This guide explains how to administer the Simply CRM Customer Portal from the web interface: how the portal connects to your CRM, how you control what customers see, and how you configure modules, views, and payments.
Portal URL
The portal runs on its own URL, based on your CRM address.
Format:
portal-yourcrm.simply-crm.com
Example:
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CRM URL: mycrm.simply-crm.com
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Portal URL: portal-mycrm.simply-crm.com
General Settings
In the General Settings main tab you can configure:
Default Module
Choose the main module shown to customers after they log in.
Date Format
Controls how dates are displayed across the portal.
Time Format
Controls how times are displayed across the portal.
Default Language
The language preselected in the login language selector.
Decimals Precision
How many digits are shown after the decimal separator.
Decimals Separator
Symbol used between integer and decimal part.
Thousands Separator
Symbol used to separate thousands in numbers.
Limit Available Languages
Restrict which languages customers can choose on login.
Leave empty to allow all languages installed in your CRM.
Module Sorting
Reorder modules in the portal sidebar. Modules not listed will appear after the ones you specify.
API Credentials
In the API Credentials main tab you can configure:
Platform Url
The URL of your CRM instance (used to provide data to the portal).
API Username
The CRM user used for all operations coming from the portal.
API Key / Password
The API key of the CRM user used for portal operations.
Note: Whenever you change the CRM URL, API user, or API key, the portal will validate the new configuration. The new settings are only saved if the connection succeeds. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
Portal Admin User
In the Portal Admin User main tab you can configure:
Admin Username
The username used to access the portal configuration area.
Admin Password
The password used to access the portal configuration area.
Admin Email
Email used for internal portal communications (if needed) and for admin password reset.
Theme Configuration
In the Portal Theme Configuration tab you can customize the portal look and feel:
Basic Color
The primary color used across the portal (links, header navbar, primary buttons, dashboard widgets, etc.).
Portal Logo
Logo shown across the portal and on the login screen.
Portal Brand
Text shown at the bottom of the login box and in the portal footer (copyright, slogan, link, etc.).
Portal Title
Text shown in the browser tab title (for example: “MyBusiness Support Portal”).
Colored Sidebar
If enabled, the left sidebar uses the Basic Color (instead of white background).
Default Currency
Defines the default currency used across the portal when a record-specific currency is not set.
Currency Name
The full name (e.g., Euro, Dollars).
Currency Symbol
Symbol used to identify the currency (e.g., €, $, £).
Currency Code
ISO-4217 currency code. Incorrect values can cause issues with payment options. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
PayPal Integration
Configure payment processing through PayPal:
Is Enabled
Enable/disable PayPal payments.
Sandbox Mode
Enable for testing with PayPal sandbox credentials. Disable for real payments.
API User / API Key / API Signature
Credentials from your PayPal account settings.
Note: When you update PayPal credentials, the portal validates the connection and only saves the settings if the check succeeds. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
Editable Information
In the Customer Profile tab you decide whether customers can update their own information, and which fields are editable.
There are two main sections:
Contact information
Edit Enabled
Allow customers to edit their Contact-related information.
Editable Fields
Choose which Contact fields are editable. These fields appear in the Contact section of the My Preferences tab.
Organization information
Edit Enabled (Organization)
Allow customers to edit their Organization-related information.
Editable Fields (Organization)
Choose which Organization fields are editable. These fields appear in the Organization section of the My Preferences tab.
Note: When customers update data in the portal, it is automatically updated in your CRM Contact and Organization modules. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
Customer Roles / Profiles
You can create different customer profiles (roles) and automatically assign them based on condition rules.
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Profiles are matched based on the logged customer/contact and organization fields.
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Priority is from the last created profile to the first.
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If no profile matches, the customer is assigned a default profile that can see all configuration.
After creating profiles, you can restrict module configurations to specific profiles using the module setting “Allowed Customer Profiles”. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}
Module Concept
The portal uses a dynamic module architecture and can interact with almost any CRM module.
A module configuration is a set of rules for a single CRM module where you control:
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Which actions are allowed (comments, PDF export, attachments, create, edit, etc.)
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Which records are visible (via conditions)
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Which fields and views are available
You can create multiple configurations for the same CRM module.
Example:
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“Open Tickets” (comments and attachments enabled)
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“Closed Tickets” (comments and attachments disabled) :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}
Create a Module Configuration
To create a new module configuration:
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Log in to the portal configuration area
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Click the “Add Module” button in the left sidebar
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Set the following:
Source Module
Which CRM module you want to configure.
Module Route (URL)
The URL route customers will use to access this module in the portal. It must be unique.
Module Label
The label customers will see in the portal sidebar and in actions related to this configuration. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}
Module General Settings
For each module configuration, you can configure:
Module Label
Label shown to customers.
Is Enabled
Enable/disable this module configuration.
Icon
Icon used for the module.
PDF Download Enabled
Allow customers to generate and download PDFs for records.
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If PDFMaker PRO is installed and configured, PDFs are generated via PDFMaker.
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Otherwise, standard CRM templates are used.
Comments Enabled
If the module supports comments, customers can read and write comments.
Upload Attachments Enabled
If enabled (and if the Documents module is configured with write permissions), customers can upload documents related to the records they can see. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}
Visibility Conditions
Visibility conditions define which records customers can see. This works like CRM filter conditions.
Condition Operator options:
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Show All Retrievable Records
Shows all retrievable records for this module (no conditions).
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Don’t Retrieve Records
Retrieves no records directly (useful when using visibility inheritance).
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Match All Conditions
Customers see only records matching all conditions.
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Match At Least One Condition
Customers see records matching at least one condition.
Condition Rows
Add as many rows as needed. Each row contains:
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Target Field (any field in the module, including picklists and relations)
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Comparator (changes based on the field type)
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Target Value (input changes based on field type)
Special target values exist for relationship fields, including:
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Logged Customer
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Logged Customer Organization :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}
Visibility Inheritance
Visibility inheritance lets you show records even when the module does not have a direct Contact or Organization relationship field.
Example:
Products often do not link directly to contacts, but they can be related through invoices, quotes, sales orders, or many-to-many relations.
Visibility inheritance is a multi-select field where you can inherit visibility from other configured modules that have the needed relationships. :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}
Dashboard Settings
Control whether a module appears on the portal dashboard and how it is displayed.
Show on Dashboard
Toggle to show/hide the module widget on the main dashboard.
Widget Type
Choose one:
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Totals Count (total number of records, optionally grouped)
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Bar Chart (record counts grouped by a selected field)
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Doughnut Chart (record counts grouped by a selected field)
Group Field
Field used to group the record counts in the widget (for example, Quote Status). :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}
Module Views
Configure how records are displayed for each module. Available views:
List View
Mandatory. Shows records as a paginated list. You choose which fields appear and how many records per page.
Grid View
Optional. Similar to List View but displayed as a grid/cards.
Kanban View
Optional. Shows records in a Kanban board grouped by a selected field, with configurable panels.
Calendar View
Optional. Shows records in a calendar. Requires:
- Start Date Field
Optionally:
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End Date Field (for date ranges)
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Start/End time fields
Gantt View
Optional. Common for tasks/projects. Requires at least:
- Start Date Field
Optionally:
- End Date Field and Progress (depending on your module setup) :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}
Hidden Fields
Hide fields from the record details view so customers only see the information you want them to see.
To hide a field, select it from the dropdown list and save the configuration. :contentReference[oaicite:12]{index=12}
Create View
Allow customers to create new records from the portal.
Create Enabled
Enable/disable record creation.
Create Fields
Choose which fields customers can fill in when creating a record.
Default Values for Created Records
Set predefined values for created records (e.g., assign to a specific user, set a picklist value, etc.).
Important: All mandatory fields must be set (either shown to the customer or set via default values) or the record will not be created. :contentReference[oaicite:13]{index=13}
Edit View
Allow customers to edit existing records from the portal.
Edit Enabled
Enable/disable editing.
Edit Fields
Choose which fields customers can edit.
Default Values for Updated Records
Set predefined values that are applied when a customer updates a record (for example, automatically change a ticket status). :contentReference[oaicite:14]{index=14}
Related Records
Show related records based on the related list tabs in your CRM.
Examples:
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Documents related to a record
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Tasks and Tickets related to a Project
If you have multiple configurations for a related module (for example, “Open Tickets” and “Closed Tickets”), you can choose which configuration the customer should open when clicking a related record. :contentReference[oaicite:15]{index=15}
Inventory Modules
This tab appears only for modules that use the Inventory block (Quotes, Sales Orders, Purchase Orders, Invoices, etc.).
Available options:
Enable Inventory Block
Show the inventory lines (products/services) at the bottom of the record details page.
Inventory Currency Field
Choose the field that defines the currency for each record. If set to default, the portal default currency is used.
Inventory Line Fields
Choose which line-level fields are shown for each product/service row.
Totals Fields
Choose which summary totals appear at the bottom of the inventory block (discount, tax, totals before/after tax, etc.). :contentReference[oaicite:16]{index=16}
Get Paid Fast
If a payment gateway (such as PayPal) is configured, you can enable payments for records in a module.
Enable Payment
Enable/disable the Pay Now button on records.
Payment Amount Field
Choose which numeric field contains the amount to be paid.
Payment Currency Field
Choose which field defines the payment currency for the record. If set to default, the portal default currency is used. :contentReference[oaicite:17]{index=17}
Update Records When a Payment Is Processed
You can automatically update record fields after a payment attempt from the portal.
You can define field updates for two scenarios:
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On Success Payment
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On Cancel Payment
You can set as many fields as needed (for example, updating a payment status field). :contentReference[oaicite:18]{index=18}