When you send a request, your contact receives a link to a simple, no-login page scoped to just their request.
What they see at the top
The header names your firm ("Document request from" and your organization name) and, if the request has a creator, who requested it. Below it is the request title, then one line telling them how many documents your firm still needs from them and that they don't need an account. The line under that shows the due date, a *Past Due* chip if the deadline has passed, and how many items are done. Once everything is in, a banner tells them your firm will review it and be in touch.
There is no Back button; the page is meant to be opened from the link you sent.
What they can do there
- View the checklist of documents you've asked for, with clear labels for what's still needed.
- Download any files you've attached to an item for them to read, such as a cover letter or a sample. Each file has its own Download button.
- Upload files directly, by drag-and-drop or file picker.
- Capture a document with their phone camera instead of scanning it.
- Upload additional documents you didn't explicitly ask for, if relevant.
- Send you a message back through the portal if they have a question. It shows up in the request's activity log on your side.
- Mark an item as not applicable to them, if your checklist allows it.
- Sign a document you've sent for e-signature, or complete a fillable form, without leaving the page.
Open-ended collections
An open-ended collection has no checklist, just one upload box. If you've written instructions for it, they appear at the top of the page, above the standard wording and the upload box.
Items that need a signature or a form
An item with a published fillable form shows a Fill Out card. What else the contact sees depends on how you set the form to be completed (see Fillable forms): by default there is also a Download Blank Form button and the usual upload controls, so they can complete it by hand and upload it; for a drop-off form there is a download button and a note to bring or mail it in, with no upload box; for an online-only form there is just Fill Out. Once submitted, the completed form appears under the item in their submitted list.
An item you marked Received Another Way moves to their submitted list with how and when it arrived — *Received by mail* and the date, for example.
An item you've sent for signature likewise doesn't show upload controls. In their place is a Your signature is needed card with a Sign Now button and a link to download a copy to read first. If you've set the signers to sign in order and it isn't yet this person's turn, the card says who they're waiting for instead, and they're told by email and text when it's their turn. Once everyone has signed, the item moves to their submitted list with the signed copy available to download.
Why there's no login
The portal link is unique to the request. Your contact doesn't create an account, set a password, or install anything. The link itself is the credential, which is why it's worth treating like one — see below.
This tradeoff is deliberate. Asking a client to create an account is the single most common reason document collection stalls, and every abandoned signup is a document you don't get.
Link handling
- The link goes to the email address on the contact record, so keep that accurate.
- Each request gets its own link. Sending a new request doesn't reuse the old one.
- If a client forwards their link to someone else, that person can see and upload to the request. Treat it the way you'd treat a shared document link.
Branding
Without custom branding, the portal header shows the docEvault logo next to your firm's name. On the Professional plan, White-Label Branding (Settings › Branding) replaces the docEvault logo with your own, uses your primary color for the header, and lets you set your own footer text. Your firm's name appears on every plan.
Pointing clients at help
If a contact is stuck, Uploading documents to a request is written for them rather than for you, and you can send it directly.