Included FREE with AscendTMS PRO, AscendCustomerPortal gives your customers secure, 24/7 self-service access to shipment tracking, documents, invoices, live maps, and more - reducing phone calls, emails, and routine status requests while delivering the world-class service today's shippers expect.

Whether they're in the office or on the go, your customers can securely access your portal from any computer, tablet, or smartphone - no app to download and no username or password to remember. Simply send them a secure Magic Link and they're in.

But AscendCustomerPortal isn't just designed for your customers - it's designed for you!

You decide which customers receive access, which shipments they can view, which documents they can download, whether live tracking is available, and even how your internal load statuses are presented. Translate operational statuses into customer-friendly updates, control the messaging around shipment activity, and provide a polished, professional experience that keeps your customers informed without exposing every internal workflow.

The result? Happier customers. Fewer interruptions. A more professional operation. More time to move freight.

Begin by selecting the Settings tab found on the left side of your AscendTMS screen

Locate the AscendTMS Plans, Features and Billing Details section, then select AscendCustomerPortal Settings.

When you first open the AscendCustomerPortal settings, you'll see a series of tabs across the top of the page. Each tab contains a different group of settings that control your default (global) customer portal experience.

Think of these as your baseline settings. Every customer you invite to AscendCustomerPortal will inherit these defaults unless you choose to customize their portal individually. Since most users want a consistent experience for all of their customers, configuring your global settings first is the fastest and easiest way to get started.

In the sections below, we'll walk through each tab and explain the available settings, recommended options, and how they impact your customers' experience.

The Portal Title is the name displayed at the top of your AscendCustomerPortal and on the customer login page. By default, it will display your company logo and name, but you can customize it to better reflect your brand or the experience you want to create for your customers.

Whether you prefer to keep your company name, use a branded portal title, or even create a customer-specific experience later, this setting gives you the flexibility to present your portal exactly the way you want.

Next is the Front Page Content. This is the first message your customers see after accessing their portal, making it a great place to welcome them, share important information, or provide instructions specific to your business.

The built-in editor makes it easy to format your message using options such as bold, different fonts, text sizing, and other formatting tools to create a polished, professional welcome page.

One of the biggest advantages of AscendCustomerPortal is giving your customers a fast, convenient way to communicate with your team - without adding more phone calls or cluttering your email inbox.

The Chat tab allows you to control how customer communications are handled throughout the portal.

Use the Enable Chat option to turn customer messaging on or off.

When enabled, customers will have access to the Communications tab within AscendCustomerPortal, allowing them to send general questions, discuss specific shipments, request quotes, and more. If disabled, the Communications tab will not be visible to your customers.

Choose which AscendTMS users should receive notifications when customers send general (non-load-specific) messages through AscendCustomerPortal.

Choose which AscendTMS users should receive notifications when customers send messages related to a specific load. This makes it easy to route shipment-related questions directly to the appropriate team members.

To make customer communication even easier, AscendTMS now includes In-App Popup notifications for AscendCustomerPortal chat messages.

Enable In-App Popup within your User Settings to receive an on-screen notification whenever a customer sends you a new chat message through the portal. To do so, simply click on the In-App Popup option there.

If you prefer a less intrusive experience, simply leave In-App Popup disabled. You'll still be notified of new messages through the Messaging Hub, where a red notification indicator lets you know when unread messages are waiting.

When you click the Messaging Hub icon, you'll see two separate messaging tabs:

This makes it easy to switch between customer communications and internal team discussions without leaving AscendTMS.

Status Mapping allows you to control how shipment updates are presented to your customers by translating your internal AscendTMS load statuses into customer-friendly status names.

For example, your operations team may use statuses such as Needs Carrier, Booked, or At Pickup, while your customers simply see updates like In Transit, Scheduled, or Out for Delivery. This creates a cleaner, more professional customer experience without changing your internal workflow.

In this section, you'll create your customer-facing statuses, choose a default status, and map your internal AscendTMS load statuses to the updates displayed in AscendCustomerPortal.

At the top of the page, you'll find your list of Customer Portal Statuses (Available Customer Statuses). By default, AscendCustomerPortal includes six pre-configured statuses to help you get started.

This list is fully customizable. You can:

Take a few moments to create the customer-friendly statuses you want your customers to see throughout their shipment's lifecycle.

Next, scroll to the Default Customer Status section.

By default, In Transit is selected, but you can choose any of your customer portal statuses from the dropdown.

Continue scrolling to the Status Mappings section.

Here, you'll map each of your internal AscendTMS load statuses to one of your customer portal statuses. Simply select the appropriate customer-facing status from the dropdown next to each internal status.

Once you've finished configuring your status mappings, click Save Settings to apply your changes.

The first setting (Automatic Portal Visibility) within the Portal Tabs section determines when (or if) loads are automatically published to AscendCustomerPortal.

If you prefer to manually control which loads appear in the portal, simply leave Automatic Portal Visibility turned Off. With automation disabled, loads will only become visible when you manually publish them.

If you choose to enable Automatic Portal Visibility, you'll have two automation options:

Select this option if you want loads to appear in the customer portal as soon as both a customer and at least one financial line item have been added to the load. The current load status is ignored, allowing customers to begin tracking the shipment immediately.

Select this option if you want more control over when loads become visible. After choosing this option, simply select one or more AscendTMS load statuses. Loads will only appear in AscendCustomerPortal after a customer has been assigned and the load reaches one of the selected statuses.

In the example below, a load will automatically become visible in AscendCustomerPortal only after a customer has been assigned and the load reaches one of the selected statuses: Booked, Dispatched, or In Transit.

The Portal Tab Configuration section allows you to customize how loads are organized within your customers' portals.

By default, AscendCustomerPortal includes three portal tabs:

Each tab displays loads based on the customer-facing statuses you assign to it.

As a load's status changes, it will automatically move to the appropriate tab, giving your customers an organized, easy-to-navigate view of their shipments.

You're not limited to the default layout, either. You can:

Create new portal tabs:

Rename existing tabs:

Reorder tabs:

Assign one or more customer-facing statuses to each tab:

In addition to assigning statuses, each portal tab includes the following configuration options.

Enable this option if loads should only appear under the selected tab after an invoice becomes visible based on the rules you've configured in the Documents settings tab.

This is especially useful for tabs such as My Payables, where customers should only see shipments once an invoice is available for review.

Use the Invoice Payment Filter to determine which loads appear in the selected portal tab based on the invoice's payment status.

Available options include:

Once you've finished configuring your status mappings, click Save Settings to apply your changes.

The Load Log Visibility section allows you to decide how much shipment activity (tracking updates, check calls, text messages to/from Ascend, etc.) your customers can see within AscendCustomerPortal.

As a load progresses, the AscendTMS Load Log records important events such as tracking updates, manual check calls, customer communications, and third-party tracking activity. From this section, you can choose which of those updates are shared with your customers, helping keep them informed without the need for phone calls or email status requests.

The following options are available:

Share real-time location and shipment updates from your integrated tracking providers, such as MacroPoint, FourKites, and other supported tracking partners. This gives customers live visibility into their shipment's progress directly from the portal.

Display manual check call updates entered by your team, such as Driver Arrived at Shipper, Loaded, or Delayed Due to Weather. Sharing these updates helps customers stay informed about important shipment milestones and exceptions.

When Include Manual Check Calls is enabled, you'll also be able to configure the Check Call Level Detail, allowing you to control how much information from each check call is shared with your customers.

Choose from the following options:

Display the actual arrival and departure timestamps for each stop when this information is available, providing customers with additional visibility into shipment activity.

If Include 3rd Party Tracking Updates and/or Include Manual Check Calls are enabled, customers will also see those updates plotted on the shipment map with the corresponding date and time, making it easy to follow the shipment's progress visually.

You can enable any combination of these three options, allowing you to tailor the level of visibility that best fits your business and your customers' expectations.

💡 Best Practice: Many companies choose to enable both 3rd Party Tracking Updates and Manual Check Calls. Together, they provide customers with a comprehensive timeline of shipment activity while significantly reducing "Where's my truck?" calls and emails.

The Invoices & Documents section gives you complete control over which documents your customers can access and when invoices become available within AscendCustomerPortal.

Whether you want customers to download invoices, bills of lading, PODs, or other shipment documents, these settings allow you to tailor the experience to match your business processes.

Choose which document types customers can view and download from AscendCustomerPortal.

Customers will only see documents that:

You can choose from both AscendTMS system-generated documents, such as:

...as well as user-uploaded documents, including:

If needed, you can also type to add your own custom document types to the list.

The Invoice Visibility Rules determine exactly when an invoice becomes visible to your customers in AscendCustomerPortal.

Available conditions include:

You can combine these conditions using the AND / OR toggle to match your company's workflow.

For example, you might configure the rule to:

Show Invoice to Customer when the Load is Sent to Accounting AND the Load Status is Delivered.

Or, you may choose to use OR logic if meeting any one of the selected conditions is sufficient for the invoice to be displayed.

This flexibility allows you to control exactly when customers gain access to their invoices.

Enable Always Show Customer Confirmation if you'd like customers to always have access to the system-generated Customer Confirmation, even when a signed copy has not yet been uploaded to the load.

This is ideal for companies that don't require signed confirmations but still want customers to be able to view and download the confirmation document for their records.

When this option is disabled, the Customer Confirmation will only appear in AscendCustomerPortal after a signed version has been uploaded to the load.

The final tab, Onboard Customers, provides a quick reference for inviting customers to AscendCustomerPortal and managing portal availability for your organization.

Here, you'll find step-by-step instructions for granting portal access to your customers, along with the option to enable or disable AscendCustomerPortal organization-wide.

Use the Enable/Disable Customer Portal toggle to turn AscendCustomerPortal on or off for your entire organization.

When enabled, you'll be able to invite customers and provide them with secure access to the portal. If disabled, AscendCustomerPortal will be unavailable for your organization until it is turned back on.

That's it - your AscendCustomerPortal is configured and ready to go!

Now comes the exciting part: giving your customers access to a modern, self-service portal where they can track shipments, view documents, download invoices, chat with your team, and more - all without picking up the phone.

AscendTMS gives you two convenient ways to invite customers to AscendCustomerPortal:

From the Customer Profile - Ideal for onboarding customers before they begin shipping with you or when managing portal access for existing customers.

From Within a Load - Perfect for inviting customers while you're actively working on a shipment, without ever leaving the load.

Even better, both invitation methods use the exact same AscendCustomerPortal Setup Wizard. Learn it once, and you'll know how to onboard customers whether you're working from the Customer Profile or directly within a Load.

The Customer Profile is one of two ways to launch the Customer Portal Setup Wizard. It's the ideal option when setting up a customer before they begin shipping with you or when managing an existing customer's portal access and settings.

To get started, open the desired Customer Profile and click Onboard/Manage Customer Portal.

The Welcome screen provides a brief overview of AscendCustomerPortal and the benefits it offers both you and your customers.

Once you're ready, click Let's Get Started to begin the onboarding process.

This is where you'll add the users who should have access to the customer's portal.

By default, the Primary Contact from the Customer Profile is automatically added for your convenience.

You can also add additional customer contacts or any AscendTMS user, including yourself, if you'd like access to view the portal from the customer's perspective.

Earlier in this guide, you configured your organization's default AscendCustomerPortal settings. In most cases, those defaults are all you'll need.

However, if this customer requires a unique portal experience, simply change the configuration from Org Default to Custom.

From there, you can customize any or all of the portal settings specifically for this customer while leaving your organization-wide defaults unchanged for everyone else.

Before enabling the portal, you'll have an opportunity to review all of your selections.

Confirm that your users, portal settings, and customization options are configured the way you want them, then click Enable Portal to complete the setup and send the invite(s).

That's it! 🙌

Your customer has been successfully onboarded to AscendCustomerPortal, and an invitation email containing their secure login link has been sent automatically.

They're now ready to access their portal, track shipments, download documents, view invoices, and communicate with your team.

If you're already working on a shipment, you can launch the Customer Portal Setup Wizard without leaving the load.

Simply select Customer Portal button. This launches the same five-step setup wizard covered in the previous section, allowing you to invite your customer and configure their portal access directly from the load.

Once you've enabled AscendCustomerPortal for your customer, the contact designated as the Primary portal user will automatically receive an invitation email containing a secure link to access their customer portal.

The invitation email provides everything they need to get started. Simply click the link, and they'll be taken directly to AscendCustomerPortal to begin tracking shipments, viewing documents, downloading invoices, and more.

Congratulations! Your AscendCustomerPortal is now configured and ready to transform the way you communicate with your customers.

Instead of answering the same shipment questions over and over, you can provide your customers with secure, self-service access to the information they need, exactly when they need it. From live shipment tracking and documents to invoices, chat, and more, AscendCustomerPortal helps you deliver a faster, more transparent customer experience while giving your team valuable time back to focus on moving freight.

This is more than just a customer portal - it's another way AscendTMS helps you automate your operation, strengthen customer relationships, and stand out from the competition.

No. While most companies simply use their organization-wide default settings, you can customize the portal for individual customers at any time using the Customer Portal Setup Wizard.

Yes. You can manually publish loads or configure Automatic Portal Visibility to publish loads based on your preferred workflow, such as when a customer is assigned, when financials are added, or when a load reaches a specific status.

Absolutely. You decide which document types are available in AscendCustomerPortal, including invoices, bills of lading, proofs of delivery (PODs), customer confirmations, and your own custom document types.

Yes. Invoice Visibility Rules allow you to determine exactly when invoices become available by using one or more conditions, such as the load being sent to accounting, reaching a specific load status, or having a recorded sent date.

Yes. If you've enabled 3rd Party Tracking Updates, customers can view real-time shipment updates from your integrated tracking providers directly within AscendCustomerPortal. You can also choose to share manual check calls and actual arrival/departure times for even greater visibility.

Yes. Status Mapping allows you to translate your internal AscendTMS load statuses into customer-friendly updates. This lets you maintain your internal operational workflow while presenting clear, meaningful shipment updates to your customers.

Yes. When Chat is enabled, customers can send general messages and load-specific questions directly through AscendCustomerPortal. Your team will receive notifications and can respond without leaving AscendTMS.

No. AscendCustomerPortal uses secure invitation emails with unique login links, making it quick and easy for customers to access their portal without creating or remembering passwords.

Yes. You can invite multiple contacts from the same customer, allowing each user to securely access the portal using their own invitation email.

Yes. You can disable AscendCustomerPortal for your organization or manage portal access for individual customers whenever your business needs change.

No problem. Configure your organization-wide defaults once, then customize individual customer portals only when needed. This gives you the best of both worlds: consistent defaults with the flexibility to tailor the experience for key customers.

Now that your portal is configured and your customers have been invited, it's time to see the experience from their perspective.

In the next Help Guide, we'll walk through [Next Help Guide Title], where you'll learn exactly what your customers see after logging in and how they can track shipments, download documents, communicate with your team, and get the most out of AscendCustomerPortal.