shares the final reports back through the same portal. Watch the complete setup in the video below, or continue reading for an overview of how it works.

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Explore the finished client portal

Want to see the result from the client’s perspective? Sign in to the Westwood Inspections demo portal to upload required documents and view or download completed inspection reports.

Final result

What we are building

Westwood Inspections receives inspection requests from commercial property owners and property management companies. Before an inspection can move forward, the client may need to provide documents such as property details, floor plans, or previous reports. Once the work is complete, Westwood provides the resulting inspection documents back to the client. The finished portal therefore has two simple sections.

Client portal connected to monday.com showing document requests and completed inspection reports

Documents required

The first section shows properties where Westwood is still waiting for documents. For each property, the client can see the inspection status and date, understand what type of inspection is planned, and upload the requested supporting documents directly through the portal. Once files are uploaded, a monday.com automation changes the status to Checking documents, letting the client know that the process has moved forward.

Completed inspections

The second section contains inspections that have already been completed. Clients can search for a property and access the finished files, including the condition report, inspection documentation, and recommendations. This creates a simple input and output workflow: Client provides documents → Westwood completes the inspection → Client receives the reports

Workspace

The monday.com boards behind the portal

The example workspace only needs two boards. The Clients Board is the foundation of the portal. Each item represents one Westwood client. The Properties Board manages Westwood’s internal inspection workflow.

Clients Board

This board contains basic information such as the client name, number of properties managed, primary contact, email address, and location. It is also used to manage portal access for each individual client.

Properties Board

This board contains both internal information and columns that will later be shared with clients. Properties move through the following groups: Documents required, Scheduled inspection, Inspection in progress, Report preparation, and Completed. Relevant columns include the connected client, inspection status, inspection date, inspection type, supporting documents, and the final report files.

A Connect Boards column links each property to the correct client. This connection is what allows the portal to show every signed in client only the properties associated with their company. The board also contains a simple monday.com automation. When the Supporting documents file column changes, the inspection status changes to Checking documents.

Portal setup

Build the client portal

The portal is created through the Client Portal Builder view on the Clients Board. For this example, we only need a single portal page.

Add the Documents required section

We start by adding a Board Table section and use the Properties Board as its data source. Because the board contains properties from multiple clients, we choose the option to show selected items to specific clients and use the existing connection between the Properties Board and Clients Board.

  • Add Documents required as headline.

  • A board filter limits the section to items inside the Documents required group.

  • We then make the following columns visible: Property, Status, Inspection date, Inspection type, and Supporting documents.

  • The Supporting documents file column is made editable. This allows clients to upload the required files directly from the portal. File uploads are one example of letting clients update an existing monday.com item. See how client item editing works across broader portal workflows.

  • File preview is also enabled on the Supporting documents file column so clients can review uploaded files without leaving the portal.

  • Finally, item search is enabled so clients with larger property portfolios can quickly find a specific property.

Add the Completed inspections section

The second section uses the same Properties Board, so there is no need to configure another board connection. We simply duplicate the first section.

  • The headline becomes Completed inspections.

  • The board filter is changed from Documents required to Completed.

  • We also change the visible columns. The supporting documents and inspection type are no longer required. Instead, the section displays the final files produced by Westwood: Condition report, Inspection documentation, and Recommendations.

Did you know?

Both sections use the same monday.com board. Westwood continues managing the complete inspection pipeline internally while the portal presents two focused views to the client based on the current stage of each property.

Customize the portal

With the workflow complete, we make a few final changes to the portal presentation. The portal is renamed to Westwood Inspections, the company logo is uploaded, and the portal colors are adjusted to match the Westwood branding. Because the portal only contains one page, the sidebar is collapsed to keep the interface simple. The portal settings also provide additional options such as connecting a custom domain and configuring other advanced settings.

Publish the portal

Once everything has been previewed, the portal can be published. Publishing makes the latest portal configuration available online, but individual clients still need to be enabled before they can sign in.

Create client access

The final step is completed from the Clients Board. We open the relevant client item on the Clients Board and use the Client Settings view to:

  1. Enable the client
  2. Create a credentials login method
  3. Add the client email address
  4. Generate a secure password
  5. Create the login

The client can now sign in to the portal, provide documents for properties that still require them, and access reports for inspections that have already been completed.

Conclusion

What this setup gives Westwood Inspections

This example keeps the client portal intentionally simple. Westwood manages the complete operational workflow inside monday.com, while clients receive a focused interface for the two moments where they need to participate. They can provide the required input at the beginning of the process and access the finished output once the work is complete. With this setup, Westwood gets:

  • One portal for all clients
  • Client specific property information
  • Direct file uploads from clients
  • A monday.com automation that reacts to uploaded documents
  • Searchable access to completed inspections
  • Final reports shared from the same internal workflow

The same pattern can also be adapted to other service workflows where clients provide files at the beginning of a process and receive documents or reports when the work is complete. Explore more ways to use a client portal for your service business with monday.com.

  • No. Clients access the published portal separately and do not need to be invited into Westwood’s internal monday.com workspace.

  • Yes. Selected file columns can be made editable so clients can upload documents directly to the corresponding monday.com item.

  • No. Properties are connected to the relevant client through a Connect Boards column. The portal uses that connection to show each client the items associated with them.

  • Yes. Completed items can remain on the Properties Board and be displayed in a separate filtered section, giving clients an archive of previous inspections and reports.

  • Yes. Item search can be enabled for Board Table sections, which is particularly useful when a client has many properties or completed inspections.

Build your own file exchange client portal

Client Portal Builder lets you turn monday.com boards into personalized portals where external users can view information, upload files, interact with selected board data, and access documents connected to their account. Try Client Portal Builder free for 14 days, explore the documentation, or follow the getting started guide to create your first portal.

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