# Build a client file-collection portal

A complete setup: branded upload portal, automatic filing into the right folders, internal notifications, and engagement tracking.

> Kind: Guide · Updated: May 25, 2026

Collecting documents from clients over email is where deals stall: attachments get lost, versions fork, nobody knows what arrived. This guide assembles four CloudFiles capabilities into one working portal — end to end, not feature by feature.

## What you’ll build

> **The finished workflow** — Client opens a branded link → uploads KYC files → files appear under /Accounts/{Client}/Inbound/ → the account owner gets a notification with a checklist status → every view and upload is tracked on the record.

*[img: Architecture: file request link → storage folder → flow → notification]*

## Prerequisites

CloudFiles installed (🚀 Install guide), a connected storage library (⚙ SharePoint or any other), and folders auto-created per record. Works with Document Management on its own; step 4 is richer with the Sharing add-on.

## 1 · Create the file request portal

Create a File Request from the record widget (or automate it with the Create File Request action). Configure the branded page: logo, accent color, email verification, allowed file types. The portal link is unique per record.

*[video: Creating and branding a file request (2 min)]*

## 2 · Auto-file into record folders

Uploads land in the folder the request was created from. To enforce structure, run ⚡ Create Folder for an Inbound subfolder on record creation, and point requests there. Add a 10-second ⚡ Delay before any follow-up search — storage indexing isn’t instant.

## 3 · Notify the owner

Subscribe to the ◈ File Received event and post to Slack/Teams or create a Task. Owning Document AI? Chain ⚡ Process Document using AI to check the upload against a KYC checklist before notifying.

## 4 · Track engagement

The record timeline now shows uploads, views and link activity. Dashboards aggregate per team — see the analytics feature docs for widgets.

> **Done** — You have a self-serve collection portal with zero email attachments. Total setup: under an hour.

## Go further

Variants of this guide: selective sub-folder sharing for advisors, approval flows before filing, AI-driven renaming on upload (⚡ Doc AI). Each builds on the same skeleton.