Admin Guide
Admin Guide Overview
The admin role in the SONAN DIGITAL CRM provides full access to all modules — from lead management and client records to invoicing, contracts, reporting, and team settings. This guide is your central reference for everything available to you as an admin.
The admin role applies to agency owners, account managers, project managers, and anyone responsible for managing clients, revenue, or team members. Admins can view and edit all records across the tenant.
Full List of Admin Modules
| Module | Purpose | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Dashboard | Overview of KPIs, activity, notifications | Admin Guide |
| Leads | Capture, qualify, and convert prospective clients | Leads |
| Clients | Manage client records, contacts, and portal access | Clients |
| Proposals | Draft, send, and track client proposals | Proposals |
| Contracts | Create and send e-signature contracts | Contracts |
| Invoices | Raise, send, track, and reconcile invoices | Invoices |
| Projects | Create and manage projects, tasks, and team assignments | Employee guide: Projects |
| Support Tickets | Manage all client support tickets across the team | Support Tickets |
| Reports | Revenue and time log reporting | Reports |
| Documents | Upload and share documents with clients | Documents |
| Deployment Artifacts | Track project deployments and live URLs | Deployment Artifacts |
| Client Cost Tracking | Internal ledger of client-related costs | Client Cost Tracking |
| Settings | Company info, team, integrations, billing | Settings |
Quick Reference: Admin vs Employee Access
| Capability | Admin | Employee |
|---|---|---|
| View all clients | Yes | No |
| Create/edit leads | Yes | No |
| Send proposals & contracts | Yes | No |
| Raise and manage invoices | Yes | No |
| View all projects | Yes | Assigned only |
| Assign tasks to employees | Yes | No |
| View all time logs | Yes | Own only |
| Access reports | Yes | No |
| Manage team members | Yes | No |
| Upload documents | Yes | No |
| Configure settings | Yes | No |
Getting Started as an Admin
If you are new to the admin role, work through these guides in order:
- Admin Dashboard & Navigation — understand the layout and quick actions
- Leads — set up your lead capture and qualification process
- Clients — learn how to create and manage client records
- Proposals — send your first proposal
- Contracts — send your first contract for e-signature
- Invoices — raise your first invoice and connect Stripe
- Reports — pull your first revenue and time report
- Settings — configure company branding and integrations
Related Guides
- Employee Portal Overview — understand what your team sees
- Internal Workflows — end-to-end process flows
Admin Dashboard & Navigation
The admin dashboard is your command centre for the CRM. This guide explains the layout, navigation, and key UI elements you will use every day.
Dashboard Overview
When you log in as an admin, you land on the Dashboard. It provides an at-a-glance view of the state of your business:
| Panel | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Revenue Summary | Total invoiced, total paid, and outstanding for the current month |
| Open Leads | Count of leads in new and contacted status |
| Active Projects | Count of projects currently in Active status |
| Open Support Tickets | Count of unresolved tickets across all clients |
| Recent Activity | A chronological feed of key events (new lead, invoice paid, ticket opened, etc.) |
| Upcoming Invoices | Invoices with due dates in the next 14 days |
The dashboard is designed for a quick morning review. Spend 2–3 minutes here each day to catch anything that needs immediate action: overdue invoices, urgent tickets, or new leads.
Navigation Sidebar
The left sidebar is your primary navigation. It is always visible on desktop and collapses to a hamburger menu on mobile.
Sidebar sections
Client Management
| Item | Module |
|---|---|
| Leads | Lead pipeline |
| Clients | Client records and contacts |
| Proposals | Client proposals |
| Contracts | E-signature contracts |
| Invoices | Billing and payments |
| Documents | File uploads |
Operations
| Item | Module |
|---|---|
| Projects | All projects and tasks |
| Support | All support tickets |
| Time Logs | Team time tracking |
| Cost Tracking | Client cost ledger |
| Reports | Revenue and time reports |
Settings & Admin
| Item | Module |
|---|---|
| Settings | Company, team, integrations |
| Employees | Team management |
Notification Bell
The bell icon in the top-right corner is your notification centre. A red badge shows the count of unread notifications.
Notification types
| Type | Trigger |
|---|---|
new_lead |
A new lead is submitted via the website or manually created |
invoice_paid |
A client pays an invoice (manual or Stripe) |
contract_signed |
A client signs a contract via the portal |
contract_declined |
A client declines a contract |
proposal_approved |
A client approves a proposal |
proposal_declined |
A client declines a proposal |
support_reply |
A client replies to a support ticket |
Managing notifications
- Click any notification to navigate directly to the related record.
- Click Mark all as read at the top of the panel to clear the badge.
- Notifications that are older than 90 days are automatically archived.
Some notifications (e.g. new_lead) are broadcast to all admins in the tenant. Others (e.g. a support ticket reply) are sent to the assigned employee only.
Settings Access
Click Settings at the bottom of the left sidebar to access the settings module. From here you can manage:
- Company information and branding
- Team members and roles
- Email (Resend) configuration
- Stripe payment integration
- Notification preferences
See the Settings guide for full details.
Quick Actions
Several modules have a + New button or floating action button (FAB) for creating records quickly without navigating to the full module first:
| Quick Action | Location |
|---|---|
| + New Lead | Leads page header |
| + New Client | Clients page header |
| + New Proposal | Proposals page header |
| + New Contract | Contracts page header |
| + New Invoice | Invoices page header |
| + Upload Document | Client detail → Documents tab |
| + Log Time | Time Logs page header |
Search
The global search bar in the top bar searches across:
- Client names
- Lead names
- Invoice numbers
- Project names
- Support ticket subjects
Click a result to navigate directly to that record. Search is live — results appear as you type after 2 or more characters.
Instead of navigating through the sidebar to find a specific client, use search. Type the first few letters of the client name and click the result. It is usually faster than using the sidebar for known records.
Multi-Tenant Note
If your organisation operates multiple tenants (e.g. separate brands or business units), you may see a tenant switcher in the top bar next to your avatar. Switching tenants changes which data set you are viewing and editing — all records, clients, and settings are isolated per tenant.
Data does not cross tenant boundaries. A client record in Tenant A is not visible when you are logged into Tenant B. Always confirm which tenant you are viewing before making changes.
Mobile Responsiveness
The CRM is fully responsive and works on tablets and smartphones. On mobile:
- The left sidebar collapses — tap the hamburger menu (☰) to expand it
- Dashboard panels stack vertically
- Tables become horizontally scrollable
- Action buttons remain accessible in the page header
While mobile works for checking statuses and notifications, complex tasks like building proposals with line items or uploading documents are more comfortable on a desktop or laptop browser.