Onboard with Requests
Learn how to collect client answers, files, and signatures in one guided form.
Need to collect a few things from a client before work can move forward? A Request is a form you send through their portal to gather answers, files, or a signature.
Each Request belongs to one client account. Your client signs in to that account's portal to open it.
When should I use a Request?
You can use a Request whenever you need information from a client. Here are a few examples:
- a new-client form
- a project brief
- files needed for tax or design work
- choices or approval details
- a drawn or typed signature
If someone needs to do and track a piece of work, use a Task. Finishing a Request won't create a Task or Deliverable on its own.
Plan what you need
Before you build your Request, think about what you need from your client. A few things to plan:
- Write down what you need from the client.
- Put related questions in the same section.
- Mark only the must-have answers as required.
- Add help text where the client may need an example.
- Decide which people should get the request.
Want to see which fields you can use? Check out Choose a request field type.
Build and check the Request
Ready to build? Open Requests, then choose Collect Info. Choose Build New to start with a blank Request or a template, or AI Builder if you'd like to describe a first draft. Then pick the account and assignee.
Give your Request a clear title and a short Description, then add your questions. Before sending it, use Preview and Test to try each path. Test answers aren't saved.
For answers your team owns, open Prefill, enter the answer, and use the padlock to save and lock it. The client can read it, and your team can unlock it when a change is needed. See how answer locks work.
For the full setup, see Create a request.
Choose who should receive it
You can assign a Request to one person or several people, or choose Open to all for the account.
Assignment controls who gets Request emails and whether it appears under For you. Assigning a Request doesn't make it private: other active portal members on the account can still find a non-private Request under Open Requests.
If only one person should be able to open it, select that person and turn on Private request. Before sending private information, take a look at Choose request recipients and privacy.
Publish and follow up
Once it's ready, you can publish your Request now or schedule it for later. You can also set a due date, send a publish email, and add email reminders.
Your client will see the published Request in their portal, and their answers save in the same shared Request. Your team can follow along and review the current form or its timeline.
For the timing details, see Preview, publish, schedule, and remind.
Review the result
Once your client has answered the required fields shown to them, they can finish the Request. Sydnee can also complete it when its completion rules are met.
Your team can then review the answers, download answers as a PDF or uploaded files as a ZIP, reopen the Request, or archive it. See Review, export, complete, and archive requests.