Best explanation of Sub-User mode vs Multi-User mode distinction?

  • Resolved beetr8t

    (@beetr8t)


    3 months, 1 week ago

    Hi, I plan to set up this plugin, but as your FAQ strongly recommends an upfront selection of either Multi-User or Sub-User mode, I want to understand the difference. I don’t spontaneously find a deeper description than this one on your main page:
    “? Sub-User mode: multiple separate accounts grouped together under one parent account (e.g. Holding Company).
    ? Multi-User mode: multiple users have access to a same master account (useful in case of Corporate Accounts).    ”

    Can you point me to a more detailed description of the distinction? To describe it clearer, could it make sense to talk about it with a distinction between the technical account (who logs in) on my platform, versus the commercial account (what department on the customer side becomes committed to pay)?

    In my case, I mainly seek to let different individuals perform orders on their company’s aggregate commercial account with us, but with that traceability of who placed each order. (We are small-scale B2B, so the functionality for their coordinator to self-service their individual user accounts is a nice bonus but not critical; it wouldn’t take much time for us to do it for them in personal calls.) At first look, my use case seems to fit your one-sentence description of the Multi-User mode. On the other hand, it seems your admin interface has a system-level switch by which all users in Sub-User mode would have their billing address (thus, commercial account) forced to be their entity’s (technically its “manager’s”). (That, too, looks like it would do the job for my use case. It seems inflexible in the sense that it excludes any possibility of any individual going with a custom billing address for any order, but in my case, I don’t foresee having any need for such flexibility anyway.)

    Can you suggest I move forward based on my assumption that a Sub-User mode setup, with forced billing address inherited from manager’s, will do the job in my case?

    The page I need help with: [log in to see the link]

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)
  • Plugin Author mediaticus

    (@mediaticus)

    Hi @beetr8t,

    Thank you for reaching out!

    The main difference between Sub-User mode and Multi-User mode can be better explained with the below example.

    Given the below account structure:

    • Manager: John Doe
      • Subaccount: Rebecca Smith

    In Sub-User mode orders placed by the subaccount Rebecca Smith are assigned to Rebecca Smith herself. However, if necessary, you (the administrator) can force Rebecca Smith’s billing/shipping addresses to be the same as those of the Manager.

    In Multi user mode instead, all orders are always tied to the parent account (Manager). Even orders placed by subaccounts are assigned to the Manager (or to the Supervisor, if the Supervisor Add-On is installed and active).

    In my case, I mainly seek to let different individuals perform orders on their company’s aggregate commercial account with us, but with that traceability of who placed each order.

    In this case I recommend enabling/using the Multi-User mode.

    This because in Multi-User mode a parent account (Manager) is more intended as a Company Account and subaccounts are intended as employees of the company (each subaccount representing a different purchasing department of the company).

    For this reason, if Multi-User mode is enabled, all orders (whether placed by the Manager or by subaccounts) are associated to the company (the parent account).

    Hope this helps.

    Thread Starter beetr8t

    (@beetr8t)

    Thank you so much, @mediaticus, for quick reply and clear advice! This will be a great enabler in our relations with our clients!
    Can I also ask you to confirm, with just a yes, that if John Doe calls in and says “Switch Rebecca and me so she’s the manager and I’m her sub”, I can switch them as he wants (obviously assuming I am on your premium plugin)?

    • This reply was modified 3 months, 1 week ago by beetr8t.
    Plugin Author mediaticus

    (@mediaticus)

    Hi @beetr8t,

    I’m glad to be of help.

    Can I also ask you to confirm, with just a yes, that if John Doe calls in and says “Switch Rebecca and me so she’s the manager and I’m her sub”, I can switch them as he wants (obviously assuming I am on your premium plugin)?

    Yes, I can confirm that it is technically possible. It can be done by the administrator from the backend user profile settings page.

    If you have any other questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to ask.

    Plugin Author mediaticus

    (@mediaticus)

    We haven’t heard from you in a while so I’m going to go ahead and mark this thread as resolved.

    If you have any other questions about the plugin, please start a new thread.

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)
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