Invite a client user (company-scoped access)
Client users are not employees. They are external contacts (for example, a client or council contact) who need limited visibility without being added to your employee list.
Client users are scoped to one or more companies and can only see completed jobs and map captures for the companies you select.
Task index
- Invite a client user (no employee record)
- Choose which companies they can see (company scoping)
- Explain what a client user can see (and what they can’t)
Invite a client user (no employee record)
When to use this
- A client/contact needs a login to view outcomes for their company.
- You want them to see completed jobs and map captures for selected companies, without giving them staff access.
Do not use this for staff. For employees, use [Add a user login for an existing employee](add-a-user-for-an-existing-employee.md) (or create the employee first).
What you need first
- Admin/office permission to manage users.
- The client’s email address.
- At least one company in your account to scope access to.
Steps
1. Open Settings → User Roles. 2. Choose Invite client user. 3. Enter Email (required). 4. Enter Name (optional). 5. Under Companies, select one or more companies (required). 6. Choose Invite client user. 7. Copy the invite link and share it with the client securely (or have them use the email invite).
What happens next
- The client receives an invite link to accept and set a password (if prompted). If they need step-by-step help, share: [Accept an invite and create a password](../../../account/shared/invites/accept-an-invite-and-create-a-password.md).
- Invite links expire after 7 days.
Choose which companies they can see (company scoping)
When to use this
- The client should only see results for certain companies (not everything).
What it means (in plain language)
Company scoping is a visibility filter. It limits what the client can see to the companies you choose.
Steps
1. While inviting the client user, select the company (or companies) they should have access to. 2. If the client needs visibility for another company later, invite them again with the correct company scope (or have an admin update their access).
What happens next
- The client user will only see completed jobs and map captures for the selected companies.
Explain what a client user can see (and what they can’t)
What they can see
- Completed jobs for the companies you selected.
- Map captures for the companies you selected (where your account uses map captures).
What they can’t see
- Anything for companies you did not select.
- Active/in-progress internal work that hasn’t been completed.
- Staff-only areas like employee management, scheduling, payroll, and internal settings.
Need to change their company scope or access later? See:
- [Change a user’s access level (seat)](change-a-users-access-level-seat.md)
- [Change a user’s role (ADMIN / MANAGER / USER)](change-a-users-role.md)
Failure and recovery matrix
| Problem you see | What it means | Immediate fix steps | When to escalate | |---|---|---|---| | “Select at least one company” | Client access must be scoped to a company. | Select one or more companies, then invite again. | Escalate if the correct company is missing from the list. | | “User already belongs to this account” | That email already has access to this account. | Don’t invite again. Find the user in Settings → User Roles and update access/scope as needed. | Escalate if you can’t find the user or can’t change their access. | | Client says “Invite expired” | The invite is older than 7 days. | Create a new invite from Settings → User Roles → Invite client user (see [Resend or replace an invite](resend-or-replace-an-expired-invite.md)). | Escalate if invites repeatedly expire before they can be used. | | Client didn’t receive the email | Email delivery failed or went to spam/junk. | Copy the invite link from the success screen and send it another way. Ask them to check spam/junk. | Escalate if multiple clients aren’t receiving invites (email delivery issue). | | Client can’t see what they expect | They are scoped to the wrong companies, or the jobs are not completed. | Confirm the correct companies were selected. Confirm the work is actually completed. | Escalate if the work is completed and scoped correctly but still missing. | | You don’t see “Invite client user” | You don’t have permission to manage users. | Ask an admin/office user to send the invite. | Escalate to an admin to update your access. |
Change alignment notes
- Confirmed in system behavior: inviting a client user creates a login by email with company scoping required.
- Confirmed in system behavior: client users “only see completed jobs and map captures for the selected companies.”
- Confirmed in system behavior: invite links expire after 7 days.