Using the Beam Machine Client Portal

This page shows portal users what the client portal is for, what they can realistically do there today, and when they need the staff app instead.

Product: Beam Machine
Module: Client Portal
Role: Client User, Customer Contact, External User, Support User
Difficulty: Beginner
Time: 6 minutes first read
Last Updated: 2026-03-10
Version: Current Beam Machine portal build in this repo

Before You Start

• You need a portal login and the correct customer-facing account.
• You should know whether you need the portal or the full staff app.
• Keep 01-overview.md open if you need the difference between the two surfaces.

What is the client portal?

The client portal is a lighter, customer-facing version of Beam Machine. It is meant for limited visibility into customer information such as invoices, rentals, profile details, and support access. It is not the full back-office workspace.

Think of it as a controlled window into the system, not the whole system.

When do you use this?

Use the portal when an external user needs to view their own information without being given access to the staff-side operations, finance, tax, payroll, audit, or admin modules.

If a user needs to create journals, reconcile a bank, run payroll, manage approvals, or edit system setup, they are in the wrong place.

Where do you find portal work?

Primary path: Use the portal sidebar after login.
Main routes: Dashboard, Invoices, Rentals, Profile, and Support.

How to use the portal safely

Portal navigation

Route	Purpose
/portal/dashboard	Portal landing page
/portal/invoices	Invoice visibility for the portal user
/portal/rentals	Rental visibility for the portal user
/portal/profile	User profile information
/portal/support	Support request or support contact surface

Confirm the user is in the right surface

1. Check that the top bar shows Customer Portal.
2. Confirm the sidebar is the smaller portal sidebar, not the full staff dashboard.
3. Confirm the user only needs customer-facing visibility.

✅ Checkpoint: If the user is asking for accounting, tax, payroll, audit, controls, or system settings, stop here and move them to the correct staff-side process.

Review invoices in the portal

1. Open Invoices.
2. Review the visible invoice list.
3. Confirm the list matches the customer’s expectation.
4. If the user says something is missing, compare it with the staff-side invoicing record before assuming the portal is wrong.

Review rentals in the portal

1. Open Rentals.
2. Review the visible rental records.
3. Confirm the rental status matches what the customer expects.
4. If something looks wrong, compare it with the staff-side rental workflow.

Use profile and support

1. Open Profile for user-level account information.
2. Open Support when the user cannot solve the issue from invoices or rentals alone.

Stay honest about maturity

1. Treat the portal as partial functionality unless your environment proves otherwise.
2. Do not document deeper interactive lifecycle features unless they are visible in the current UI.
3. Use 99-functionality-gap-map.md when users ask whether broader portal capabilities already exist.

Common Questions & Issues

"Why can’t I see the same menus as internal staff?"

Why this happens: The client portal is intentionally limited.

Fix: Use the portal for customer-facing visibility only. Internal operational work belongs in the staff app.

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"The portal route exists, but the interaction I want is missing"

Why this happens: Portal capabilities are marked as partial in the current documentation baseline.

Fix: Document only what is visible now and check 99-functionality-gap-map.md for maturity notes.

What's Next

• Read 01-overview.md if you need a quick platform orientation.
• Read 03-navigation-and-layout.md if a user is lost in the interface.

Related Pages

• 01-overview.md
• 03-navigation-and-layout.md
• 99-functionality-gap-map.md

Still Stuck?

• Confirm whether the user should be in the portal or the staff app.
• Check current maturity notes in 99-functionality-gap-map.md.
• Contact support: support@veva.co.za

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