Roles & Access Control
Overview
autoGMS uses roles to control what each person on your team can see and do. Every team member is assigned exactly one role, and that role determines which pages, features, and actions are available to them.
Why it matters:
- Technicians see only what they need to do their job -- no financial data, no settings
- Service advisors can handle customers and invoices without touching inventory or reports
- Garage Admins can run day-to-day operations without changing billing or subscription settings
- You (the Garage Owner) keep full control over everything
This page explains what each role can access and how to decide which role to give each team member.
Roles at a glance
| Role | Description |
|---|---|
| Garage Owner | Full access to everything -- settings, finances, reports, team management, and billing |
| Garage Admin | Near-full access to operations and team management, but cannot manage billing or subscription |
| Manager | Full operational access including bookings, jobs, customers, invoices, expenses, analytics, and team management. Cannot manage billing or subscription |
| Service Advisor | Front-desk focused -- bookings, customers, invoices, estimates, deposits and credits, and the reception desk |
| Technician | Workshop focused -- jobs and service bays |
Good to know: You assign roles when adding team members under Garage Settings > Team & Access. For step-by-step instructions, see Garage Settings.
What each role can access
Garage Owner
Full access to every feature in autoGMS. This is the account that created the garage.
- Dashboard and all analytics
- All bookings, jobs, and scheduling
- Full customer and vehicle management
- Invoices, expenses, deposits, and credits
- All financial reports (Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow, etc.)
- Inventory and purchase orders
- Marketing campaigns and reviews
- Payment dashboard and payment settings (Stripe Connect)
- All garage settings, including billing and subscription
- Team management -- can add Garage Admins, Managers, Service Advisors, and Technicians
Garage Admin
Same access as the Garage Owner with two exceptions:
- Cannot manage billing or subscription settings
- Cannot change the garage owner
Garage Admins are ideal for a trusted co-owner who needs to run the garage but should not control the subscription or payment plan.
Garage Admins can add Technicians and Service Advisors to the team.
Manager
Full operational access, positioned between Garage Admin and Service Advisor:
- Dashboard and all analytics
- All bookings, jobs, bays, and scheduling
- Customer database and vehicle management
- Invoices, expenses, deposits and credits
- Financial reports and analytics
- Inventory and purchase orders
- Garage settings and booking settings
- Technician management
- Online booking widget setup
What managers cannot access:
- Billing or subscription management
- Marketing campaigns (unless granted via Role Access Control)
Managers are ideal for a trusted shop foreman or operations lead who handles day-to-day management.
Service Advisor
Focused on front-desk operations:
- View and manage bookings (create, edit, update status)
- Booking calendar
- Create and manage offline/walk-in bookings
- Customer database (view and edit)
- Business accounts
- Invoices (view and create)
- Deposits and credits (when enabled)
- Estimates (view, create, send)
- Reception desk (dedicated workspace)
What service advisors cannot access:
- Garage dashboard (overview metrics)
- Service bays / jobs board
- Inventory management
- Expenses, analytics, or financial reports
- Marketing campaigns or reviews
- Garage settings, technician management, or booking settings
- Payment dashboard or payment settings
- Online booking widget setup
Technician
Focused on workshop operations:
- Service bays / jobs board
What technicians can access through page-level permissions (configurable):
The pages listed below are accessible to technicians at the route level but are not shown in the default sidebar. If you want technicians to see additional pages, use the Role Access Control panel in Garage Settings to grant access.
- Bookings list and booking details
- Customer records
- Inventory management
- Estimates
What technicians cannot access:
- Garage dashboard (overview metrics)
- Invoices, expenses, or any financial pages
- Financial reports
- Marketing campaigns or reviews
- Booking settings or garage settings
- Payment dashboard or payment settings
- Team management
- Business accounts
- Reception desk
Detailed access table
This table shows exactly which features are available to each role. An x means the role has access.
Bookings & Jobs
| Feature | Owner | Admin | Manager | Service Advisor | Technician |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bookings list | x | x | x | x | configurable |
| Booking details | x | x | x | x | configurable |
| Create / edit bookings | x | x | x | x | configurable |
| Offline / walk-in bookings | x | x | x | x | configurable |
| Booking calendar | x | x | x | x | configurable |
| Service bays (jobs board) | x | x | x | - | x |
| Reception desk | x | x | x | x | - |
| Estimates | x | x | x | x | configurable |
| Services catalog | x | x | x | - | - |
| MOT dashboard (UK only) | x | x | x | - | - |
Inventory
| Feature | Owner | Admin | Manager | Service Advisor | Technician |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory management | x | x | x | - | configurable |
| Purchase orders | x | x | x | - | - |
Central Warehouse (Organization-Level)
| Feature | Owner | Admin | Manager | Service Advisor | Technician |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warehouse page (organization workspace) | x | x | - | - | - |
| Withdraw from warehouse (garage inventory) | x | x | x | - | configurable |
| Warehouse-assisted job assignment | x | x | x | configurable | configurable |
Good to know: Warehouse-assisted assignment follows the same permission model as job inventory actions. If a role can assign parts on a job, that role can use warehouse shortfall assignment when Central Warehouse is enabled.
Finance
| Feature | Owner | Admin | Manager | Service Advisor | Technician |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Invoices | x | x | x | x | - |
| Deposits & credits | x | x | x | x | - |
| Expenses | x | x | x | - | - |
| Analytics dashboard | x | x | x | - | - |
| Payment dashboard | x | x | x | - | - |
| Payment settings | x | x | x | - | - |
Financial Reports
All financial reports require the Financial Reports add-on.
| Feature | Owner | Admin | Manager | Service Advisor | Technician |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit & Loss | x | x | x | - | - |
| Balance Sheet | x | x | x | - | - |
| Cash Flow | x | x | x | - | - |
| General Ledger | x | x | x | - | - |
| Account Balances | x | x | x | - | - |
| Aged Receivables | x | x | x | - | - |
| Aged Payables | x | x | x | - | - |
| Tax / VAT Report | x | x | x | - | - |
Customers
| Feature | Owner | Admin | Manager | Service Advisor | Technician |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer list | x | x | x | x | configurable |
| Customer details | x | x | x | x | configurable |
| Business accounts | x | x | x | x | - |
| Reviews | x | x | x | - | - |
Marketing
All marketing features require the Marketing add-on.
| Feature | Owner | Admin | Manager | Service Advisor | Technician |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live customer targeting | x | x | - | - | - |
| Campaign creator | x | x | - | - | - |
| All campaigns | x | x | - | - | - |
| Message templates | x | x | - | - | - |
| Do-not-send list | x | x | - | - | - |
Settings & Configuration
| Feature | Owner | Admin | Manager | Service Advisor | Technician |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garage dashboard (overview) | x | x | x | - | - |
| Garage profile / settings | x | x | x | - | - |
| Online booking widget setup | x | x | x | - | - |
| Booking settings | x | x | x | - | - |
| Technician management | x | x | x | - | - |
| Billing & subscription | x | - | - | - | - |
Technicians are automatically redirected to the Jobs (service bays) page when they log in. There is no separate "My Jobs" page -- the bays view serves as their primary workspace.
Good to know: "Configurable" means the page is available at the route level for that role, but it is not shown in the sidebar by default. Use the Role Access Control panel in Garage Settings to grant or revoke access to these pages per role.
Who can add whom
Not every role can add every other role. Here is the hierarchy:
| Your role | Roles you can add |
|---|---|
| Garage Owner | Garage Admin, Manager, Service Advisor, Technician |
| Garage Admin | Manager, Service Advisor, Technician |
| Manager | Service Advisor, Technician |
| Service Advisor | -- |
| Technician | -- |
To add a team member, go to Garage Settings > Team & Access and click Add Team Member. You will only see the roles you are allowed to assign.
There is also a Custom Role option available when adding team members. Custom roles let you define a role name that fits your business (e.g., "Workshop Lead" or "Parts Manager"). Custom roles have configurable page access through the Role Access Control panel, similar to other non-owner roles.
Good to know: When you add someone, they receive an email with their login credentials and can access the dashboard immediately.
Customizing page access per role
The access tables above show the default permissions for each role. Garage Owners and Garage Admins can now customize which pages each role can see.
Go to Garage Settings > Team & Access and scroll down to the Role Access Control panel. From there you can:
- Toggle page access on or off for each role
- Preview effective access per team member before saving
- Save changes that take effect immediately on the sidebar and route access
Some pages are locked (always on) for certain roles and cannot be toggled. Pages that a role does not have baseline access to will show a dash and cannot be enabled.
For full instructions, see the Team & Access tab in Garage Settings.
Good to know: These settings are per garage. If you have multiple garages, you can configure different access rules for each one.
Sidebar navigation by role
Each role sees a different sidebar when they log in. This keeps the interface clean and focused.
Garage Owner, Garage Admin, and Manager see the full sidebar:
- Overview, Bookings & Jobs, Inventory, Finance, Payments, Financial Reporting, and Customers sections
- A Settings button at the bottom of the sidebar opens a menu with Garage Settings, Booking Widget Setup, Booking Settings, and Your Technicians
- Multi-garage organization owners also see an Organization group in the Settings menu
Service Advisor sees a simplified sidebar:
- Bookings, Estimates, Customers, Invoices, and Reception Desk
Technician sees a minimal sidebar:
- Jobs (service bays) only. Additional pages can be enabled through the Role Access Control panel
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I customize what each role sees? A: Yes. Go to Garage Settings > Team & Access and use the Role Access Control panel to toggle page access per role. You can grant or revoke access to individual pages for each role.
Q: Can a technician see invoices or financial data? A: No. Technicians have no access to invoices, expenses, revenue data, or financial reports. Their default sidebar shows only the Jobs page (service bays). You can grant access to additional pages like bookings, customers, inventory, and estimates using the Role Access Control panel in Garage Settings.
Q: Can a service advisor manage inventory? A: No. Service advisors do not have access to inventory management or purchase orders. They focus on bookings, customers, invoices, and the reception desk.
Q: What is the difference between Garage Owner and Garage Admin? A: Garage Admins have the same access as the owner except they cannot manage billing, subscription settings, or change the garage owner. Everything else -- operations, team management, reports, marketing -- is identical.
Q: What is the difference between Garage Admin and Manager? A: Both have full operational access, but Garage Admins can also manage marketing campaigns and reviews. Managers are a step below Garage Admin and are ideal for a shop foreman or operations lead. Both can manage the team, settings, and finances (except billing).
Q: Can I change someone's role after adding them? A: Currently, you cannot change a team member's role directly. You would need to remove them and re-add them with the new role or contact support.
Q: What happens when I remove a team member? A: Their access to your garage is revoked immediately. They can no longer log in and see your garage data. If they belong to other garages, those remain unaffected.
Q: Can a team member belong to multiple garages? A: Yes. A user can be added to multiple garages and can switch between them from the dashboard.
Q: I only see Technician and Service Advisor when adding a team member. Where is Garage Admin? A: The roles you see depend on your own role. Managers can only add Technicians and Service Advisors. Garage Admins can also add Managers. Only Garage Owners can add Garage Admins.
Q: Do feature add-ons affect what roles can see? A: Yes. Features like Financial Reports, Marketing, and Inventory are controlled by your subscription. If a feature is not enabled, no one on your team can see it -- regardless of their role. Once enabled, the feature becomes visible to roles that have permission for it.
Quick Reference
| I want to... | Go here | Do this |
|---|---|---|
| View team roles | Settings → Team | See all members and roles |
| Change someone's role | Team → member → Role dropdown | Select new role |
| Invite new member | Team → Invite | Enter email, select role |
| Remove team member | Team → member → Remove | Confirm removal |
| View role permissions | This doc → Role Hierarchy table | See what each role can do |
| Make someone admin | Team → member → Role → Admin | Grants full access |
| Restrict to technician | Team → member → Role → Technician | Limited to jobs only |
| Set up service advisor | Team → member → Role → Service Advisor | Front desk access |
| View my permissions | Account menu | Shows your current role |