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Invitations replace the legacy “magic link” system. If you previously used magic links to share credential collection flows, use invitations instead. Invitations are revocable, auditable, and support scoped email access — magic links do not. The old magic-link pages still work for backward compatibility, but all new sharing should use invitations.

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What is an invitation?

An invitation is a shareable link you send to whoever will connect the utility account — by email, chat, or embedded in your own product. When the recipient clicks it, they see a secure page where they can log into their utility account on their own. Nectar handles everything behind the scenes: capturing the login, setting up the connection, and starting to collect bills automatically. The key parts:
  • They don’t need a Nectar login. No downloads, no account creation.
  • You don’t see their password. They enter credentials directly into Nectar’s secure page.
  • You stay in control. Every invitation is tracked, revocable, and time-bound.

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Three types of invitations

Contributor and reconnect invitations look and work the same way for the recipient — one creates a new connection, the other fixes an existing one. Upload invitations skip the utility sign-in and go straight to choosing a site and adding files.

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Why use invitations instead of sharing credentials?

Two common situations where invitations are the best approach: You don’t have the utility login yet. Instead of asking for a username and password by email (which can feel uncomfortable for both sides), send an invitation. The recipient enters their own credentials directly into the secure page — you never see the password. The account owner prefers to enter credentials themselves. Some organizations — especially larger enterprises or those with strict security policies — don’t want to share login information with a third party. Invitations let them stay in control while still getting the benefit of automated data collection. Invitations are a drop-in replacement for magic links with several additional guarantees:

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What the recipient sees

When someone opens an invitation, here’s the experience step by step:
1

They verify their email (optional)

If you restricted the invitation to specific email addresses, the recipient enters their email on the landing page. Nectar sends them a one-click verification email. If the invitation is open (no email restriction) or you pre-addressed the email from Nectar, this step is skipped.
2

They choose or confirm the utility provider

If you pre-filled a provider when creating the invitation, the page shows its website URL and a country selector to confirm. Otherwise they search for their provider — and if it isn’t listed, they can connect by entering its website. If you have white-label branding configured, they’ll see your company’s logo and colors instead of Nectar’s.
3

They sign into their utility account

An embedded browser window loads the utility company’s actual login page — the same one they’d see if they went to ConEdison.com or PGE.com directly. They enter their username, password, and any security codes (like a text message verification) just like they normally would. They can also switch to manual entry if the embedded browser isn’t working.
4

They connect their accounts

For contributor invitations, they confirm which sites the account covers and what type of utility it is (electricity, gas, water, etc.). If you pre-selected these when creating the invitation, they’re already filled in.
5

They see a confirmation

Once the login is successful and the connection is established, they see a “Thanks for connecting your utility account!” confirmation. Nectar starts collecting data in the background.
If the utility account requires multi-factor authentication (MFA), an additional step guides them through MFA forwarding — how SMS or email codes reach Nectar so automated weekly logins can succeed (not just a one-time code at signup). The whole process typically takes one to three minutes.

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How to create an invitation

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From the Nectar platform

1

Open the Invitations page

Go to Data Input > Invitations.
2

Pick the flow

Click Invite contributor (new connection), Send reconnect link (fix an existing one), or Invite upload (bill uploads). Reconnect invitations ask you to pick the target Connection first.
3

Set access control

Choose who can use the link (anyone with the link or specific people), how many times (unlimited or up to a number), and when it expires (never expires, expires after a number of days, or expires on a date). When you limit it to specific people, add their email addresses and optionally check Send email notification so Nectar emails them the link (recommended — recipients click a single link and skip email verification). Otherwise, copy the link after you create the invitation and share it however you prefer.
4

Add details

For contributor invitations, you can pre-fill the utility provider (with its country), then the sites, utility types, connection owner email, and data collection start month so the recipient has less to fill in. For upload invitations, choose Any site or Specific sites to control where files can be uploaded.
5

Review and create

Review the summary, then click Create invitation. Nectar creates the invitation and, if you checked Send email notification, emails the recipients.

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From the API

Developers can create invitations programmatically — including pre-filled contributor invitations and reconnect invitations — without going through the platform UI.
For developers: See Connection invitations for step-by-step API instructions, iframe embedding code, and prefill options.

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Managing invitations

Open Data Input > Invitations to see every invitation for your company.
  • Active, Expired, Revoked, Fulfilled — filter by status to see what’s still outstanding.
  • Copy link — grab the https://dash.nectarclimate.com/p/i/{token} URL to share in a different channel.
  • Resend email — send the invitation email again (useful if the recipient lost it or if it landed in spam).
  • Revoke invitation — immediately invalidate an invitation. Anyone who tries to use the link after revocation sees a clear error.
  • Activity — on the invitation’s detail sheet, see when the invitation was viewed, when email verification happened, and when the recipient submitted the flow. Useful when a recipient says “I never got it” or “it said the link was invalid.”
  • Created connections — on the detail sheet, see every connection created by that invitation.

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White-label branding

If your company has white-label branding configured, invitation pages automatically display your brand — your logo, your colors, your fonts. Recipients never see “Nectar” anywhere. It looks like a seamless part of your own platform. This is especially powerful if you embed invitations in your own website or application. Recipients get a branded, professional experience that feels native to your product. See White-label for setup details.

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Tips for using invitations effectively

  • Use Nectar-sent email when you can. The recipient gets a single click-to-start link and skips the email verification step.
  • Restrict by email for shared inboxes. If you’re sending a link to a building manager at ops@facility.com, adding that email to the allow-list means the link only works when someone on that inbox clicks it.
  • Set a short expiration for reconnects. Credential-fix invitations are usually time-sensitive; a 7-day expiration keeps stale links from lingering.
  • Set max uses for contributor invitations. If the invitation is for one account, cap it at 1 use to prevent accidental duplicates.
  • Revoke instead of deleting. If a link is compromised or no longer needed, revoking it leaves the activity log intact so you can audit what happened.

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FAQ

Yes. When you limit the invitation to specific people, check Send email notification and Nectar emails them the link (recommended). Or copy the link and paste it into your own email, chat, or help desk ticket.
You pick. Invitations can be set to never expire, expire after a fixed duration, or expire on a specific date. Once an invitation expires, the recipient sees a clear “link expired” message. You can always create a new one.
Three things: click the link (and verify their email if restricted), sign into their utility account (the same username and password they use on the utility company’s website), and complete any security verification (like a text message code). No downloads, no Nectar account, no technical knowledge required.
If they can’t log into the utility portal through the invitation, the issue is almost always with their utility website credentials — not with Nectar. Ask them to try logging into the utility website directly (like ConEdison.com) to confirm their username and password work. If they can log in directly but not through the invitation, contact support@nectarclimate.com.
Yes, if you have white-label branding configured. Your logo, colors, and fonts automatically appear on the invitation page instead of Nectar’s default branding. See White-label for details.
Yes. The invitation page is responsive and works on phones and tablets. Some utility websites are easier to navigate on desktop, but the invitation flow itself works on any device.
Yes. An invitation is tied to a company, not a specific site. When you create a contributor invitation, you can pre-select which sites the resulting connection should cover. For an upload invitation, choose Any site or a list of Specific sites.
Nectar immediately starts the first data collection. The new connection appears in Data Input > Connections, and bills usually begin flowing in within a few hours — in some cases within up to 48 hours while the connection is still Pending. The invitation status moves to Fulfilled once the last permitted use is consumed.
Yes. The Activity tab on the invitation detail sheet shows when the link was viewed, when email verification happened, and when the recipient submitted the flow. The Created connections tab lists every connection created by that invitation.
They can click the link again and restart the process (as long as the invitation hasn’t hit its use limit or expired). No data is lost or partially saved — the connection is only created once the full sign-in is complete.
Yes. Invitations work with any utility provider that Nectar supports, including international providers across Europe, Asia-Pacific, and other markets. The invitation page handles different languages, date formats, and authentication flows automatically.