Expert Guides
Helios Help Center
Learn About The Customer Portal
The Customer Portal is your dedicated workspace on Helios: a connected, unified environment built specifically for manufacturing businesses. While experts use Helios to offer their skills and win work, the Customer Portal gives you everything you need to find the right expertise, manage engagements, organize operations, and keep work moving forward, all in one place.
The portal is organized around how businesses actually work: build your profile to get discovered, use the hiring tools to find and engage experts, manage active engagements through contracts, and use the Productivity Tools to digitalize your operations and support your team.
Jump to:
👥 Who Is It For?
🏭 Businesses
Manufacturing businesses, machine shops, and industrial organizations that want to find expert talent, manage operational work, and organize resources, without the cost and complexity of subscribing to multiple platforms.
🎥 Video Tutorial
⭐ Key Features
A dedicated navigation structure – separate from the expert portal
Business Profile (My Profile) – manage your company presence, capabilities, products, and information
Hire Expertise section – find and engage experts through Services, Gig Postings, and Quick Tasks
Explore section – discover Experts, Businesses, Catalogs+, and Events across the manufacturing network
Everyday Tools – use Helios Drive, Bookmarks, Equipment, Activities, Rewards, and Ideas & Feedback
Dashboard – get an overview of your business activity, engagements, tasks, and platform updates
Message Hub – manage conversations and stay connected with experts, businesses, and other members
🏷️ Key Terms
Customer PortalThe dedicated portal environment for businesses on Helios, accessed after logging in with a business account.
Business ProfileYour public-facing company page, showcasing your capabilities, equipment, certifications, industries served, and verified business details.
Business ListingsThe searchable directory of manufacturers, suppliers, and service providers across the Helios ecosystem.
Expert ServicesPre-packaged expert offerings with defined scope, deliverables, and upfront pricing that businesses can browse and request directly.
Custom Gig PostingA structured project posting that invites qualified experts to submit tailored proposals.
Quick TasksShort, fast-turnaround requests for focused expert help without full project setup.
ContractsThe workspace where active engagements are managed, including milestones, work records, files, messages, and payments.
Productivity ToolsThe suite of operational tools available to all Helios members, including Catalogs+, Smart Bookmarks, Helios Drive, Equipment Upkeep, Activities, and Global Search.
💼The Three Ways to Hire Expertise
Helios supports three flexible ways to engage manufacturing experts, giving you the simplicity of e-commerce with access to specialized talent, transparent pricing, and secure transactions.
Expert Services
Experts create ready-to-use packages with defined scope, deliverables, and upfront pricing. Browse the Services marketplace, select the offering that fits your need, and get started quickly with confidence. No back-and-forth required to understand what you are getting.
Custom Gig Posting
Post a custom gig for a specific or complex project. Define your scope, requirements, and expected outcomes, and receive tailored proposals from qualified experts ready to execute. Best for projects where you need a targeted solution built around your situation.
Quick Tasks
Built for fast, focused needs that require quick turnaround. Ask questions, request troubleshooting, get a second opinion, or get fast support without the setup of a full project engagement.
🔍 Finding and Evaluating Experts
Every expert on Helios has a detailed, tailored profile designed to showcase real-world skills and experience. Expert profiles include in-depth skills, competencies, certifications, industries served, work samples, and work preferences, giving you the information you need to evaluate fit before any conversation begins.
Browse the Experts directory to search and filter by skills, industries, certifications, work mode, and hourly rate range. You can also discover experts through their published Service listings in the Services marketplace.
🏢 Business Listings
Beyond hiring experts, Helios includes a searchable directory of manufacturing businesses, suppliers, and service providers across the ecosystem. Business profiles go far beyond basic listings. Businesses showcase capabilities, equipment, certifications, industries served, materials, and verified business details.
Use Business Listings to evaluate potential partners, vendors, subcontractors, or collaborators based on detailed, structured data.
🛠️Everyday Tools
Beyond expert collaboration, Helios includes a suite of productivity tools designed to digitalize your operations, straightforward enough for your team to adopt and actually use, without the cost and complexity of subscribing to multiple platforms.
Catalogs+
A single place to search, manage, and organize tooling catalogs from hundreds of brands. Browse and move through catalog pages smoothly, bookmark key references, and locate and share product information instantly without hunting across individual supplier websites.
Smart Bookmarks
Save catalog pages, PDF pages, and files into organized collections by project, machine, job, or any other way that fits your workflow. Use PageWeaver to combine bookmarked pages into a single PDF for sharing or project reference.
Helios Drive
Secure file storage for all your business documents, images, and project files in one organized workspace. Keep everything accessible to the right people whenever they need it.
Equipment Upkeep
Track equipment details, build a complete service history, log maintenance and preventive tasks, leave notes, and upload manuals and related files so you can reduce downtime and extend the life of every asset on the floor.
Activities
Bring daily work, maintenance tasks, and project-based work into one structured visual Kanban board. Keep your team aligned and work progressing smoothly, with full visibility into connected Equipment records and projects.
Global Search
Instant access to anything across your workspace. Search experts, services, catalogs, equipment, activities, and files all from one unified search bar.
🔑 Step-by-step Guides
How to Access the Customer Portal
01
Go to
portal.helios.supplies
and log in with your customer account credentials.
02
After logging in, you will land on the Welcome screen.
03
Use the left navigation panel to move between sections.
04
If you see an expert-facing view instead of the customer portal, check that you are logged into the correct account.
How to Get Started as a Business
01
Complete your Business Profile. Go to My Profile and fill in all sections: company details, capabilities, equipment, certifications, industries served, and verified business information.
02
Click Share & Visibility and toggle Show in Discover Businesses to make your profile visible in the Business Listings directory.
03
Browse Expert Services. Go to Hire Expertise → Expert Services to see pre-packaged offerings available to request directly.
04
Post a Custom Gig. Go to Hire Expertise → Gig Postings → Post a Gig to invite proposals for a specific project.
05
Launch a Quick Task. Go to Hire Expertise → Quick Tasks → Post a Quick Task for fast, focused expert support.
06
Set up payments. Go to Settings → Setup Payments to connect your payment method through Stripe before your first engagement.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Customer Portal separate from the Expert Portal?
Yes. The Customer Portal has its own dedicated navigation and tools designed for businesses. While some features like Catalogs+, Helios Drive, and Bookmarks are available to both businesses and experts, the hiring tools, Business Profile, and Business Listings are specific to the business experience.
Do I need to complete my Business Profile before I can hire on Helios?
You do not need a fully complete profile to post a gig or request a service, but a published profile helps experts evaluate your business before accepting work. A complete profile with capabilities, equipment, and verified details also makes your business discoverable in Business Listings.
Can I use both the customer and expert portals with one account?
Currently, customer and expert accounts are separate. If you need to operate as both a business and an expert on Helios, you will need separate accounts for each. Contact the Helios team through the Get Help panel for guidance.
How does payment work for businesses?
All payments on Helios are processed securely through Stripe. You must connect a payment method before completing your first engagement. Go to Settings → Setup Payments to add a card or bank account. Payments are held through Stripe's infrastructure until you review and accept completed work.
Can multiple team members use the same workspace?
Yes. Go to Settings → Manage Members to add team members to your workspace, assign roles, and manage access. Owner, Admin, and Member roles control what each team member can see and do within the portal.
Do I need to subscribe to use the Productivity Tools?
Core productivity tools including Catalogs+, Smart Bookmarks, Helios Drive, Activities, and Global Search are included with your Helios account. Additional storage can be added if needed. See Pricing → for details.
🔧 Troubleshooting
I logged in but I see an expert portal instead of the customer portal.
You may be logged into an expert account. Go to portal.helios.supplies and log in with your customer account credentials. If you are unsure of your account type, contact the Helios team through the Get Help panel.
I cannot find the Hire Expertise section in my navigation.
Hire Expertise is a customer-only section. If it is not visible, you may be logged into an expert account via expert.helios.supplies.
My Business Profile is not appearing in Business Listings.
Make sure your profile is published. Go to My Profile, Click Share & Visibility and confirm the Show in Discover Businesses toggle is active. Unpublished profiles are not visible to other users on the platform.
I cannot set up payments in Settings.
Go to Settings → Setup Payments and follow the prompts to connect your payment method through Stripe. If the Setup Payments option is not visible or the Stripe connection is failing, try a different browser or contact the Helios team through the Get Help panel.
A gig I posted is not receiving proposals.
Check that your gig is published and visible in the Gig Postings directory. Review the scope, requirements, and budget to ensure the posting is clear and competitive. You can also browse the Experts directory to find and directly message experts whose skills match your project.
The portal navigation is not loading correctly.
Try refreshing the page. If the navigation remains broken, clear your browser cache (Cmd+Shift+R on Mac, Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows) or try a different browser. If the issue persists, report it through the lightbulb icon → Ideas & Platform Feedback, or use the Get Help button to contact the Helios team.
💡 Tips for Getting the Most Out of the Customer Portal
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⭐
Publish your Business Profile before anything else. A complete, published profile helps experts evaluate your business before accepting work and makes your company discoverable in Business Listings.
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⭐
Set up Stripe payments early. You cannot complete any engagement or release payment to an expert until your payment method is connected. Go to Settings → Setup Payments before your first hire.
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⭐
Use all three hiring methods depending on your need. Expert Services are ideal for well-defined, repeatable needs. Custom Gigs work best for complex or project-specific requirements. Quick Tasks are perfect for fast, focused support without full project setup.
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Add your team members early. Go to Settings → Manage Members to give your team access to the workspace so activities, equipment records, files, and engagements are visible to the right people from day one.
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⭐
Treat Catalogs+ and Helios Drive as your team's shared technical library. Store SOPs, manuals, and compliance records in Drive, and use Catalogs+ for vendor and tooling references. Consistent usage reduces duplication and keeps your team working from the same source of truth.
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⭐
Connect Equipment records to Activities. Linking maintenance and inspection tasks to specific equipment builds a traceable service history for every asset on your floor — making it easier to spot patterns, schedule preventive work, and reduce unplanned downtime.
