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Customer PortalPortal User Management

Portal User Management

The Customer Portal supports user account management, allowing customers to create and manage team members, configure security settings, and (for freight forwarders) switch between multiple customer profiles.

User Types

Regular Customers

Individual shippers or importers who manage declarations for their own company.

Characteristics:

  • Single customer account
  • Multiple users can be created for the same company
  • Users share access to the same declarations and drafts
  • Common roles: Admin, User, Viewer

Freight Forwarders

Logistics companies that manage declarations on behalf of multiple underlying clients.

Characteristics:

  • Multiple customer profiles (one per client)
  • Users can switch between customer contexts
  • Centralized user management
  • Can create drafts and view declarations for any client
  • Common roles: Admin, Operator, Viewer

User Roles and Permissions

Portal users can have different roles with varying permissions:

Admin

Full access to everything:

  • Create, edit, and delete declarations and drafts
  • Upload and manage documents
  • Manage other users (create, edit, delete)
  • Configure portal settings
  • View audit logs

Use case: Company owner, operations manager

User

Standard operational access:

  • Create and edit declarations and drafts
  • Upload and manage documents
  • View all company declarations
  • Cannot manage other users or settings

Use case: Shipping coordinator, logistics officer

Viewer

Read-only access:

  • View declarations and their status
  • Download documents
  • Cannot create or edit anything

Use case: Finance team, management oversight

Managing Portal Users

Creating Users (Admin only)

  1. Navigate to Settings > Users in the portal
  2. Click “Create New User”
  3. Enter user details:
    • Name: Full name of the user
    • Email: Email address (used for login)
    • Role: Select from Admin, User, Viewer
    • Phone: Optional contact number
  4. Click “Send Invitation”

The new user receives an email with:

  • Welcome message
  • Portal login URL
  • Instructions to set their password
  • Invitation expiry (7 days)

Editing Users

  1. Go to Settings > Users
  2. Click on the user you want to edit
  3. Update details (name, email, role, phone)
  4. Click “Save Changes”

Note: Changing a user’s email requires them to verify the new email address.

Deactivating Users

To remove a user’s access without deleting their account:

  1. Go to Settings > Users
  2. Click on the user
  3. Click “Deactivate Account”
  4. Confirm deactivation

Deactivated users:

  • Cannot log in
  • Retain their historical activity in audit logs
  • Can be reactivated at any time

Deleting Users

To permanently remove a user:

  1. Go to Settings > Users
  2. Click on the user
  3. Click “Delete Account”
  4. Confirm deletion (this action is irreversible)

Warning: Deleting a user removes their account but preserves their historical activity for audit purposes.

My Customers (Freight Forwarders)

Freight forwarders can manage declarations for multiple clients using the “My Customers” feature.

Setting Up Customer Profiles

Customer profiles are created by your customs broker. Each profile represents one of your clients and includes:

  • Customer name and company details
  • Unique customer code
  • Associated declarations and drafts
  • Customer-specific settings

Switching Between Customers

To switch customer context:

  1. Click the Customer Selector dropdown in the portal header
  2. Select the customer you want to work with
  3. The portal reloads showing that customer’s declarations and drafts

Current Customer Indicator: The active customer is always shown in the header bar.

Customer-Specific Data

When you switch customers, you see only that customer’s data:

  • Declarations: Only declarations for the selected customer
  • Drafts: Only drafts for the selected customer
  • Documents: Only documents attached to that customer’s declarations
  • Import History: Only file/AI imports for that customer

Creating Declarations for Clients

When creating a draft as a freight forwarder:

  1. Select the customer from the dropdown
  2. Create the draft (it’s automatically associated with that customer)
  3. Submit for review

Your customs broker sees which customer the draft is for and processes it accordingly.

Audit Trail

All actions are tracked with the user who performed them and the customer context:

User: john@freightco.com
Customer: ACME Corp (Customer ID: 123)
Action: Created draft declaration
Reference: DFT-2024-001
Timestamp: 2024-03-15 14:30:00

User Profile Settings

Each user can manage their own profile:

Personal Information

Update your:

  • Name
  • Email address
  • Phone number
  • Language preference (EN, NL, DE, PL)

Password Management

Changing Your Password:

  1. Go to Profile > Security
  2. Enter current password
  3. Enter new password (must meet requirements)
  4. Confirm new password
  5. Click “Update Password”

Password Requirements:

  • Minimum 8 characters
  • At least one uppercase letter
  • At least one lowercase letter
  • At least one number
  • At least one special character

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Enable 2FA for enhanced security:

  1. Go to Profile > Security
  2. Click “Enable Two-Factor Authentication”
  3. Scan the QR code with your authenticator app (Google Authenticator, Authy, etc.)
  4. Enter the 6-digit code from your app
  5. Save your recovery codes in a safe place

With 2FA enabled:

  • You’ll need your password + 6-digit code to log in
  • Recovery codes can be used if you lose your device
  • You can disable 2FA at any time (requires password + code)

WebAuthn / Passkeys

Enable passwordless login using biometrics or security keys:

  1. Go to Profile > Security
  2. Click “Add Passkey”
  3. Choose a name for your device (e.g., “MacBook TouchID”, “YubiKey”)
  4. Follow your browser’s prompts to register the passkey
  5. Test login with your passkey

Supported Authenticators:

  • Biometrics: Face ID, Touch ID, Windows Hello
  • Security Keys: YubiKey, Google Titan Key, etc.
  • Device PIN: Fallback authentication

You can register multiple passkeys (e.g., laptop + phone + hardware key).

Notification Preferences

Configure which email notifications you receive:

  • Declaration Status Changes: When a declaration is accepted, released, rejected, etc.
  • Draft Status Updates: When your broker reviews or approves drafts
  • User Account Changes: When your account is modified by an admin
  • Security Alerts: Login from new device, password changes, etc.

Session Management

View and manage active sessions:

  • Current Session: The device you’re using now
  • Other Sessions: Other devices where you’re logged in
  • Last Activity: When each session was last active

Revoking Sessions: Click “Revoke” next to any session to log out that device immediately.

Access Control for Freight Forwarders

Freight forwarder users can be granted access to specific customers only:

All Customers Access:

  • User can switch between all customer profiles
  • See data for all clients

Limited Customer Access:

  • User can only access specific customers
  • Cannot see other customers in the dropdown
  • Useful for dedicated account managers

This is configured by your Admin user in Settings > Users > Edit User > Customer Access.

User Activity Logs

Admins can view user activity logs:

  1. Go to Settings > Activity Logs
  2. Filter by:
    • User
    • Customer (for freight forwarders)
    • Date range
    • Action type (login, create, edit, delete)
  3. Export logs to CSV for audit purposes

Logged Activities:

  • User logins and logouts
  • Declaration and draft creation/editing
  • Document uploads
  • User management actions
  • Settings changes

Security Best Practices

For Admins

  • Use Strong Passwords: Enforce password requirements for all users
  • Enable 2FA: Require 2FA for admin accounts
  • Regular Audits: Review user list quarterly, remove inactive users
  • Least Privilege: Grant only the permissions users need
  • Monitor Activity: Check activity logs for suspicious behavior

For Users

  • Enable 2FA or Passkeys: Add an extra layer of security
  • Use Unique Passwords: Don’t reuse passwords from other sites
  • Log Out on Shared Devices: Always log out when using public/shared computers
  • Review Sessions: Regularly check active sessions and revoke unknown devices
  • Report Suspicious Activity: Contact your admin if you notice anything unusual

Inviting External Users

If you need to grant portal access to external parties (e.g., suppliers, partners):

  1. Create a user account with Viewer role
  2. Send them the invitation
  3. They can view declarations but cannot edit or create

This is useful for:

  • Suppliers who need to verify shipment status
  • Partners who need declaration documentation
  • Auditors who need read-only access

Common User Management Scenarios

Employee Onboarding

  1. Admin creates user account with appropriate role
  2. New employee receives invitation email
  3. Employee sets password and enables 2FA
  4. Employee logs in and completes profile

Employee Offboarding

  1. Admin deactivates user account (immediate access removal)
  2. Review user’s recent activity for audit purposes
  3. Reassign any pending drafts to another user
  4. After 90 days, optionally delete the account

Role Changes

  1. Admin edits user account
  2. Change role (e.g., User → Admin)
  3. User’s permissions update immediately
  4. User may need to log out and back in to see new features

Forgotten Password

  1. User clicks “Forgot Password” on login page
  2. Enters email address
  3. Receives password reset link (valid for 1 hour)
  4. Sets new password

Locked Account

After 5 failed login attempts, accounts are locked for 30 minutes.

To unlock:

  • Wait 30 minutes
  • Contact your admin to unlock immediately
  • Use “Forgot Password” to reset and unlock

Next Steps

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