Customer Portal Tracking Timeline
How the visual tracking timeline works so your customers always know where their order stands.
What is the tracking timeline?
When a customer opens their portal link, each job shows a visual timeline at the top — a horizontal progress bar with labeled steps. Completed steps are highlighted, the current step is pulsing, and upcoming steps are dimmed. It gives your customer instant clarity on where their order is.
What steps are shown?
The timeline shows a simplified version of your job pipeline: Order Placed → In Production → Ready to Ship → Shipped → Delivered. These are mapped from your internal statuses, so your customer sees a clean summary without the granular shop-floor details.
You can customize which internal statuses map to which portal steps in Settings → Status Config → Portal Mapping.
Tracking numbers and carrier links
Once a tracking number is added to a job (manually or via a shipping integration), the Shipped step in the timeline becomes a clickable link. Your customer can click it to go directly to the carrier's tracking page (USPS, UPS, FedEx, etc.).
Automatic updates
The timeline updates in real time as you move the job through your pipeline. There is no delay — the moment you change a job's status in Kontrol™, the customer's portal reflects it. Combined with SMS or email automations, your customers stay informed without you lifting a finger.
Estimated delivery date
If a due date is set on the job, the timeline shows an estimated completion date. If shipping tracking data is available, the delivery estimate comes from the carrier instead.