How Do I Setup a New User and Send Email with Login Credentials?

How Do I Setup a New User and Send Email with Login Credentials?

Setting up a new user in Contractor Foreman grants employees or contractors secure access to the platform, enabling them to handle tasks, review project specifics, and collaborate effectively with the team. This process not only creates a foundational contact record but also activates login capabilities, automatically dispatching credentials via email for seamless onboarding. By tying access to predefined roles, it ensures users see only relevant modules and data, safeguarding sensitive information while streamlining workflows for field staff, admins, or external partners.

Navigate to the Directory Module

The Directory serves as the central repository for all personnel records, making it the ideal starting point for user creation. This module lists existing employees and contractors, providing a clear overview before adding new entries to avoid duplicates and maintain organizational accuracy.

1. Go to the Directory module. Accessing the Directory displays a comprehensive list of current contacts, allowing quick searches or additions that integrate directly with scheduling, time tracking, and project assignments across the platform.

Create a New Contact

With the Directory open, initiate the addition of a basic profile. This foundational step captures essential details, transforming a simple entry into a robust record ready for user elevation, ensuring all subsequent features—like timecards or notifications—leverage accurate information from the outset.

2. Click the + Contact button at the top right of the page. The + Contact button launches a form optimized for quick input, focusing on core identifiers to expedite setup without overwhelming optional fields.

3. Select the contact type, such as employee or contractor. Choosing the appropriate type—employee for internal staff or contractor for external collaborators—applies relevant defaults, like payroll integrations or vendor associations, aligning the record with operational contexts.

4. Enter basic information, including name and contact details; complete all required fields marked with an asterisk (*). Populating fields like full name, email, and phone ensures reliable communication and searchability, with asterisks highlighting must-haves that prevent incomplete saves and support automated features like email dispatching.

5. Click Save to store the employee record. Saving commits the contact to the system, making it immediately available for edits or conversions while preserving data integrity for future expansions.

Convert the Contact to a User

Once the contact exists, elevate it to a full user account through profile adjustments. This transition activates authentication and permissions, bridging basic records to active platform participation without redundant data entry.

6. Click on the person’s name to open their profile. Selecting the name reveals a detailed view, centralizing all configurable elements in one interface for efficient, context-aware modifications.

7. In the top right corner of the profile page, locate and check the Allow Login Access checkbox. Enabling Allow Login Access unlocks credential fields and role assignments, signaling the system’s shift from passive record to interactive user, which is essential for collaborative tools.

8. Select a role from the available options. Roles define visibility and capabilities—such as limiting a field worker to timecards or granting an admin full oversight—ensuring tailored access that matches responsibilities and complies with subscription limits.

9. Enter a unique username and the user’s email address. The username should be intuitive and secure, like a partial email, while the email address serves as the delivery point for credentials, enabling automated setup instructions upon activation.

10. Click Save to apply the changes. Finalizing the save triggers immediate processing, integrating the new user into the account’s active roster and initiating the credential email without manual intervention.

Automatic Email Dispatch and Access Configuration

Upon saving, click on the Email Password Instructions to send an automated email to the user for them to set up their password..

11. Review the automatic email sent to the provided address, which includes instructions for setting a password and logging in. The email arrives promptly, containing secure, one-time links or temporary credentials that guide the recipient through initial setup, ensuring quick activation while adhering to security best practices.

In the user’s profile, an Access Details section now appears for further personalization. These settings enhance usability by customizing entry points and boundaries, adapting the platform to diverse user needs without altering core permissions.

12. Optionally, configure Default Cost Code for timecards, which the user can override as needed. Assigning a Default Cost Code pre-populates expense tracking, streamlining entries for recurring project types and reducing errors in financial reporting.

13. Enable Take User Directly to Timecard if redirecting to the Time Cards module upon login suits the role, such as for field employees. This toggle prioritizes efficiency for hands-on users, bypassing the dashboard to land straight in their primary tool, fostering faster adoption and productivity.

14. Under Viewable Projects, select specific projects to restrict access; leaving it blank grants visibility to all company projects. Limiting Viewable Projects enforces data silos for multi-site operations or subcontractors, preventing exposure to unrelated details while maintaining full access for broad roles.

Deactivate User Access If Needed

For lifecycle management, revoking access preserves historical data without deletion. This reversible action supports turnover or temporary suspensions, keeping records intact for audits or rehiring.

15. To deactivate, return to the user’s profile and uncheck the Allow Login Access checkbox, then click Save. Unchecking disables future logins instantly, archiving the user from active counts while retaining all associated project history, time entries, and notes for compliance and continuity.

This comprehensive setup ensures new users integrate smoothly, with email-driven onboarding reducing support queries and role-based controls promoting secure, efficient collaboration.

Supplementary Notes

User creation counts toward your subscription’s limits, so monitor capacity via the Subscription Details in Settings to avoid overages—plans range from basic tiers to unlimited access. Roles must be predefined; for creation or edits, consult the dedicated roles article in the Knowledge Base. Verify email validity during setup to prevent delivery failures, and test logins as the new user to confirm role applications and restrictions. If deactivation is frequent, consider audit logs in Users for tracking changes. For advanced permissions like project assignments, explore the Assigned Projects settings post-setup.