Groups, Tags or Roles: Which One to Use

You want to sort people into sets, and NextCrew gives you three ways to do it. Pick the wrong one and nothing happens, or too much does.

That's the right tool picked. Everything below is for when you want examples, or when the one you picked isn't doing what you expected.

The short answer

Which one for what you want

Tags: labels for finding things

• A tag is a short label on a Crew Member, client or job. Each tag belongs to one record type, so a Crew Member tag won't show on a client.
• Add one on the record: for a Crew Member, open the Overview tab, click Add in Tags, choose a tag or type a new one, and click the check mark.
• Tags show on the Crew Members list, and you can filter by them. When you send a message, the Tag filter picks everyone with that tag.
• Tags don't change any behavior. Nobody is notified, blocked or given access because of a tag.
• Creating tags needs the permission Allow User to Create or Update Tags. Admins can edit and delete tags in Settings › Code Tables › Tags.
• Agree a few rules as a team, such as lowercase and one word or dashed words, so you don't end up with the same tag spelled two ways.

See Tag Records So You Can Find Them Later.

Groups: sets of people NextCrew treats a certain way

• A group is a named set of people. It can hold office users, Crew Members, or both.
• Each group has three switches. Turn on only the ones the group needs.
• Do Not Notify: members get no NextCrew emails.
• Allow Double Booking: members can be booked on jobs with overlapping times.
• Share Messages: members can see messages posted by the group's users, but not the member list.
• A group can also carry its own permissions, for records and fields on Settings › Permissions › Group, and for screens and actions on Settings › Permissions › System › Group Permissions.
• Changes to a switch apply to every member straight away.
• Only put Crew Members in a group with Share Messages on if you want them to see those messages.

See Set Up Groups.

Admin Roles: who handles what for a client

• Admin Roles are a list in Code Tables that says who handles what for a client, such as an account manager or the person who handles invoicing.
• You add roles to a person under Roles on their user record, in Settings › Company Profile › Admin Users.
• A role on its own doesn't grant access. It can carry permissions you set for it in Settings › Permissions, so you can give everyone with that role the same access at once.

See Lookup Tables (Code Tables): Start Here and Add an Office User.

Where it usually breaks

• A tag is added and someone expects NextCrew to act on it, such as stopping emails. Tags only help you find people.
• A group is set up just to find people, with no switches on. A tag does that job with less setup.
• Crew Members are added to a group with Share Messages on, and start seeing your team's messages.
• Someone is put in a Do Not Notify group for one reason and then misses their job emails.
• The same tag is spelled two ways, so a filter finds only half the people.
• A role is given to someone and everyone assumes it changed their access. It didn't, unless permissions are set for that role.

Using more than one

They work side by side. One Crew Member can have several tags and be in a group. One office user can have a role and be in groups. When a role, a group and a person each have permissions, the most specific one wins, in this order: Global, Role, Location, Group, User. See Control What Each Person Can See and Do: Permissions.

A worked example

An agency sorts out its setup. An example, not a real agency.

• Bilingual Crew. The team tags Crew Members "bilingual" on their Overview tab, and filters on it when a client asks.
• Test accounts. A few test logins kept getting job emails. The admin adds them to a group with Do Not Notify on.
• The scheduling team. The admin sets up a group with Share Messages on for the three schedulers, so they can cover for each other. No Crew Members are in it.
• Account managers. Each account manager gets the Account Manager role on their user record. The admin then denies Rate Markup to the role in Settings › Permissions.

You're set up when…

• ☐ Your team knows a tag is for finding, and a group is for changing how NextCrew behaves.
• ☐ You have agreed tag rules, and no tag is spelled two ways.
• ☐ Every group has a clear name and description, and only the switches it needs.
• ☐ No Crew Members are in a group with Share Messages on unless you mean it.
• ☐ Office users have the roles that match what they handle.
• ☐ Any access tied to a role or group is set in Settings › Permissions, and tested.

If something isn't working

Questions people ask

Can a tag stop someone being notified? No. Tags only help you find and filter. Use a group with Do Not Notify on.

Can I use a tag on a client or a job? Yes. Tags work on Crew Members, clients and jobs. Each tag belongs to one of those record types.

Can a Crew Member be in a group? Yes. Groups can hold office users, Crew Members, or both.

Does an Admin Role control what someone can see? Only if you set permissions for that role. On its own it's a label for what they handle.

Can a group have its own permissions? Yes. Set them on the Group tab, and under System › Group Permissions, in Settings › Permissions.

Who can create tags? Anyone, unless your admin has turned it off. It's the Allow User to Create or Update Tags permission.

Other ways people ask this

• What's the difference between a tag and a group?
• How do I label Crew Members so I can find them?
• How do I stop emails going to some users?
• How do I let a Crew Member work two jobs at once?
• What are Admin Roles for?
• Should I use a group or a role for permissions?

Related guides

• Tag Records So You Can Find Them Later · Set Up Groups · Add an Office User
• Lookup Tables (Code Tables): Start Here · Control What Each Person Can See and Do: Permissions · Everyday Tools: Start Here