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Roles and permissions

FSM Navigator uses role-based access control to keep your data safe and your team focused. Each user can be assigned one or more roles that determine what they can see and do throughout the platform.

Permissions reference

The table below summarizes the key permissions for each core role.

Permission Owner Dispatcher Technician
View all jobs ✅ ✅ Own only
Create jobs ✅ ✅ —
Assign technicians ✅ ✅ —
View all customers ✅ ✅ Assigned only
Manage customers ✅ ✅ —
Create invoices ✅ — —
View financial reports ✅ — —
Manage team members ✅ — —
Invite new users ✅ ✅ —
Company settings ✅ — —
Billing & subscription ✅ — —
Update job status ✅ ✅ ✅
Add job photos ✅ ✅ ✅
Job chat ✅ ✅ ✅
View KPI dashboard ✅ — —

Role descriptions

Owner

The Owner has full administrative access to every part of FSM Navigator. Owners manage billing, team members, company settings, and reporting. Every account must have at least one Owner — you cannot remove or demote the last Owner.

Typical users: business owner, general manager, operations director.

Key capabilities:

  • Create, edit, and delete jobs
  • Manage customers and locations
  • Generate, send, and track invoices
  • View financial reports and the KPI dashboard
  • Invite, deactivate, and manage all team members
  • Change subscription plans and billing details
  • Configure company settings (business hours, branding, integrations)
  • Access all data across the entire account

Example

Jane Smith, the owner of Acme HVAC, uses the Owner role to review weekly revenue reports, adjust technician schedules, and manage the company's subscription.

Dispatcher

The Dispatcher is your operations coordinator. Dispatchers create and assign jobs, manage the daily schedule, and communicate with technicians in the field — but they cannot access billing, company settings, or financial data.

Typical users: office manager, scheduler, operations coordinator.

Key capabilities:

  • Create, edit, and assign jobs
  • Manage customers and locations
  • Invite Dispatchers and Technicians
  • View and update the schedule
  • Communicate with technicians via job chat
  • View job history and status updates

Example

Mike Johnson, a Dispatcher at Acme HVAC, creates a new job each morning, assigns it to the nearest available technician, and monitors progress throughout the day.

Technician

The Technician is your field worker. Technicians view and complete their assigned jobs, update statuses, and add photos and notes. They cannot create jobs, access other technicians' work, or view admin features.

Typical users: service technician, installer, maintenance worker.

Key capabilities:

  • View assigned jobs and job details
  • Update job status (e.g., In Progress, Completed)
  • Add photos, notes, and time entries
  • Participate in job chat
  • Access the mobile app for on-the-go updates

Example

A Technician at Acme HVAC opens the mobile app, sees their next assigned job, drives to the location, updates the job status to In Progress, attaches before-and-after photos, and marks it Completed once finished.

Specialized roles

These roles add focused access for team members with specialized responsibilities. Plan availability varies — see each role below.

  • Manager (Pro and Enterprise) — Read-only oversight across jobs, the KPI dashboard, reports, and audit logs. Manager can invite Dispatchers, Technicians, and Inventory Managers, but cannot create, edit, or assign jobs themselves — those operations stay with Owner and Dispatcher. Cannot access company settings, billing, inventory, or assets.
  • Inventory Manager (Enterprise) — Manages parts, warehouses, stock levels, and purchase orders. Cannot access billing or company settings.
  • Asset Manager (Enterprise) — Tracks company equipment, maintenance schedules, warranty information, and depreciation. Cannot access billing or company settings.

When to use the Manager role

A regional operations director at a multi-site service company gets the Manager role so they can review the team's KPIs, watch the dispatch board, audit recent activity, and onboard new team members — without being able to change job assignments, edit records, or modify company settings.

Role assignment rules

  • Each user can be assigned one or more roles — for example, a user can hold both the Dispatcher and Inventory Manager roles.
  • Roles are assigned when you invite a user and can be changed later by an Owner.
  • Role changes take effect immediately — the user's menu, dashboards, and available actions update on their next page load.
  • You cannot remove the last Owner. At least one Owner must exist on every account.
  • Only Owners can promote another user to the Owner role.

Frequently asked questions

Can a user have multiple roles?

Yes. A user can be assigned more than one role. For example, a team member could hold both the Dispatcher and Inventory Manager roles, giving them the combined permissions of both.

What happens if I change someone's role?

The change takes effect immediately. The user gains the permissions of their new role and loses any permissions exclusive to their old role. Their existing data (jobs, notes, photos) is not affected.

Who can see financial data?

Only Owners can view invoices, payment records, financial reports, and the KPI dashboard. Dispatchers and Technicians do not have access to any financial information.