Admin Settings: Roles, Billing Gateways, and Automation Defaults

Admin Settings: Roles, Gateways & Automation

Admin settings govern the foundation of your CRM operations — who can access what, which gateways process payments and communications, and which automations run in the background to keep workflows moving without manual intervention. Changes here affect every user and every transaction in the system, so they must be made carefully, tested thoroughly, and documented.

1. Roles and Permissions

The role system controls what each staff member can see and do in the CRM. A well-designed role structure prevents accidental data changes, protects sensitive financial data, and ensures compliance with data access policies.

1. Navigate to Setup > Staff > Roles: You will see a list of existing roles. Avoid editing the default Admin role directly — create new role profiles for each team function (e.g. Sales Agent, Accounts Manager, Operations Staff, Read-Only Viewer).
2. Apply the principle of least privilege: Grant each role only the permissions required to perform their core job function. Start with no permissions and add incrementally, rather than starting with full access and restricting. This reduces the risk of accidental data modification.
3. Configure per-module permissions: For each module (Leads, Clients, Invoices, Reports, etc.), set Create, View, Edit, and Delete permissions independently. For example, a Sales Agent may need Create Leads and Edit Leads but should not have Delete Leads or access to Finance Reports.
4. Set record visibility: Some role configurations allow staff to view only their own assigned records, records for their team, or all records in the system. Set this appropriately — front-line sales staff typically see only their own leads and clients; managers see all.
5. Test with a staff test account: Create a test user assigned to the new role and verify that all intended restrictions and access grants behave as expected. Check edge cases — e.g. can the test user see another user's client record? Can they access admin settings?
6. Roll out: Once validated, assign the new role to the relevant staff members. Notify them of any access changes and provide guidance if their workflow is affected.

2. Billing and Gateway Settings

Payment gateways and SMTP/SMS credentials are critical infrastructure. Misconfiguration causes payment failures, communication breakdowns, and client-facing errors. Always follow the test-before-live approach.

1. Configure SMTP email settings: Navigate to Setup > Email Settings. Enter your SMTP host, port, username, password, and encryption type (TLS recommended). Click Send Test Email and confirm receipt at the specified test address before saving.
2. Configure SMS gateway: Navigate to Setup > SMS Settings. Enter the API key, sender ID, and any provider-specific settings for your SMS gateway (e.g. Twilio, Nexmo, Africa's Talking). Send a test SMS to a verified number before saving.
3. Configure payment gateways: Navigate to Setup > Finance > Payment Gateways. Select and enable your payment provider (e.g. Stripe, PayPal, Flutterwave). Enter the sandbox/test keys first and process a test transaction end-to-end — including verifying the callback updates the invoice status in the CRM.
4. Switch to live mode: Only after all tests pass in sandbox, replace test keys with live production keys. Confirm the first live transaction manually before announcing the payment feature to clients.
5. Configure invoice defaults: Under Setup > Finance, set default payment terms (e.g. Net 14), default tax rate, invoice number prefix, and PDF template. These defaults apply to all new invoices unless overridden at the client or invoice level.

3. Automation and Defaults

Automations reduce manual administrative work by triggering notifications, assignments, and status changes based on defined events and conditions. Configure automations incrementally and test each one before enabling the next.

1. Configure lead assignment defaults: Under Setup > Leads > Defaults or Setup > Automation, set the default lead status, default source, and auto-assignment rule (e.g. round-robin among Sales team, or assign to the user who created the lead).
2. Enable reminder automations: Configure automated reminders for: upcoming appointments (24 hours and 1 hour before), overdue invoices (3 days, 7 days after due date), and lead follow-up dates approaching. Each reminder uses a configurable communication template.
3. Configure notification preferences: For each event type (new lead, payment received, appointment booked, etc.), set who receives an in-app notification, email alert, or SMS notification. Avoid over-notifying staff — only enable the notifications that require a direct action response.
4. Document all changes: Maintain a settings change log (internal document or dedicated notes section in the CRM) recording what was changed, when, by whom, and why. This is essential for governance and for diagnosing issues introduced by a settings change.

Common Issues

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• Workflow: Admin Settings, Gateways & Permissions