| Doc. Number | Article Title | Effective Date | Version |
| FHC-XX | Student Debt Portal Guidance | November 14, 2024 | 0.4 |
SUMMARY
This article describes in detail the general structure and shared elements of our re-launched Student Debt Portal (studentdebtportal.com). This article also covers the associated file/business vertical - Student Loans.
CONFIGURATIONS AND DOMAINS
Configurations are a key element of all Portals provided by us. Configurations always come from the assigned company. There are two configuration types used:
- Domain - studentdebtportal.com, for example
- Company - based on assigned company
FEATURES COMMON TO ALL PORTALS
All Vertical Portals share the following features.
- Dashboard (home)
- Document Library
- Transactions
- Tasks
- Messages
- My Account
- Help & Support
In addition to a more uniform, mobile-optimized, and user-friendly look, we made improvements to enhance the self-service feel and member experience of all three Verticals by simplifying Document Uploading, making the Help and Support features easier to access, and adding a new Messaging feature.
LOGGING IN
Our clients can log in as a Consumer, and their consumers can log in by visiting the domain URL (StudentDebtPortal.com). Go to Contact Dashboard and then Customer Portal (at the bottom of the screen). You will see the User Name, the date a Welcome Email was sent (if at all), and the Last Login date.
NOTE: The user name is automatically generated upon client enrollment.
You will also see “Active” or “Inactive” on the right side of the screen. “Inactive” will appear only if that portal was deactivated. From the bottom left of the screen, you need to select the appropriate domain from the dropdown menu.
Once you select a domain (such as studentdebtportal.com) from the "Select a Domain" dropdown menu shown above, two options appear on the screen. You may log in as a Consumer or reset your password.
If you click “Login as Consumer”, you will be automatically logged in without needing a password. The logged-in user will then be identified as an “Agent.” This feature enables users to see a version of the portal, allowing them to see and perform specific actions as if they were the consumer to aid the user while in contact with the consumer.
DASHBOARD
The Student Debt Portal provides a User Dashboard similar to the one shown above. The top left of the dashboard displays the user’s First Name, the Initial of their Last Name, and their identification number.
The Dashboard also displays any tasks (above left) that you may have assigned to you. If you have no outstanding tasks, the image above on the right will appear.
Finally, there are four “Quick Action” buttons that are configurable via the Settings menu. The default buttons are: View Transactions, Send a Message, View Tasks, and Upload Documents.
Under Financials, after the Budget Tracking option, a Student Loans menu option is now visible. The Student Debt Portal offers the following Menu Options, as shown here.
- Document Library
- Budget Tracking
- Student Loans
- Transactions
- Upcoming Transactions
- Tasks
- (For DSRP’s) Messaging
Document Library
The Document Library shows all uploaded documents. Visible Document Types are controlled via the Settings Page. If a document type is allowed/enabled via the Settings page, all uploaded documents in the CRM on the contact’s file with that document type will be visible to the consumer. The consumer can also upload into any visible document type. Consumers can view and download files however, the agent role is restricted to view only. These actions are configurable via the Settings page.
Budget Tracking
The information displayed from this menu pulls from the Budget Analysis page/fields. If fields are null on the Budget Analysis page, “No Budget Data Available” will appear (see below).
Student Loans
When this option is selected, it now displays all student loans, as well as all available consolidation programs on one page for the client’s convenience.
Note: The selected program is indicated by a green checkmark and will always occupy the first position in the list of Consolidation Programs.
The lower half of this section pulls from the Student Loan Programs table, located at Contacts > Client Dashboard > Loan Programs, as shown in the example below.
Transactions
The Transactions menu includes a chart and a table that each reports on transactions differently. A summary chart shows the sum of cleared transactions and is broken down by Deposits, Payments, and Fees. The table shows all transactions, regardless of their status. This is a highly configurable page for the client (see example below).
Upcoming Transactions
This feature displays a table of upcoming transactions that pulls from the contact’s enrollment plan. The content of this table is configurable in Settings.
Tasks
If a task is assigned to a client, that task will appear on the Consumer Portal. This page will display the completion status of each task listed, and consumers themselves may be given the ability to act on a task.
Message
This feature allows a message to be sent from an email address associated with a user. This is the same feature accessed from the “Send a Message” Quick Action button on the Home Dashboard. To access it, click on the small envelope image in the top right corner of the screen.
In the dialog box that follows, click the “Send a Message” button on the right side of the screen.
Below is a sample message:
My Account
The My Account screen displays contact and banking information for the account owner. It displays account details, including the date of birth, the date the user first began using the account, the account’s primary email address, the account number (pulled from the CRM), and a “Change Password” button.
From this screen, the user may also see any banking information they entered in the CRM, including Bank Name, Routing Number, and Account Number.
From the My Account page, a ForthPay client can select whether they wish to receive statements electronically (via email) or as a paper copy.
HELP AND SUPPORT
The Help and Support Section comprises a “Help” menu and a “Frequently Asked Questions” menu. They can be accessed by clicking on the small Question Mark icon at the top right of the screen (see below).
The “Help” menu provides contact information for the company the client is assigned to. An example of this screen is shown below.
The Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) feature is configurable via Settings. A listing of questions is posted in bold and the answers for each one are displayed.
SETTINGS
New consumer onboarding process — After entering their username/password for the first time, the consumer is asked to verify their date of birth and the last four digits of their social security number.
If the user is a ForthPay client, they will be prompted to choose paper or paperless statements from the “My Portals” page on their first login. If Document Types were configured as part of the new consumer onboarding process, you must upload document types chosen in the settings (if they don't have Uploaded Files of those Doc Types already). After the consumer completes those, they are sent to the Portal itself.
NOTE: After the first login and onboarding process, the consumer can change their statement preferences via the “My Account” page.
To access settings for your portals, go to the Admin tab, select the Settings button on the ribbon, and then click the Customer Portal Settings button on the next ribbon.
This page contains five menu options on the left side of the page. These are General, Communication, Modules, Permissions, and Terminology. Before you can access these options, you must select a Domain by clicking on the "Select a Domain" dropdown menu on the top left of the screen shown below (the options available are shown in the image shown below right).
NOTE: On each of the Portal Setting options, once you complete making any changes, click the “Save Settings” button on the top right of each screen. For more information about these Portal Setting Options, please refer to the document titled, Customer Portal Settings.
Article Version History:
| Version | Effective Date | Description |
| Basic | 5/27/2022 | Initial Release |
| 0.1 | 12/21/2022 | Screenshot Updates and added Version Control Footer only. No Subject Matter changes were made. |
| 0.2 | 03/06/2023 | Several screenshot refreshes to improve legibility. |
| 0.3 | 11/03/2023 | Refreshed screenshots at the end of the article to better reflect the current user interface. |
| 0.4 | 11/14/2024 | Refreshed one screenshot and made minor grammatical updates to improve readability; no subject matter changes were made. |