Allowing a client to approve timesheets and expense sheets

You can allow representatives of a client to approve the time and expenses that members of your organization submit against that client's projects. A client representative can log in to Replicon just like any other user, but their access is limited to approving their own project data only.

This feature is useful if you want clients to approve project hours before billing, when they can be easily corrected.

Adding a client representative

Administrators add client representatives to the system, as outlined in this section.

Then, project managers carry out the remaining setup steps outlined later on this page.

To add a client representative:

1. Ensure a Client Representative permission set is available and its permissions meet your requirements.
2. Create a user and assign them the Client Representative permission set.

3. Optionally, assign the client rep notifications so they know when a timesheet is awaiting their approval.

4. Include a Client Representative role in approval paths assigned to that client's projects' teams.

Assigning a client representative to a client

To assign a client representative to a client in Polaris:

1. Select Clients from the side menu.
2. From the List tab, choose the name of the client you want to assign a rep to.
3. On the Summary tab, click Show Details.
4. Click the Edit button.
5. Click the icon next to Client Representatives.
6. Click the Client Representatives field, and select one or more reps to add to the client. 
7. Click Save.

The client representative you added is now available to assign to projects for that client.

Assigning a client representative to a project

To assign a client representative to a project in Replicon:

1. Select Projects from the side menu.
2. From the List tab, choose the name of the project you want to assign a rep to.
3. On the Summary tab, click Show Details.
4. Click the Edit button.
5. Click the icon next to Clients.
6. Click the Client Representative field, and select a rep to add to the project. 
7. Click Save.

The selected client representative will now be sent hours entered against that project to approve provided Client Representative is included in the approval path assigned to the project’s resources.

FAQs

Can we assign other permissions or roles to a client representative?

No, it is not a good idea to assign a client rep additional roles and permissions. The purpose of the client representative role is to grant access to that client's projects only, for approval purposes. This type of user should not have access to any other data in a customer's system.

You should also not assign client reps report access, since reports will show data for all projects and clients, not just that client's data.

Can we assign a client rep approver for multi-client projects?

No, client rep approvers don't work with cost allocation or bucket projects.

Will the client representative see the entire timesheet or expense sheet when approving?

They can only see data entered against projects to which they are assigned. You can update their permission set, choosing whether they can view billing info in timesheets, or if they can only view billable items in expense sheets.

Can we add client representatives to the project team? Can they act as project managers?

This type of user cannot be added to project teams and cannot be assigned as project managers, unless you give them other project permissions.

Does it cost extra to give a client representative access to Replicon?

Consult your Replicon sales rep for pricing details.