How to Use the Portal

Getting around

The menu on the left (tap the menu button on a phone) has: Dashboard, My Cases, Billing, Earnings, Field App Token and Settings. The Dashboard gives you a quick overview — your case counts, any invoices waiting for your answer, and your recent cases. Red numbers mean something needs your attention.

• Take a Tour at the bottom of the menu replays the step-by-step walkthrough any time
• The Knowledge Base and the Report a Bug / Request a Feature buttons are also at the bottom of the menu

Getting a new case: Accept or Decline

When an admin assigns you a case you may receive an email with a one-click login link. When you open the portal, a New Case Assignment box appears. It shows the case number, the title, your Total Payout (what you are paid for the whole case), Travel Required — Yes or No — and, when the admin added them, the Target Location (tap it to open Google Maps) and a Case Summary. Use these to decide whether you can take the case. You must Accept or Decline.

• Tap Accept, then choose how you want to be paid: direct deposit (paid within 5 business days to the bank account you saved under Settings → Payout), or I'll send an invoice (paid within 5 business days once funds settle). The portal shows only the options available to you
• Tap Decline if you cannot take it — the office is told right away
• Check the travel line before you accept: if it says Yes, you will be expected to travel for this case

My Cases and the case page

My Cases lists every case assigned to you. Click one to open its page. The flags at the top show: Live (the case is active), the estimated completion date, Travel required (Yes or No), your Total payout for the case, and your payout status (Payout Pending or received). Under the flags is the client's contact card, then the tabs: Activity, Photos, Reports, Internal Notes and Files.

• Cases are assigned by an admin or case manager — you do not create the cases you work for Watchmen
• Red badges on tabs and a pulsing dot on a case in your list mean something new was added — open the tab to clear it

Activity: record your work

On the Activity tab, tap Log Activity to record what you did — surveillance, skip trace, phone call, interview, records check and so on. Choose the type and date, write a short description and save. Entries appear on a timeline.

• The client can see the activity log, so write clearly and professionally
• You can edit or delete your own entries

GPS check-ins (phone or tablet only)

When you are working in the field, tap Start GPS Tracking on the case page. Your location is logged every 5 minutes and shows on the Activity timeline. Tap Stop to end it.

• Allow location access when your phone asks
• It only runs while the portal is open on your phone
• The GPS button is not shown on a desktop computer — it only appears on a phone or tablet

Photos, summary, reports and files

Use the Photos tab to take a picture with your phone camera or upload one, and add a caption. At the top of the case you can write the Executive Summary, a short overview the client sees. When you are finished, upload your final written report on the Reports tab. The Files tab holds documents shared by the client or the office, and you can upload files there as well.

• Photos, the executive summary, reports and files are visible to the client for their case

Internal Notes: private

The Internal Notes tab is visible only to investigators and the office — clients never see it. Use it for sensitive observations, hand-off details or questions for your case manager.

Finishing a case

When your work is done, click Mark Work Complete. This tells the client and the office right away. If you need to add more work afterwards you can reopen it. The office closes the case itself.

Earnings: what each case pays

The Earnings tab lists every case you have been given, with its worth (your total payout), whether it has been paid, and the date it was paid. The cards at the top show your totals: Total case value, Total paid and Outstanding.

• A case counts toward the totals once you have accepted it
• Cases still waiting for your answer, declined cases, and entries the office removed are shown but not counted

Billing: invoices for extra work

The Billing tab is separate from Earnings. If the office sends you an invoice for an extra deliverable on a case, it appears here with the amount, the deliverable and its status.

• Accept or Decline an invoice that is waiting for you (a number on the Billing menu shows how many)
• Download any invoice as a PDF
• Paid invoices show how and when they were paid

Field App Token

If you use the Watchmen Field App on your phone, the Field App Token tab shows the email and badge token to sign in with. You can also keep a 4-digit badge number that works with your email as a way to sign in to this portal.

• Treat the token and badge number like a password — never share them
• You can change your badge number on that tab

Settings

Open Settings to set a portal password so you can sign in with your email and password (your badge token keeps working as a backup), and to choose your time zone so every date and time in the portal shows correctly for you.

Private Practice (optional)

The Manage Your Own Cases button at the bottom of the menu turns on Private Practice Mode. My Clients and New Case appear so you can run your own clients and cases. They are private to you, and it is free.

• Click Private Practice Active at any time to turn it off — you will be asked to confirm, and nothing is deleted
• Turn it back on later and your clients and cases are still there

Round Robin (when enabled on a case)

Sometimes the office turns on Round Robin for a case. The client can then request extra coverage with an optional message. When a request is waiting you will see Accept and Decline on the case page.

Cases

View the full case list across all active investigations. Use this to monitor case status, check for pending activity, and verify information for billing purposes. Back office can view case details but does not manage or assign cases.

Earnings

The Earnings section tracks payments and billable records. Use this to reconcile hours logged against invoices and to verify investigator payouts.

Account

Update your name, phone number, and password from the Account section.

Cases

Create new cases, assign them to investigators, and track progress through the activity timeline. The Cases list shows all open and closed cases with status indicators.

• Click New Case to open the case creation form — select the client, title, subject, and location
• Open any case to view or add activities, see client-uploaded files, and read internal notes
• Cases flagged with a callback badge need follow-up — see the Callbacks section below

Clients

Add and manage clients from the Clients section. When you create a new client, the portal auto-generates login credentials — a temporary password is shown once at creation, so copy it immediately to share with the client.

• Clients log in at the main portal URL with their email and temporary password
• They will be prompted to set a new password on first login
• Each client gets a unique client number for reference

Callback Requests

When a client or intake specialist flags a case for a callback, a badge appears on that case in your list. Open the case to acknowledge the callback and log the follow-up as an activity. The badge clears automatically once you open the case.

Investigators

The Investigators tab lists all active investigators. You can view their current caseloads and use this to make informed assignment decisions when opening new cases.

Adding Clients

Use the Clients section to add new clients to the system. Fill in the client's name, email, and phone number. The portal auto-generates a secure temporary password — shown once at creation. Share these credentials with the client so they can log in and set their own password.

Working Leads

Open Marketing to see new leads from your active states, newest first. New Leads are waiting for a first call; Already Called holds the rest. After each call, set the lead's status (Called, No Answer; Called Once, Follow Up; Wants Case Manager; Do Not Call). Intake specialists do not see cases — case managers run those.

In Call

Keep In Call open while you talk. It shows the call script, the lead's details, and — once they want to hire us — Convert to Client and the sign-up steps: the welcome email, e-signing the service agreement, paying the retainer, and booking their first meeting with their case manager. A client counts as a real client only after they have signed and paid.

Help and Tips

Press ? or use Help in the menu for the day-one routine, the words we use, and who to ask. Never share your login, never text clients from a personal phone, and never quote a price that is not in the script.

Your Cases

The Cases section lists all investigations opened on your behalf. Click any case to see its current status, the activity timeline, and any files your investigator has shared with you.

• Case status shows whether the investigation is open, in progress, or closed
• The activity timeline is updated by your investigator and case manager in real time
• You cannot edit cases or add activities — contact your case manager for changes

Files & Evidence

Documents, photos, and reports shared by your investigation team appear in the Files tab inside each case. These are read-only — download them for your records.

Account

Update your name, phone number, and password from the Account section. If you were given a temporary password when your account was created, you would have been prompted to change it on first login — you can update it again here at any time.

Privacy & Security

Your portal is end-to-end secured. Only your assigned investigation team and their administrators can view your case details. If you have concerns about your account or case, contact Watchmen Investigations directly.