Time estimate:
5 minutes
Difficulty:
Easy
Introduction
Do you have an older smartphone laying around that's not being used? Does your business have a shared employee tablet sitting next to the register? Installing Numa on shared devices is a great way to provide access to any employee who might not otherwise install Numa on their personal phone.
It's a common misconception that Numa can only be installed on individual's phones or that Numa only works on devices that themselves have cell service or a phone number. Numa works great on any device that has internet access, including WiFi-only devices.
Approaches for setting up shared devices
This article describes two recommended approaches for incorporating shared devices into your Numa Messaging account.
Approach #1: Invite each shared device as a new user
This is the most common approach and is appropriate for most businesses.
Pros:
- Easy to set up
- Once set up, nobody has to log in or out. The device is always ready to use
Cons:
- Can't track which employee sends each message -- all employees will be messaging from a shared account
- Requires you to have an extra unused email address you can assign to the device
Steps:
- Within Numa, go to Set up Numa > Manage Staff (requires manager permissions)
- Create a new user with a memorable name (e.g. "Company iPad") and an unused email address
- Check the email address you provided for an invitation to create a password and join Numa
- Download the Numa app onto the shared device
- Use the email address and password you created to sign in to Numa on the shared device. Done!
Approach #2: Employees log in and out of the shared device using their own accounts
This approach is appropriate for businesses that need a higher level of tracking over which employees are responding to which messages.
Pros:
- Can easily track which employee sent each message or handled each conversation
- When signed in, each employee gets their own familiar view of their inbox, settings, and available permissions
Cons:
- Employees have to be diligent about remembering to log in and out on the shared device
- Switching accounts can become tedious if multiple employees are sharing the device during one shift
Steps:
- Download the Numa app onto the shared device
- When an employee wants to use Numa on the shared device, they simply sign in to their individual Numa account
- When the employee is done using Numa for the day, or it's time for another employee to use Numa, they sign out