A well-defined role structure is essential for maintaining clarity, security, and efficiency within any organization. In a CRM system, roles determine how users interact with data, what actions they can perform, and where they fit within the organization’s reporting structure. Horilla CRM provides a powerful and intuitive Role Hierarchy feature that allows administrators to organize users based on their position and responsibilities.
Using a visual hierarchy, Horilla CRM enables easy role creation, user assignment, role review, and secure deletion. This blog explains how to manage roles step by step using the Role Hierarchy feature, based on the screens shown above.
Accessing Role Hierarchy in Horilla CRM
- Click the Settings icon in the top navigation bar of Horilla CRM.
- In the left-hand sidebar, expand the Base section.
- Select Role from the menu.
- The Role Hierarchy page opens, displaying all roles in a structured, tree-like format.
- This view provides a clear overview of reporting relationships and role distribution across the organization.
Understanding the Role Hierarchy Screen
The Role Hierarchy screen visually represents the organizational structure. The highest-level role, such as CEO, appears at the top. Roles like Sales Manager, Support Manager, and Marketing Manager are displayed beneath it, indicating their reporting alignment.
Each role card shows:
- The role name
- The number of users assigned to that role
- Action icons for managing the role
This clear visualization helps administrators quickly understand how users are distributed and where adjustments may be required.
Assigning Users to a Role
Each role card includes a user icon that allows administrators to assign users to that role. Clicking this icon opens the Add User pop-up.
From this popup:
- Select one or more users from the Select user dropdown
- Click Save to confirm the assignment.
The role card updates automatically to reflect the new number of users. This makes it easy to monitor user distribution across roles.
Creating a New Role
To create a new role, click the Add Role button on the Role Hierarchy page. You can also add a role under an existing one by clicking the plus (+) icon on the respective role card.
A Create Role pop-up appears where you must:
- Enter the Role name (mandatory)
- Provide a Description explaining the purpose of the role.
After entering the details, you can:
- Click Save to create the role
- Click Save & New to add the role and immediately proceed to create another role.
Once saved, the new role is immediately added to the hierarchy in the appropriate position.
Viewing Users Assigned to a Role
To view users assigned to a specific role, click the eye (view) icon on the role card. This opens a detailed list of users under that role.
The user list includes:
- User names with profile indicators
- Selection checkboxes for bulk actions
- An Actions column for managing role assignments
- Each user row includes a delete (trash) icon that allows administrators to remove the user from the selected role without deleting the user account.
Deleting a Role: Soft Delete and Hard Delete
When you click the delete icon on a role card, Horilla CRM prompts you with a Select Delete Mode dialog. This ensures that administrators clearly understand the consequences before deleting a role.
Two deletion options are available:
Soft Delete
- Temporarily removes the role from the hierarchy
- Allows the role and its data to be restored later
- Ideal for roles that may be needed again in the future
Hard Delete
- Permanently deletes the role and its associated data.
- Cannot be undone
- Suitable for roles that are no longer required or created by mistake
This dual deletion approach offers both flexibility and data safety.
Benefits of Using Role Hierarchy in Horilla CRM
The Role Hierarchy feature provides several key advantages:
- Clear definition of organizational structure
- Simplified user and role management
- Improved access control and security
- Reduced administrative errors
- Easy visualization of reporting relationships
- Safe role lifecycle management through soft deletion
The Role Hierarchy feature in Horilla CRM plays a vital role in organizing users according to their responsibilities and reporting structure. With an intuitive interface, easy role creation, seamless user assignment, detailed user views, and flexible deletion options, administrators can manage roles efficiently as the organization grows.
By keeping the role hierarchy accurate and up to date, businesses can ensure better governance, smoother workflows, and a secure CRM environment. Proper role management ultimately strengthens the overall effectiveness of Horilla CRM.
