A client portal for file sharing, for firms that have outgrown a shared link
A shared folder tells you nothing about who still owes you a file, and a link that gets forwarded is a link you no longer control. A portal fixes both problems.
Free for 14 days, no credit card. Your portal carries your firm's name from the first client you add.
Pre-survey documents
6 of 8 received1 item overdue — FirmHello is chasing
- Title plan Received 8 Apr
- Existing floor plans Received 8 Apr
- ! Asbestos register Overdue
- Access arrangements Reminder Friday
- Terms of engagement Approved 1 Apr
Halliwell Surveyors's portal, as their client sees it.
Consumer file sharing is built for people who already have the files and just need somewhere to put them. Professional work is the opposite problem: you do not have the files, somebody else has them, and the whole job is getting them out of that person.
FirmHello is file sharing with the asking built in. Every file lives against a named client, every request has a state, reminders go out on their own, and every view and download is recorded. Access is granted per client rather than to anybody holding a URL.
What a shared folder cannot do
A folder has no idea what is missing
It shows you what is there. The thing you actually need to know is what is not there, and which client to chase about it.
Links outlive their purpose
A share link gets forwarded, bookmarked and pasted into a message thread, and it keeps working long after it should.
No record of who opened what
When a client asks whether their file was accessed, consumer sharing has no answer you would want to give in writing.
Everything depends on one person's account
The folder belongs to whoever created it. When they leave, the client's documents leave with their login.
File sharing with the asking built in
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Step 1
Request rather than share
Create a named list of the files you need. Each one has a state — waiting, received, overdue — so the gap is visible at a glance.
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Step 2
Files land against a client
Not in a folder you have to organize afterwards. Uploads are filed to the client and the request they belong to.
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Step 3
Access is granted, never inherited
A client reaches their own space and nothing else. Staff access is per client, and every action is logged with actor and time.
What file sharing use most
Every featureRequest lists
The difference between this and a shared folder: a list of what is still missing, with a state on every item.
Automatic chasing
A folder cannot chase anybody. Outstanding files get followed up automatically until they arrive.
Client vault
Permanent, searchable, versioned storage per client, so the current version of a document is never in doubt.
Audit trail
Actor, time and IP on every view, upload and download, exportable when a client or an insurer asks.
Your brand, your domain
Your domain and your name on the upload page, rather than a consumer brand your client has to trust instead of you.
Roles and per-client access
Access belongs to a named client and to named staff, not to anybody holding a link, and it is revoked in one place.
Client documents are the most sensitive thing a firm holds
So the portal is built to hold them properly: encrypted, access granted one client at a time, and every action recorded. Nothing travels as an email attachment.
How FirmHello is built- Encrypted in transit and at rest
- TLS 1.3 on every connection and AES-256 encryption for stored documents, with keys managed separately from the data they protect.
- Access is per client, not per firm
- A client can only ever load their own space. Staff access is granted per client, so a junior can be given three files and nothing else.
- No documents in email
- Notifications tell a client that something is waiting and link them to the portal. The material itself never leaves it as an attachment.
- Complete audit trail
- Views, uploads, downloads, approvals and permission changes are all recorded with actor, time and IP, and the log is exportable.
- Retention you control
- Set how long documents live per client or per matter, and hold or purge on request, so the portal matches the retention policy you already have.
- Hosted in your region
- Choose United States, Canada, the EU or the United Kingdom, and your firm's data stays in that region.
Questions from file sharing
How is this different from a shared cloud folder?
A folder stores what you have. A portal tracks what you are waiting for, chases it, scopes access per client instead of per link, and records every access. If you only need storage, a folder is fine.
Can I still use my existing cloud storage?
Yes. Many firms keep their internal working files where they are and use FirmHello purely as the client-facing layer.
Is there a file size limit?
Nothing like an email attachment limit. Storage is included per plan, starting at 100 GB, and individual uploads are not the constraint.
Can links expire?
Access belongs to a named client rather than to a URL, so it is revoked by removing access. Individual items can also carry an expiry.
Do I get a record of downloads?
Yes. Every view and download is logged with the person, the time and the address, and the log is exportable.
Related
Where to go next
Every page on the site, grouped by the question it answers.
- File sharing — you are here
- On your website
- WordPress sites
Ready when you are
Tell us what you are collecting and we will set the first request list up with you.
No card and no sales call. If you would rather tell us about your firm first, use the longer form.