Best Practices in Client Communication: A Consultant’s Guide
- 9 Min read
When I built my own client collaboration tool, I made a point of testing everything else first. Not out of curiosity, out of necessity. I needed to know what worked, what didn’t, and why so many tools still make simple things complicated.
That experience gave me a clear, firsthand view of what different tools actually offer beyond the sales pitch.
So I wrote up what I learned. It’s not a fluffy comparison chart. It’s a straight-up guide to the best collaboration tools out there, depending on how your business runs and what your clients expect.
If you’re picking software or wondering if the one you’ve got is holding you back this will help.
Here’s my shortlist of the top tools worth your time.
+ 9 more that you will discover below.
Why bother with client collaboration software? Because manually tracking contracts, client assets, approvals, and feedback across spreadsheets, email threads, and random Slack messages is a nightmare. I’ve done it. It’s slow, messy, and guaranteed to annoy both your team and your clients.
“According to our recent agency benchmarks survey, 36% of agencies said effective communication and transparency are the top drivers of client retention. Yet in a 2022 survey, while 80% of clients said transparency is critical, only 56% felt their agency delivered on it. That 24% gap should be a wake-up call.” – Agency Analytics
With the right tool, you get full visibility across all your client work, what’s done, what’s stuck, what’s missing. No more chasing updates or guessing who’s waiting on what.
You also skip the headache (and cost) of setting up an intranet or custom system. Most good platforms come ready with bank-level security, so your data stays locked down. They also integrate with the tools you’re already using, so you’re not juggling five different tabs just to get one thing approved.
Bottom line: a proper collaboration tool saves time, reduces friction, and helps you run a tighter, more professional operation.

Team collaboration tools focus on helping team members coordinate tasks and communicate in real-time. But they often lack features for external sharing. Still, using team collaboration tools is a must for service businesses.
A client collaboration platform goes a step further by including clients and other project stakeholders in the collaborative process. That allows them to engage and easily monitor project progress. It enables not just internal communication but also secure file sharing, so all parties can work together and communicate seamlessly in one place.
Client hubs help to involve clients directly in project updates, feedback loops, and document exchanges without compromising security. This way, client collaboration tools enhance the overall efficiency and transparency of your projects.
When you’re ready to start researching the best client collaboration software and their features, there are a few things worth considering. Here’s the list of what an efficient client collaboration tool should provide:
My tip: Look for the tool that complies with industry-standard security protocols and any relevant regulations like GDPR.
| Benefit | For you | For your clients |
|---|---|---|
| Centralizing Interaction Touchpoints | When you have all your client interactions in one place, it significantly improves how you manage relationships (especially when communication is at the heart of your operations). | With real-time messaging, notification panels and secure file-sharing features, you keep your clients updated on important information and give them an easy way to ask questions or provide feedback. |
| Reclaiming Valuable Time and Resources by Automating Tasks | With automation tools that are often featured in popular client collaboration software, you can keep clients informed about updates and news without additional effort. | Automated notifications can update clients on project milestones and upcoming deadlines or let them know when their input is needed. It reduces the need for back-and-forth emails/meetings and saves valuable time for both parties. |
| Delivering Branded and Professional Experiences | It reinforces your brand’s identity every time a client interacts with your services. | Clients get a consistent and professional image that strengthens trust and credibility with your clients. |
| Streamlining Client Onboarding and Project Hand-off | When managing content for a knowledge base and deliverables, you can either use Google Drive or set up a client portal to simplify the hand-off of project materials. The latter option will save you time and reduce potential confusion while reinforcing the brand image. | New clients are likely unfamiliar with your tools or processes. Instead of sending them long, complicated documents, you can offer tailored guides and SOPs that explain everything they need to know. |
| Enabling Self-Service | The self-service approach is another brick you need for building a more reliable client relationship. Allowing clients to handle certain tasks independently can greatly improve their experience while reducing your workload. | In the United States, over 60% of consumers prefer automated self-service methods like websites for simple customer service interactions. Clients feel more in control and satisfied with the convenience of the knowledge bases provided. |

FuseBase stands out amongst other tools in this article as an undisputed leader.
FuseBase is a robust collaboration software designed for team collaboration as well as external client collaboration, all within an organized folder structure. Offering powerful sharing and collaboration features, it enables seamless work relationships among team members as well as clients.
FuseBase Portals can take your collaboration process to the next level. Our no-code websites serve as an ideal platform to showcase your services and deliver an exceptional user experience for clients.
With FuseBase Pages as their foundation, FuseBase Portals ensure smooth and seamless interactions.

Additionally, you have the power to remove any references to FuseBase branding and personalize the platform with your own logo – this helps increase brand recognition among clients and boost brand awareness.
Who should use FuseBase?
FuseBase is a versatile tool that caters to a wide range of industries and companies, including creative agencies, law firms, consultants, financial advisors and more.
Key features

Smartsheet is the only client collaboration software that can grow from managing a single project to managing an entire organization’s work from start to finish. It connects businesses on a no-code, cloud-based platform where anyone can create tasks and make the necessary solution, with the control and bank-grade security that IT requires, including features like private channels.
A point-and-click interface makes it simple for even inexperienced users to automate common tasks like asking for real-time feedback, adding timestamps and monitoring for changes.
Also, project planning with Gantt charts or automating simple business procedures is a breeze. Due to the project management tool’s adaptability, it’s simple to alter the sheets’ look so they can record new information. Most users find it useful for keeping tabs on things like project delivery, resource allocation and benefits. The Smartsheet collaboration tool can greatly simplify reporting and enhance team productivity.
Who should use Smartsheet?
Smartsheet client collaboration software is used by teams of all sizes, from enterprise companies to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), to track and organize their work.
Key features

Monday Work OS is a flexible collaboration tool where team members can develop and implement the systems they need to manage their operations, including crucial collaborative features like seamless video conference and screen sharing that will let your entire team communicate easily.
With an easy-to-use interface, team members can create their ideal custom workflows using simple building blocks such as dashboards, automation and integrations, all within a single platform.
Designed to be both versatile and flexible, this collaboration software can be tailored to any business case and expanded as needed.
Companies of any size and in any field can quickly and easily create solutions that fit their unique needs with the help of Monday’s suite of industry-specific products, including Monday Work Management, Monday Sales CRM, and Monday Development.
Who should use Monday?
Thanks to its user-friendly interface, Monday can be tailored to fit the specific needs of any project or business.
It has helped over 180,000 businesses to improve their operations, speed up their workflow, and foster cross-departmental and client collaboration.
Key features

Assembla is a client collaboration tool for big companies with many clients. It’s common knowledge that big web development projects are disorganized, bureaucratic and a hot mess. Assembla is perfect for task management since it organizes chaos into a system that team members and clients can use to work together in a variety of ways.
When it comes to working together with customers, the system of user permissions, instant access and abilities is quite complex. You can invite clients or investors as “Watchers,” and they can then submit tickets for enhancements or bug fixes (if you give them edit permissions).
It’s important to note that Assembla’s approach to security is one of its top priorities. The company states that they go above and beyond controls, compliance and security standards to guarantee a completely secure software development process for their clients. With their commitment to bank-grade security, you can have peace of mind knowing clients and vendors can now access files securely, and your sensitive data is well-protected.
Who should use Assembla?
Assembla is perfect for large companies and businesses.
Key Features

ClickUp is an all-in-one project management platform that eliminates work silos. It’s a collaboration tool where team members come together to streamline communication, plan, organize and collaborate on work using collaboration tools like Docs, Chat, Goals, Whiteboards, video meetings and more.
Easily customized with just a few clicks, ClickUp is perfect to increase employee engagement, as it helps teams of all types and sizes deliver work more effectively. By replacing inflexible and overlapping tools, ClickUp helps teams save one day each week!
With hundreds of features packaged into a sleek and intuitive UI, ClickUp is one of the best collaboration tools to manage tasks, share documents and easily communicate with clients, allowing you to work on the same document seamlessly.
By using this single platform, you can optimize your task management and feedback processes with automatic, instantaneous updates on status changes, new comments and activity on any task. Even invite clients into the editing process with live-editing and collaborative detection in ClickUp’s Docs and Whiteboards, with links that can be shared easily via URL.
Whether you’re viewing your workload as a List, Calendar, Gantt chart or Board, all teammates and clients with user permissions will have full transparency into who’s viewing a task, adding a comment or editing a description without worrying about overlap.
Who should use ClickUp?
Teams that want to work smarter and more efficiently on masterfully intuitive collaboration software.
Key features

Asana is a project management tool for organizing projects of any scale, from routine tasks to long-term goals. It facilitates collaboration with clients and team collaboration. You can take care of project management however you like, with lists, boards, calendars and Gantt charts.
Asana’s many features—project progress reports, boards for task management, file sharing and the ability to sync to Google Calendar or iCal—make it easy to keep tabs on your projects.
Also, with direct messages, video calls and audio messaging available, you can stay in touch with your team regarding project-specific details.
Using Guest Accounts, you can grant user permissions to specific Tasks or Projects without giving them full access to your Workspace.
Who should use Asana?
Asana is one of the best online collaboration tools available for small projects. Additionally, Asana helps teams manage large-scale projects, processes and tasks more easily.
Key features

Quickbase is a great option if you want to build workflows that match how your team actually works, without needing a developer. You can pull in data from your existing systems, create custom dashboards, reports, and forms, and even automate tasks to save time.
It’s especially useful if you’re working on complex projects or need to stay flexible as things shift.
Quickbase’s built-in permission controls and automation help your team collaborate smoothly, reduce risk, and move faster, without the usual tech headaches.
Who should use Quickbase?
Quickbase project management tool is ideal for professionals ranging from business problem solvers, IT leaders and Heads of Real Estate.
Key features

Runrun.it is a Cloud-Based Work Management Solution. Any organization, agency or even marketing team can use this great tool to monitor employee time usage. It’s a novel and easy solution to a common problem.
Think of Runrun.it as a playlist of jobs, projects and workflows. To begin, the user presses either Play or Run. Time and money are tracked in real-time and assigned to specific customers, projects and tasks. A powerful set of data lets you control and understand project and client profitability.
Who should use Runrun.it?
Companies of all sizes will benefit from using Runrun.it.
Key features

Unlike more simplistic project management tools like Trello, this program gives you more control over how your clients, business partners and team members access your projects and data.
Workzone’s project management features help maintain workflow consistency and efficiency. Also, project-related file sharing is possible. Simply restrict each user’s access to only the appropriate folders or documents. Coworkers, customers and suppliers can start document sharing without compromising security.
Who should use Workzone?
Marketing departments, ad agencies, colleges, and any organization that manages many projects and needs to share them with technical/non-technical users.
Key features

Wrike is a great client collaboration platform. It is a project management and collaboration platform designed for businesses and teams that want to streamline their operations, foster innovation and achieve more together.
One of its benefits is that it’s super convenient to access its features on the go through native mobile apps.
With its unparalleled strength, adaptability and user-friendliness, Wrike is one of the project management software your business will ever need to grow, optimize and respond quickly in a highly competitive market.
Who should use Wrike?
Mid-size and enterprise firms that value teamwork, work on various projects and need to ensure great real-time collaboration with clients.
Key features

Teamwork is a project management platform built specifically for client work. This software helps teams understand profitability and reduce client chaos. It also helps to ensure that client projects are delivered on time and within budget.
With features like time tracking, budgeting, and resource management, Teamwork provides a comprehensive solution for agencies and service-based businesses..
Who should use Teamwork?
Agencies, consultancies, and service providers seeking a robust platform to manage client projects efficiently.
Key features

Basecamp offers a straightforward approach to project management and team communication. It centralizes project work and reduces the need for multiple tools by including features like to-do lists, message boards, and schedules.
Its simplicity makes Basecamp a favorite among small businesses and startups that need a platform for client collaboration.
Who should use Basecamp?
Basecamp is most useful for small teams that are looking for simple project management and communication tools.
Key features

Notion is a productivity software that combines note-taking, databases, and task management into one platform. Its flexibility allows businesses to create customized client areas, making it suitable for teams that require tailored collaboration spaces.
With features like templates, real-time collaboration, and integrations, Notion adapts to various workflows. However, I found that it doesn’t meet more complex client needs. We wrote a full blog on Notion’s pros and cons as a client collaboration software.
Who should use Notion?
Creative teams, startups, and businesses seeking a flexible platform to build customized client collaboration spaces.
Key features

Miro provides an online whiteboard platform that facilitates visual collaboration.
This platform is useful for teams collaborating with clients on brainstorming sessions, design thinking and agile workflows. Miro includes features like templates, sticky notes, and real-time collaboration to foster team creativity and alignment.
Who should use Miro?
Design teams, agile project managers, and organizations that prioritize visual collaboration and brainstorming.
Key features

If you’re a consultant or coach, staying connected with your clients is important. Client collaboration software can be a user-friendly, centralized hub for all your interactions.
Your clients can log in to your portal anytime to access personalized resources, upload documents for you to review, and chat with you directly through the platform. It’s incredibly convenient for both you and your clients, resulting in a seamless collaboration that really enhances the client experience and helps boost customer retention. Clients will appreciate how easy it is to find the materials they need or book their sessions. So, with a solid client collaboration system, you can focus more on delivering great service and less on managing communications.

Running a digital agency often means handling multiple projects and tight deadlines every day. Collaboration tools help streamline project management and keep everyone on the same page with time tracking, dashboards, and other cool features like communication channels.
Clients have access to dashboards where they can see real-time updates, give feedback on creatives, and approve content. The result? Successful projects and happier clients who appreciate being actively involved without the constant back-and-forth.

As an event planner, you’ve got a lot to keep countless details on track—venues to book, vendors to coordinate, and clients to keep happy. Utilizing customer collaboration tools with robust collaboration features can make your life so much easier.
On a client collaboration platform, your clients can easily view the entire event timeline, understand the budget breakdown, and access vendor contacts. They can also suggest changes, approve plans, and upload guest lists directly through the platform. Everything from schedules to budgets is organized in one place, ensuring your events run smoothly from start to finish.

Accuracy and security are non-negotiables for accounting firms. Implementing customer collaboration tools can significantly boost productivity and collaboration within your team and with clients.
Accounting firms use secure portals where clients can upload sensitive financial documents like tax forms and receipts. The platforms offer real-time messaging for quick consultations and updates on filing statuses. By centralizing data and interactions in a secure environment, accounting firms work more efficiently and build stronger, trust-based relationships with their clients.
I built FuseBase after testing every major collaboration tool out there because I needed something better.
Most tools were clunky, confusing, or just didn’t deliver the kind of client experience I wanted.
This guide covers the best of what I found, depending on your team and workflow. But if you’re in a service-based business and want something clean, branded, and easy for clients to use, start with FuseBase. It’s built to make your work look good and run smoother, without the usual headaches.
Try a few, but FuseBase is where I’d put my bet.
Get personalized tips on enhancing your client relationships
What is client collaboration?
It’s working closely with clients from the beginning to the end of a project to ensure a successful outcome.
What are the four types of collaboration?
There are 4 types of collaboration styles. These are Internal collaboration, External collaboration, Team collaboration, and Cross-departmental collaboration.
What is a collaboration software?
It’s a tool that centralizes all communication, project information, approvals, and progress in one digital place.
What are the types of collaboration tools?
What is the purpose of collaboration software?
The purpose of collaboration software is to help teams and organizations work with their clients in a more efficient and organized way.
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