Customer Portal

Overview

The Customer Portal is a separate, customer-facing area of CheckinDog that gives your clients direct access to their own information. Instead of calling your salon to check an appointment time, review an invoice, or see what is on file for their pet, customers can log in and find everything themselves. This saves you time, reduces phone interruptions during grooming sessions, and builds trust through transparency.

What the Customer Portal Is

The Customer Portal is a dedicated space — a distinct section of the application with its own interface, designed specifically for your customers. It is completely isolated from your salon's admin panel, so customers only see their own data and cannot access any business management features.

Think of it as a "window" into their records: they can look at their information, but they cannot change your salon's settings, see other customers' data, or access anything that does not belong to them.

How Customers Access the Portal

Authentication

Customers access the portal through a dedicated login page. They authenticate with their email address and password, just like any standard web application.

Account Setup

For a customer to access the portal, they need:

1. An email address on their customer record — This serves as their username.
2. A user account linked to their customer record — This provides the authentication credentials.
3. The portal URL — The web address where they can log in to the customer portal.

You can provide customers with their login details when they first visit your salon, or send the information by email. The portal URL is specific to your salon.

What Customers Can See

Once logged in, customers have access to three main sections, each presented as a clean, easy-to-navigate list.

My Animals

The animals section shows the customer all the pets you have on file for them.

What is displayed:

• Name — The animal's name (e.g., "Buddy," "Luna").
• Type — The animal's breed and species, displayed in the customer's language. CheckinDog's animal type database supports multiple languages, so a French-speaking customer sees "Caniche" while an English-speaking customer sees "Poodle."
• Breed — Additional breed specification, if recorded.
• Appointment count — The total number of appointments this animal has had at your salon. This gives customers a sense of their visit history at a glance.

Access level: Read-only. Customers can view their animals' information but cannot edit it. Any changes to animal records must be made by salon staff through the admin panel.

My Appointments

The appointments section gives customers visibility into their past and upcoming visits.

What is displayed:

• Date and time — When the appointment is or was scheduled.
• Animal name — Which pet the appointment is for.
• Comments — Any notes associated with the appointment (e.g., special grooming instructions, observations).

Requesting new appointments:

Customers can also request new appointments directly from the portal. The request form includes:

• Animal — Select which of their animals the appointment is for (dropdown populated with their animals only).
• Start time — The requested start date and time.
• End time — The requested end date and time.
• Comments — Any special instructions or notes for the appointment.

When a customer submits an appointment request, it appears in your salon's admin panel for you to review, confirm, or reschedule. This is not an automatic booking — you retain full control over your schedule.

Access level: Read-only for existing appointments; can create new appointment requests.

My Invoices

The invoices section provides customers with access to their billing history.

What is displayed:

• Invoice number — The unique invoice identifier (following your salon's numbering format, e.g., FA2602-0001).
• Total — The total amount of the invoice.
• Paid status — Whether the invoice has been marked as paid.

PDF download:

Customers can download a PDF copy of any of their invoices directly from the portal. This is convenient for:

• Personal record-keeping.
• Insurance claims (some pet insurance policies reimburse grooming costs).
• Expense tracking for professional or service animals.

Access level: Read-only. Customers can view and download their invoices but cannot modify them.

Data Scoping and Security

Strict Data Isolation

The Customer Portal enforces strict data scoping. This means:

• Customers only see their own data. A customer named Alice will never see Bob's animals, appointments, or invoices — even if they are at the same salon.
• Scoping is enforced at the database query level. This is not just a visual restriction; the application physically filters all queries to only return records belonging to the authenticated customer.
• No access to other salon data. Customers cannot see salon configuration, other customers, staff information, inventory, or any administrative data.

What Customers Cannot Do

To be explicit about the boundaries, customers in the portal cannot:

• Edit their own personal information (name, email, phone).
• Edit their animals' information.
• Modify or delete existing appointments.
• Edit or delete invoices.
• View any other customer's data.
• Access the salon's admin panel.
• View salon settings, inventory, suppliers, or financial reports.

This design keeps the portal simple and safe while still providing real value to your customers.

Benefits for Your Salon

Fewer Phone Calls

The most immediate benefit is a reduction in routine phone calls. Customers who can check their appointment times, download their invoices, and review their animals' records online do not need to call you for that information. This means fewer interruptions during grooming sessions.

Professional Image

Offering a customer portal demonstrates that your salon is modern, organized, and customer-focused. It sets you apart from competitors who rely on paper records and phone-only communication.

Transparency and Trust

When customers can see their own records — appointments, invoices, and animal details — it builds trust. There are no surprises on invoices, appointment times are clear, and pet records are accessible.

Appointment Requests

The ability for customers to request appointments through the portal is a significant convenience feature. Customers can browse their availability and submit requests at any time — including outside your business hours — without needing to call. You review and confirm requests on your own schedule.

Setting Up the Customer Portal

Enabling Customer Access

To give a customer access to the portal:

1. Ensure the customer record has a valid email address.
2. Create a user account linked to the customer record with the appropriate role.
3. Provide the customer with their login credentials and the portal URL.

Communicating With Customers

When introducing the portal to your customers, consider:

• Mentioning it during their next visit: "Did you know you can view your appointments and invoices online?"
• Including the portal URL on your printed invoices or appointment cards.
• Sending an email to existing customers announcing the portal and providing login instructions.
• Adding a link to the portal on your website and social media profiles.

Best Practices

Keep Customer Records Accurate

Since customers see exactly what is in the system, make sure their records are accurate and up to date. If a customer notices an error in their animal's name or an incorrect appointment time, it erodes trust in the system.

Respond to Appointment Requests Promptly

When a customer takes the time to submit an appointment request through the portal, respond as quickly as possible. A prompt confirmation makes the customer feel valued and reinforces the usefulness of the portal.

Educate Your Customers

Not all customers will be tech-savvy. Take a moment to walk less confident customers through the portal during their visit. Show them where to find their appointments, how to download an invoice, and how to request a new appointment.

Use Comments Effectively

The comments field on appointments is visible to customers in the portal. Use it for information that is useful to the customer (e.g., "Please bring the special shampoo" or "Trim only, no bath this time"). Avoid internal-only notes in this field — use other methods for notes that should stay between staff members.

Review Appointment Requests Regularly

Build a habit of checking for new appointment requests at the start and end of each business day. Customers expect a reasonably quick response when they submit a request online.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can customers book appointments directly?

Customers can request appointments, but these are not automatically confirmed. You review each request in your admin panel and can approve, modify, or decline it. This keeps you in control of your schedule.

Can customers update their own information?

No. The portal is read-only for personal details, animal records, and invoices. All edits must be made by salon staff through the admin panel. This prevents accidental data corruption and maintains data integrity.

What if a customer forgets their password?

Customers can use the standard password reset flow on the portal login page. They will receive a reset link at the email address on file.

Can customers from different salons see each other's data?

No. The portal is fully scoped to the individual customer. Even within the same salon, Customer A cannot see Customer B's data. Across different salons, data isolation is even stricter due to the multi-tenant architecture.

Is the portal available on mobile devices?

Yes. The portal uses a responsive design. Customers can access it from any device with a web browser — desktop, tablet, or smartphone.

Summary

The Customer Portal is a powerful self-service tool that benefits both your salon and your customers. By giving clients read-only access to their animals, appointments, and invoices — along with the ability to request new appointments — you reduce your administrative burden, project a professional image, and build lasting trust. Combined with strict data scoping that ensures each customer only sees their own information, the portal is a secure and valuable addition to your CheckinDog setup.