Roles are a great way to manage the access of your users to certain actions within FreeAgent CRM, from the ability to Import/Export data, to specific actions like bulk delete records or edit activities.
There are 5 different roles built-in FreeAgent CRM, but you have the option to create new ones, edit existing ones, and deactivate those that you don't need.
ROLE |
DESCRIPTION |
---|---|
Administrators |
Allows all 4 main actions. This role gives the user access to more system actions available in the Company and System Settings menu. |
Power Users |
Has access to Import/Export data actions, can’t bulk delete nor edit activities. |
Managers |
Inability to bulk delete, edit activities, and import. |
Contractors |
Doesn’t allow users to bulk delete, edit activities, import, or export data. |
Individuals |
Similar to Contractors, they can’t perform any of the 4 main actions. |
Edition Qualifier: This feature is available in all FreeAgent CRM editions.
User Permissions: Only the Administrator can use this feature.
In this tutorial, we will cover the following topics:
- Navigating to Roles
- What Do These Roles Mean for Your Users?
- Creating a New ACL
- Editing an ACL
- Adding Users to an ACL
- Search ACLs
- Deactivating an ACL
- Activating an ACL
Navigating to Roles
Open the menu and go to 'Admin Settings' to display the available options, then click 'Roles'. You can also use the search function to get there faster, just start typing 'Roles'.
What Do These Roles Mean for Your Users?
Assigning any of the existing roles or your custom ones to your users will limit their access to some of the actions of the system. There are 4 major actions: import data, export data, bulk delete, and edit activities. Roles are also known as ACLs (access control list)
As each team member is added to a specific role, the specific actions in the system won't be available for that team member. So for example, if a team member was added to a role where 'Edit Activities' is set to 'No', then they will still be able to send emails, leave notes, etc... but they won't have the ability to edit them.
If they were to click a note to edit, they will see the notes detail and everything, but the 'Save' button that would allow them to make changes to them will not be there.
Creating a New ACL
Click on the 'Add New Role' button to get started. Give your New Role a name and optionally add a description that explains the reason behind the role. You can assign users to this role right away, just click the user's field and select them from the drop-down list. Then simply change to 'Yes' the actions you want that role to perform and once you are done, click the 'Save' button.
Your new role will be created and it will be shown on the list. If you are looking to make a change in any existing ACL continue reading.
Editing an ACL
Existing ACLs can be edited in case you want to change them or add users to them. To do this, simply select the rule that you wish to update and click the 'Edit' button.
Here you will be able to change everything, from the name and description, to add team members and change the actions they will be able to perform. Just make your changes and click the 'Save' button when you are done.
Adding Users to an ACL
Adding users to each of the roles for your company is quite simple. First, select the role you want to assign to your team members and then click the 'Edit' button.
Click on the 'Users' fields to get the dropdown list with your active team members and select those that should have this role. Once you are done selecting users, click the 'Save' button.
In the Role list, the users' column will include labels with the users assigned to that role. The labels will adjust according to the number of users.
Search ACLs
To find a specific ACL, you can use the search box available at the top of the page. You can also use the advance search to narrow them down and display only those you need. To learn more about the advanced search, please visit the 'Advanced Search' section of the following tutorial:
Global Search
Deactivating an ACL
If you created an ACL for a really specific purpose but eventually you decide that you don't need it anymore, you can always deactivate it. Select the role and click the 'Deactivate' button. If you try to deactivate a 'Role' that has users assigned, you will receive an error message, as it is required that you remove the users from the role before deactivating it.
Edit the Role to remove any active user and click the 'Save' button before attempting to deactivate the Role. Once you do deactivate, the role will no longer be active and will not appear on the list unless you click the 'Show deactivated' checkbox.
Activating an ACL
It is always possible to reactive a previously deactivated role. Simply click the 'Show deactivated' checkbox to enable it so that all your Deactivated roles are shown in the list and then click the 'Activate' button.
The role will be Activated, however, since you had to remove all the users before deactivating it, you will need to assign them after Activating it.