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
- Receptionists 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 |
| Receptionist | Front-desk focused -- bookings, customers, invoices, estimates, and the reception desk |
| Technician | Workshop focused -- jobs, service bays, inventory, estimates, and customer records (read-only) |
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, Receptionists, 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 manager or co-owner who needs to run the garage but should not control the subscription or payment plan.
Garage Admins can add Technicians and Receptionists to the team.
Receptionist
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
- Estimates (view, create, send)
- Reception desk (dedicated workspace)
- Online booking setup page
What receptionists 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
Technician
Focused on workshop operations:
- My Jobs page (personal job queue)
- Job details page
- Service bays / jobs board
- Inventory management (view and use parts)
- Estimates (view, create, send)
- Customer records (view only)
- Booking list and booking details (view)
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 | Receptionist | Technician |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bookings list | x | x | x | x |
| Booking details | x | x | x | x |
| Create / edit bookings | x | x | x | x |
| Offline / walk-in bookings | x | x | x | x |
| Booking calendar | x | x | x | x |
| Service bays (jobs board) | x | x | - | x |
| Bays TV mode | x | x | - | x |
| Reception desk | x | x | x | - |
| Estimates | x | x | x | x |
| Services catalog | x | x | - | - |
| Service configuration | x | x | - | - |
| MOT dashboard (UK only) | x | x | - | - |
Inventory
| Feature | Owner | Admin | Receptionist | Technician |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory management | x | x | - | x |
| Purchase orders | x | x | - | - |
Finance
| Feature | Owner | Admin | Receptionist | Technician |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Invoices | x | x | x | - |
| Deposits & credits | x | x | x | - |
| Expenses | x | x | - | - |
| Analytics dashboard | x | x | - | - |
| Payment dashboard | x | x | - | - |
| Payment settings | x | x | - | - |
Financial Reports
All financial reports require the Financial Reports add-on.
| Feature | Owner | Admin | Receptionist | Technician |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit & Loss | x | x | - | - |
| Balance Sheet | x | x | - | - |
| Cash Flow | x | x | - | - |
| General Ledger | x | x | - | - |
| Account Balances | x | x | - | - |
| Aged Receivables | x | x | - | - |
| Aged Payables | x | x | - | - |
| Tax / VAT Report | x | x | - | - |
Customers
| Feature | Owner | Admin | Receptionist | Technician |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer list | x | x | x | x |
| Customer details | x | x | x | x |
| Business accounts | x | x | x | - |
| Reviews | x | x | - | - |
Marketing
All marketing features require the Marketing add-on.
| Feature | Owner | Admin | Receptionist | Technician |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live customer targeting | x | x | - | - |
| Campaign creator | x | x | - | - |
| All campaigns | x | x | - | - |
| Message templates | x | x | - | - |
| Do-not-send list | x | x | - | - |
Configuration
| Feature | Owner | Admin | Receptionist | Technician |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garage dashboard (overview) | x | x | - | - |
| Garage profile / settings | x | x | - | - |
| Online booking setup | x | x | x | - |
| Booking settings | x | x | - | - |
| Technician management | x | x | - | - |
| Billing & subscription | x | - | - | - |
Technician-only pages
| Feature | Owner | Admin | Receptionist | Technician |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| My Jobs | - | - | - | x |
| Job details | - | - | - | x |
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, Receptionist, Technician |
| Garage Admin | Receptionist, Technician |
| Receptionist | -- |
| 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.
Good to know: When you add someone, they receive an email with their login credentials and can access the dashboard immediately.
Sidebar navigation by role
Each role sees a different sidebar when they log in. This keeps the interface clean and focused.
Garage Owner and Garage Admin see the full sidebar:
- Overview, Bookings & Jobs, Inventory, Finance, Payments, Customers, Reports, and Configuration sections
Receptionist sees a simplified sidebar:
- Bookings, Estimates, Customers, Invoices, Deposits & Credits, Reception Desk, and Online Booking
Technician sees a minimal sidebar:
- Estimates, Jobs (service bays), and Inventory
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can a technician see invoices or financial data? A: No. Technicians have no access to invoices, expenses, revenue data, or financial reports. Their view is limited to jobs, bays, inventory, estimates, and customer records.
Q: Can a receptionist manage inventory? A: No. Receptionists 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: 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 Receptionist when adding a team member. Where is Garage Admin? A: The roles you see depend on your own role. Garage Admins can only add Technicians and Receptionists. 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.