# Understanding User Roles

> Easy!Appointments supports multiple user roles, each with different levels of access and responsibilities within the system.

Source: https://easyappointments.org/documentation/understanding-user-roles/

Easy!Appointments supports multiple user roles, each with different levels of access and responsibilities within the system. This structure helps you manage your business securely and efficiently.

### Available User Roles

There are four user roles in Easy!Appointments:

### 1\. **Administrator**

**Access Level**: Full system access.

**Typical Use Case**: Business owners, system managers, or IT administrators.

**Permissions**:

-   Manage all users (admins, staff, customers).
-   Configure system settings.
-   Create and manage services, providers, and other resources.
-   View and edit all appointments.
-   Enable/disable integrations (e.g., Google Calendar Sync).

> Administrators can perform any action within the application and should be assigned carefully.

### 2\. **Provider**

**Access Level**: Limited to their own appointments and availability.

**Typical Use Case**: Service providers, such as employees or freelancers.

**Permissions**:

-   Manage personal availability schedule.
-   View and manage own appointments.
-   Sync with personal Google Calendar (if enabled).
-   Access customer contact information. Providers see all customers unless **Limit Customer Access** is enabled, in which case only customers they have an appointment with.
-   Cannot access system settings or modify other staff users.

> Providers cannot make system-wide changes or view other staff calendars by default.

### 3\. **Customer**

**Access Level**: Appointment booking only.

**Typical Use Case**: Clients or patients who book services through your website.

**Permissions**:

-   Book, view, and cancel appointments online.
-   Receive email notifications when an appointment is booked, changed or cancelled.
-   Manage personal information through the booking form.
-   No access to the backend system or staff calendars.

> Customers do not need a login account and their email address is not verified during booking. They are identified by the details they enter on the booking form, and they can change or cancel an appointment through the link in their confirmation email.

### 4\. **Secretary**

**Access Level**: Multi-Provider system access.

**Typical Use Case**: Business managers, receptionists, support members etc.

**Permissions**:

-   View and edit appointments of their assigned providers only (one or multiple).
-   Add unavailabilities to the calendars of their assigned providers.
-   View and manage customers (only those with an appointment with their providers, if **Limit Customer Access** is enabled).

> Secretaries cannot manage provider accounts or working plans, and cannot access or update any system settings.

### Summary Table

| Role | Can Book | Can Edit Appointments | Access Settings | View All Appointments | Sync Calendar |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Administrator | Yes | Yes (all) | Yes | Yes | Optional |
| Provider | Yes | Yes (own) | No | No | Optional |
| Customer | Yes | Yes (own) | No | No | No |
| Secretary | Yes | Yes (assigned providers) | No | No | Optional |

### Notes

-   Roles are assigned during user creation and cannot be changed later. To give someone a different role, create a new user with that role.
-   It is not possible to assign multiple roles to a single user.
-   Customers are created automatically during the booking process, or manually by a backend user.