Overview

Roles control what users can see and do in BScheduler. While BScheduler includes three default roles (Administrator, CSR, and Field User), you can create custom roles with specific permission combinations that match your organization's unique needs.

This guide shows you how to create new roles, configure permissions, and manage role-based access control.

Before You Begin

Required Permission: Administrator

Understanding Roles:

• Roles are templates of permissions
• Users are assigned one or more roles
• If a user has multiple roles, they get the highest permission from any role
• Changing a role affects all users assigned to that role

When to Create Custom Roles:

• You need permission combinations not covered by default roles
• You want specialized access (e.g., view-only, scheduling-only, reports-only)
• You need branch-specific administrators
• You want managers to have broader visibility without full admin access

Default Roles Overview

BScheduler includes three pre-configured roles:

Administrator

• Full system access
• Can manage users, roles, and settings
• Can view/edit all appointments across all branches
• Can configure integrations

CSR (Customer Service Representative)

• Create/edit/delete appointments
• Manage customers
• Access assigned branches
• Cannot access system administration

Field User (Technician/Clinician/Specialist)

• View own schedule and assigned branch schedules
• Create/edit own appointments
• Limited editing on other users' appointments
• Cannot delete appointments (default)
• Cannot access the system administration

Note: You cannot edit or delete default roles, but you can create custom roles based on them.

Creating a New Role

Step 1: Access Role Management

1. Log in to BScheduler as an Administrator
2. Click Administration in the main navigation
3. Select User Settings
4. Click Roles

You'll see the Roles page displaying all existing roles with their creation dates.

Step 2: Create New Role

1. Click + Create new role button (top right)

The "Create new role" window opens with two tabs:

• Role name
• Permissions

Step 3: Name Your Role

On the Role name tab:

Role name * (Required)

• Enter a descriptive name for the role
• Use title case (e.g., "Branch Manager" not "branch manager")
• Be specific about the role's purpose

Examples of good role names:

• "View Only Manager"
• "Scheduler"
• "Branch Administrator"
• "Reports User"
• "Weekend Dispatcher"
• "Lead Technician"

Default Checkbox:

• ☐ Default - Check this if you want new users to automatically receive this role
• Most organizations leave this unchecked

Warning Message: You'll see: "If you are changing your own permissions, you may need to refresh the page (F5) to see the effect of permission changes on your own screen."

This reminds you that permission changes to your own role require a browser refresh to take effect.

Step 4: Configure Permissions

Click the Permissions tab to set what this role can do.

You'll see a hierarchical list of all modules and their available permissions.

Understanding Permission Types

Each module can have different permission types:

View - Can see the page and data Create - Can add new records Edit - Can modify existing records Delete - Can remove records Export - Can download/export data

Not all modules have all permission types. Each module shows only relevant permissions.

Step 5: Select Permissions by Module

Expand each module to see its available permissions:

Scheduler Permissions

Expand 📂 Scheduler to see:

• ☐ View
• ☐ Create
• ☐ Edit
• ☐ Delete
• ☐ Export

Check the appropriate boxes:

For a full scheduler role: Check all boxes

For view-only access: Check only "View"

For scheduling-only (no delete): Check View, Create, Edit, Export (leave Delete unchecked)

Grid Permissions

The Grid view shows appointment data in table format.

Available permissions:

• ☐ View
• ☐ Export

Typically: Grant View if user has Scheduler View, grant Export if needed for reports

Custom Filters Permissions

Control who can create and manage custom appointment filters.

Available permissions:

• ☐ Create
• ☐ Edit
• ☐ Delete

Typically: Grant all three if you want users creating their own filters

Customers Permissions

Control access to customer/patient/company management.

Available permissions:

• ☐ View
• ☐ Create

Note: Full Edit permissions may be in "Customer addresses" module

Typically:

• Grant View to everyone who schedules
• Grant Create to those who should add new customers

Customer Addresses Permissions

Control who can edit customer address information.

Available permissions:

• ☐ Create
• ☐ Edit

Typically: Grant to roles that manage customer information

Repair Orders Permissions

(Heavy-Duty/Karmak integration - may show as "Work Orders" or similar based on your entity name customization)

Available permissions:

• ☐ View
• ☐ Export

Typically: Grant View to scheduler roles, Export to those who need reporting

Holidays Permissions

Control access to the company holiday calendar.

Available permissions:

• ☐ View

Typically: Grant View to all scheduling roles so they see blocked days

Address Types Permissions

Control who can create/modify address type categories.

Available permissions:

• ☐ Create
• ☐ Edit

Typically: Grant only to admin roles or CSR roles that manage settings

Administration Permissions

Control access to all administrative settings and configurations.

Available permissions:

• ☐ Administration (master toggle for admin access)

Important:

• Only check this for true administrator roles
• This grants access to ALL system settings
• Most custom roles should leave this UNCHECKED

Step 6: Review Permission Summary

After selecting permissions, review your choices:

Checklist:

• ✅ Has this role been given appropriate scheduler access?
• ✅ Can this role create customers if they need to?
• ✅ Does this role have export permissions if needed for their job?
• ✅ Have I avoided giving unnecessary administrative access?
• ✅ Does this match the job function I'm creating this role for?

Step 7: Save the Role

1. Review both tabs (Role name and Permissions)
2. Click Save
3. Success message appears: "Successfully saved"
4. New role appears in your roles list

The role is now available to assign to users.

Common Custom Role Examples

Example 1: View-Only Manager

Use Case: Managers who need to see all schedules but not make changes

Permissions:

• ✅ Scheduler: View, Export
• ✅ Grid: View, Export
• ✅ Customers: View
• ✅ Repair Orders: View, Export
• ✅ Holidays: View
• ❌ No Create, Edit, or Delete permissions
• ❌ No Administration access

Example 2: Scheduler (No Delete)

Use Case: Dedicated schedulers who create and manage appointments but shouldn't delete them

Permissions:

• ✅ Scheduler: View, Create, Edit, Export (no Delete)
• ✅ Grid: View, Export
• ✅ Custom Filters: Create, Edit, Delete
• ✅ Customers: View, Create
• ✅ Customer addresses: Create, Edit
• ✅ Repair Orders: View
• ✅ Holidays: View
• ✅ Address Types: Create, Edit
• ❌ No Administration access

Example 3: Branch Administrator

Use Case: Location managers who need admin rights for their branch but not system-wide access

Permissions:

• ✅ Scheduler: View, Create, Edit, Delete, Export
• ✅ Grid: View, Export
• ✅ Custom Filters: Create, Edit, Delete
• ✅ Customers: View, Create
• ✅ Customer addresses: Create, Edit
• ✅ Repair Orders: View, Export
• ✅ Holidays: View
• ✅ Address Types: Create, Edit
• ⚠️ Limited Administration access (may require user assignment restrictions)

Note: Pair with branch-only user assignment to limit scope

Example 4: Reports User

Use Case: Staff who need to pull reports but not interact with scheduling

Permissions:

• ✅ Scheduler: View, Export
• ✅ Grid: View, Export
• ✅ Customers: View
• ✅ Repair Orders: View, Export
• ❌ No Create, Edit, or Delete permissions
• ❌ No Administration access

Example 5: Lead Technician

Use Case: Senior field users who can manage others' appointments in their branch

Permissions:

• ✅ Scheduler: View, Create, Edit, Export (possibly Delete)
• ✅ Grid: View, Export
• ✅ Custom Filters: Create, Edit, Delete
• ✅ Customers: View, Create
• ✅ Customer addresses: Create
• ✅ Repair Orders: View, Export
• ✅ Holidays: View
• ✅ Address Types: Create
• ❌ No Administration access

Note: More permissions than standard Field User but less than CSR

Managing Existing Roles

Viewing Role Details

From the Roles page:

1. Click on any role name to view its configuration
2. Review both Role name and the Permissions tabs
3. See which permissions are currently assigned

Editing a Role

To modify an existing custom role:

1. Navigate to Administration > User Settings > Roles
2. Click on the role you want to edit
3. Modify the Role name or Permissions as needed
4. Click Save

Important: Changes affect ALL users assigned to this role immediately

Before editing a role:

• Consider how many users have this role
• Think about whether a new role might be better
• Communicate changes to affected users
• Test in a non-production environment if possible

Deleting a Role

To remove a custom role:

Important: You CANNOT delete default roles (Administrator, CSR, Field User)

1. Navigate to Administration > User Settings > Roles
2. Locate the custom role you want to delete
3. Click the delete option (typically a trash icon or delete button)
4. Confirm deletion

Before deleting a role:

• ✅ Verify no users are currently assigned to this role
• ✅ Reassign users to different roles first
• ✅ Consider deactivating the role instead if you might need it later

Copying a Role

BScheduler may not have a built-in "copy" feature. To duplicate a role:

1. Create a new role with a similar name
2. Manually configure permissions to match the original
3. Make modifications as needed
4. Save the new role

Use case: Creating variations of existing roles (e.g., "CSR - Limited" based on "CSR")

Permission Strategy Best Practices

Principle of Least Privilege

Grant the minimum permissions necessary for each role to perform their job:

✅ Start restrictive - Begin with fewer permissions ✅ Add as needed - Grant additional permissions when requested with justification ✅ Review regularly - Quarterly review of role permissions

❌ Don't - Give everyone Administrator access "just to be safe" ❌ Don't - Grant permissions "in case they need it someday"

Role Naming Conventions

Use clear, descriptive names:

✅ Good Examples:

• "Scheduler - No Delete"
• "View Only Manager"
• "Cincinnati Branch Admin"
• "Weekend Dispatcher"
• "Reports User"

❌ Poor Examples:

• "Role1"
• "New Role"
• "Test"
• "Special"
• "Other"

Testing New Roles

Before assigning a new role to users:

1. Create a test user account
2. Assign only the new role
3. Log in as the test user
4. Verify:
   • ✅ Can access expected pages
   • ✅ Can perform expected actions
   • ✅ Cannot access restricted areas
   • ✅ Cannot perform restricted actions
5. Adjust permissions if needed
6. Delete or deactivate test user

Troubleshooting Role Issues

User Can't See Expected Features

Check:

• ✅ Is user assigned to the correct role?
• ✅ Does the role have appropriate permissions?
• ✅ Has user refreshed their browser after role changes?
• ✅ If user has multiple roles, are permissions conflicting?

Resolution:

• Review role permissions in Roles management
• Verify user's role assignments in User Management
• Ask user to log out and log back in
• Check if permissions need adjustment

User Has Too Much Access

Check:

• ✅ Does user have multiple roles assigned?
• ✅ Is one role granting more permissions than intended?
• ✅ Was Administrator role accidentally assigned?

Resolution:

• Review user's assigned roles
• Remove unnecessary roles
• Create more restrictive custom role if needed

Permission Changes Not Taking Effect

Common Causes:

• User needs to refresh browser (press F5)
• User needs to log out and log back in
• Browser cache needs clearing
• Session timeout needed

Resolution:

1. Have user refresh browser
2. If that doesn't work, have them log out and back in
3. If still not working, clear browser cache
4. Wait 5 minutes and try again

Role Deleted but Users Still Have Access

This should not happen. If it does:

1. Navigate to User Management
2. Find affected users
3. Remove the deleted role from their assignments
4. Assign appropriate replacement role
5. Contact BScheduler support if issue persists

Multiple Roles Behavior

How Multiple Roles Work

When a user has more than one role assigned:

• User receives the highest permission from any role
• Permissions are additive, not restrictive
• If ANY role grants "Delete," user can delete

Example:

User assigned both "View Only Manager" and "CSR" roles:
- View Only Manager grants: View, Export only
- CSR grants: View, Create, Edit, Delete, Export
- User effectively has: View, Create, Edit, Delete, Export

When to Use Multiple Roles

Generally: Most users should have only ONE role

Valid use cases for multiple roles:

• Temporary elevated permissions (add second role temporarily)
• Transitional periods (training on new role while keeping old)
• Complex organizations with matrix management

Better approach: Create a custom role that combines needed permissions

Advanced Permission Scenarios

Branch-Specific Permissions

BScheduler roles are system-wide, but access is controlled by branch assignment:

To create branch-limited access:

1. Create a role with appropriate permissions
2. Assign user to that role
3. Assign user ONLY to specific branch(es)
4. User has role permissions within assigned branches only

Example:

• Create "Branch Admin" role (full scheduler permissions)
• Assign to user
• Assign user only to "Cincinnati Branch"
• User has admin rights for Cincinnati only, can't see other branches

Related Articles

• Understanding User Roles and Permissions
• Creating and Managing Users
• Assigning Branch Access
• Security Best Practices

Need Help?

If you have questions about roles and permissions or need assistance creating custom roles:

Email: support@bluetread.com