How do I set up accounting software for my team?

Start by mapping your accounting workflows, chart of accounts, and team structure. Define who needs access to what data, and identify the key financial periods to import. Use Chatref’s onboarding to deliver a step-by-step setup playbook. The AI agent can field early questions about software features, reducing the support load on your lead accountant before day one.

Open the user management panel in your accounting software. Create roles based on duties: bookkeeper, staff accountant, manager, auditor. Limit permissions to only the necessary ledgers and reports. If you receive questions about what each role can edit, point the team to a Chatref AI agent trained on your internal security policy. The shared inbox lets a senior team member review and approve access requests in real time.

Prepare CSV exports from your previous system, clean up duplicate entries, and map the data fields to the new software’s format. Schedule a migration check-in in the shared inbox so the whole accounting team can flag discrepancies. A Chatref custom action can pre-fill import templates or pull validation rules from your data governance docs, speeding up the review loop.

Your accounting software rarely works in isolation. Connect it to payroll, expense management, and banking feeds. For any tool that requires manual steps, build a custom action in Chatref to trigger API calls or generate guided instructions. This turns the AI agent into a bridge for the team: ask “How do I sync payroll?” and the agent executes the routine or walks someone through it, keeping the team aligned.

Schedule short live sessions, but don’t rely on them alone. Deploy a Chatref AI agent loaded with your software’s help center, internal SOPs, and training videos. The agent handles after-hours questions so teammates get answers without waiting. When a question needs human input, it drops into the shared inbox with full context, so your power users can step in without starting from scratch.

How to add team members in accounting software?

Navigate to Settings > Users > Invite, enter the email address, and assign a role. After the invitation is accepted, verify they can see only the relevant modules. With Chatref, you can build a custom action that adds a user via the accounting software’s API, letting the team invite colleagues directly from the shared inbox without switching tabs.

What permissions should I set for my team?

Start with role-based access: bookkeepers get write access to day-to-day transactions, managers can approve journals, and auditors have read-only access to reports. Restrict sensitive features like payroll or tax filings to a few administrators. If you're unsure, Chatref’s AI agent can check your internal policy documentation and recommend the correct permission set for each job title.

Can I customize the dashboard for my team?

Yes, most accounting platforms let you add, remove, or rearrange widgets on the dashboard. Pin the metrics your team needs most: cash balance, overdue invoices, expense trends. While Chatref doesn’t modify your accounting dashboard directly, you can embed the Chatref widget alongside it so the team can quickly search setup guides or log setup questions without leaving the page.

How do I track team activity in the software?

Use the audit log or activity feed in your accounting system to see logins, record changes, and report exports. Pair this with Chatref’s conversation insights to understand what setup questions arise repeatedly. The shared inbox also gives you a visible timeline of when support tickets were opened and resolved, giving you a full picture of team activity during the setup phase.