This winter I worked with a client starting a new agency. One of the 346 tasks assigned to me was a tall order: find a new Client Portal that provided secure client access while remaining easy to navigate. 😳😆 It also needed to be less noisy, integrate contract signatures, provide a simple and concise UX, and be easy for both owner and client to use. By the time I finished, I’d bought a new CRM for myself as well.

I worked through a long list of options. These included Hubspot, SuiteDash, Agiled, and Plutio. In addition to our requirements, we wanted the new portal to be affordable as we scaled – which for us means it needed to offer an LTD (LifeTime Deal). That scratched a few options off our list.

We landed on Kitchen.co. And when I say landed, I mean we disembarked from our mission both overjoyed to be finished with the quest but also incredibly satisfied with what we’d found – a DIAMOND 💎 in a pile of very beautiful gems. And I do mean gems – some of the options we researched were fantastic (our second runner up was SuiteDash. As a developer SuiteDash has some amazing functionality if you have the time to set it up).

Going forward, I honestly believe Kitchen.co is capable of setting the standard on what a simple CRM and secure client access should look like. Let’s dig into 7 reasons why we love Kitchen.co.

1. It’s Soooooo Easy to Use – For Us and Our Clients

Kitchen.co's secure client access sets the standard with its remarkable ease of use. The platform boasts an intuitive interface that makes navigation a breeze for users of all levels. From first-time visitors to CRM seasoned professionals, Kitchen.co’s design ensures a very easy experience that prioritizes accessibility, efficiency, and the integration of a customer portal. With clear labeling and strategically placed features, finding what you need is as simple as a few clicks.

Moreover, the platform’s user-friendly navigation further enhances its ease of use. Whether you’re accessing client files or sending Clients a quote via chat (Conversations), every action is designed to be straightforward and intuitive. Kitchen.co understands the importance of a smooth workflow, and its navigation reflects this commitment to an easy user experience. By minimizing unnecessary steps and focusing on essential functions, users can accomplish tasks efficiently without any unnecessary complications. In our world, we call this unnecessary noise.

Kitchen’s simple project management helps reduces the noise with the implementation of Kanban boards, and does this very well. If you’re coming from something like Trello your going to quickly find yourself right at home in a recognizable Kitchen.

Put simply, the overall experience on Kitchen.co is designed to be as smooth as possible. Every interaction is carefully crafted to provide a seamless journey for users. This commitment to ease of use ensures that you and your client’s time on the platform is productive and stress-free, allowing you to focus on what truly matters – building strong relationships with your clients and growing your business.

2. Privacy and Secure Client Access

Secure client access needs to be….well, secure. When it comes to security, Kitchen.co shines. Here are the details from their website as of 3/5/24:

• 99.99% uptime, a critical security measure for any database: There’s no time for downtime. Kitchen.co’s servers are super stable so you’re always connected.
• 256-bit SSL secure connection, ensuring secure access for all users: Each connection to Kitchen.co’s servers is encrypted with 256bit SSL protocol, for both team members and clients.
• Level 1 PCI compliance with secure access protocols: Every single payment is processed securely. Kitchen.co does not store any sensitive data like credit card numbers or payment tokens.
  • FYI from us: We use Stripe to store all our credit card information. Kitchen integrates with both Stripe and Plaid to securely store client information on Stripe’s servers – which we prefer.
• Two-Factor authentication (2FA): Any time you or your clients login to Kitchen.co, you’ll need to prove you are, in fact, a human, with a 2FA code sent by Google.

3. Minimal Noise

In our agency, a major part of our USP (Unique Selling Proposition) is reducing the noise of the modern digital world for our clients. Minimal Noise is a key factor that sets Kitchen.co apart and puts it at the top of the pile as a sustainable secure client access solution.

With its clean and minimalist design, Kitchen.co focuses on providing users with an uncluttered interface that reduces distractions and unnecessary elements. By prioritizing essential features and removing any excess clutter, the platform ensures that users can navigate effortlessly and focus on their tasks without being overwhelmed by unnecessary information.

For example, even with GIF integrations and the ability to send and accept a quote within a conversation, Kitchen.co has made it possible for clients to never login to the portal if they don’t want to. This extends into their simple ability to sign contracts and proposals, which we’ll discuss shortly.

Clients can simply reply to the email they receive in their inbox whenever they need to interact with you, and this is logged into whatever “conversation” you started with them internal to Kitchen.

For example, you may have 2 conversations that are ongoing with the same client: “Project Revisions” and “Project Quote”. Updates to both of these conversations will appear in their email inboxes as separate threads, which they can reply to easily (including One-Click Approvals 😄).

When these replies come in, you receive an email (if you prefer) and it logs their response in the conversation, giving each of you a source of truth of your preference – where a person replies is completely your preference, and those preferences can differ from each other.

This was a game changer for us. The biggest complaint we receive is that the world is full of over-communication and noise. If you want happy clients, then you need to match their preferences – not your own. Kitchen.co will help you do that right out of the gate.

4. Securely Stored Invoice and Payment Integrations

Kitchen.co's Invoicing and Payment Integrations are well balanced for businesses looking to streamline their financial processes.

As mentioned, Kitchen.co integrates with popular payment gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, and Plaid (Secure ACH Verification). This makes it easy for clients to make payments securely and conveniently.

Another highlight of Kitchen.co‘s Invoicing and Payment Integrations is recurring invoices and automatic payments. While Stripe offers this functionality directly, running this through Kitchen.co ensures your branding stays the same, invoice numbering remains consistent among all clients, and financial transactions easily sync to accounting software, such as Quickbooks or Freshbooks.

By automating these processes, businesses can maintain healthy cash flow and foster better relationships with their clients through gentle yet effective nudges toward prompt payments. Customer service has stated an updated API is coming soon, which should help for future integrations through platforms like Pabbly Connect.

5. Proposal and Contract Signatures

A Mission Critical item for our agency is the sending and signing of proposals and signatures. We found that a small difference with Kitchen.co from other secure client portals seems to also be their strength: their DocuMocu addition adds signature capability that directly rivals DocuSign, and they offer it as a license and purchase independent from their main Kitchen.co offering.

A few Facebook chats I read about this separation raised some concerns. Personally, I tend to lean toward the wisdom of separating both of these platforms. As I mentioned earlier, Kitchen.co offers a financially sound LifeTime deal offering as of the time this article was written (FYI: Coupon Code KITCHEN10 will get you 10% off any of their offerings, LTD or subscription). LTD offerings are great, but they can’t last forever. Eventually SaaS sellers need to move to a sustainable MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue) model to stay in business.

I like Kitchen’s approach to this. Offering two fantastic services helps build a foundation that keeps Kitchen’s financial model sustainable. These two services are what people are looking for: simple and sustainable secure client access with the ability to capture secure client signatures, complete with official audit trails. As new clients sign up for these tools, there is an immediate benefit to buying the additional license, which Kitchen.co bundles at a very reasonable price.

In speaking to the developer, full integration of both their portal platform (Kitchen.co) and their signature offering (DocuMocu) is coming soon, following updates to their new API. From our use of the DocuMocu tool, this integration is only going to refine an already amazing duo.

DocuMocu offers complete signature functionality along with custom templates and custom fields (Nerd alert for all of you pro-automation users like me). They also offer 200 proposal templates and the ability to include upsells that a client can select during the signing phase. A major feature we love is the ability to embed a Video into our proposals, which we have yet to try.

In short, Kitchen.co currently separates these two tools, but they work beautifully even as they remain independent of each other. We can only expect they will get even better with the new API and integrations. They are currently offering a very good discount on the purchase of the additional DocuMocu LTD license (75% off their regular price when bundled with Kitchen.co).

6. Unlimited File Storage

Kitchen.co offers simple file organization while offering unlimited storage, with a max file size of 1gb/file. Whether or not this feature remains in the future remains to be seen, since server storage is expensive.

Most of the offerings we reviewed in our search limited the amount of files we could store. Usually, they offer a tier based model dependent on the amount of storage you need.

While the unlimited storage is a huge benefit, of equal benefit was the simple way files can be organized. Key features from their site include:

• Nested Folders: Multi-layered structures of folders within folders and organization of date with precision and clarity.
• Color Coding: Visual color coding creates a language that resonates with you and represents different categories, projects, or priorities.
• Share any folder: Take charge of you folders while selectively sharing them with the perfect collaborators, ensuring optimal privacy, security, and collaboration. One more nod toward Privacy and Secure Client Access.

While we love all these features, you may want to consider purchasing Kitchen.co while the unlimited storage tier remains. We have no idea if that will be removed, but since we don’t see an integration with offline storage providers at this time, this is the type of thing that can get expensive for startup SaaS companies quickly.

7. Magic Links

I touched on this already, but #7 on our list of reasons we think Kitchen.co is the new standard for secure client access is their use of simple Magic Links. Magic links offer convenient single-click access while requiring Two Factor Authentication for secure client access.

Clients can effortlessly navigate to their accounts without the hassle of remembering complex passwords or going through a lengthy login process (in other words, you don’t have to offer a ton of timely support in the onboarding phase – you don’t even need to set a password for new accounts).

This brilliant and innovative approach not only enhances user convenience but also boosts efficiency in client interactions, saving valuable time and effort for both parties involved. By simplifying the login experience, Kitchen.co ensures a seamless user journey that prioritizes accessibility and ease of use.

If you haven’t heard of Magic Links before, you’re about to see it more and more. The introduction of these links in many modern SaaS products represents a significant shift towards increased efficiency in client interactions. By offering a streamlined authentication method that requires minimal effort from users, Kitchen.co sets a new standard for user-friendly secure client access portals.

In today’s fast-paced and NOISY digital landscape, client convenience must be a paramount concern for businesses. Kitchen.co‘s implementation of Magic Links aligns perfectly with this ethos. Kitchen.co demonstrates a commitment and standard of staying ahead of the curve in providing secure client access yet balancing that with a user-friendly platform.

Conclusion

In short, we LOVE Kitchen.co and intend to recommend it to all clients needing an easy and secure experience for their clients. We’re eager to watch their future unfold and their rollout of DocuMocu’s integration with Kitchen. We are also hopeful to see Pabbly Connect and Zapier add Kitchen.co and DocuMocu as integrations.

Kitchen.co’s secure client access standard combines ease of use, security, minimal noise, efficient invoicing and payment integrations, streamlined proposal workflows, unlimited file storage, and magic links for swift access—all wrapped in a simple presentation that makes every interaction an easy and pleasant experience.

Kitchen.co and DocuMocu bundle the most important tools you’ll find in a Client Kitchen. Easy-bake your customer interactions with their 14-day refund policy today. Being grandfathered in to LTD pricing, especially as this tool is discovered and becomes popular, might be worth the flier at $299 ($269.10 with KITCHEN10 – this price is for 5 internal users only – in other words it’s cheaper when you include less cooks in the Kitchen 🥁).