User Types
Understand the three types of users in Helium and how their access differs.
Helium supports three distinct user types, each designed for a different audience. Understanding the differences helps you work effectively and know what to expect from your account.
Overview
| User Type | Purpose | Dashboard Access | Settings Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Admin Admin | Organisation owners and managers | Full (all sections) | Organisation & client settings |
| Company Company | Team members and staff | Role-based (via permissions) | Limited to their workflow |
| Client Client | External client users | Client portal only | Client-specific settings |
Admin users
AdminAdmin users have the highest level of access in Helium. They are typically business owners, directors, or operations managers who need visibility across the entire platform.
Key capabilities:
- Access all sections of the dashboard regardless of role assignments
- Create and manage user accounts
- Define roles and assign permissions
- Configure organisation settings (company details, branding, defaults)
- Manage client accounts and their settings
- View billing information and invoices
- Access system logs and audit trails
Admin responsibility
Admin users can see and modify sensitive settings that affect all users. Be cautious when changing organisation settings, roles, or permissions — these changes take effect immediately.
Company users
CompanyCompany users are your day-to-day team members. Their access is controlled entirely by roles and permissions, making it easy to tailor each person's experience to their responsibilities.
Key characteristics:
- See only the sidebar sections and pages their permissions allow
- Can be assigned multiple roles (permissions stack)
- Cannot access organisation-level admin settings
- Work within the client context selected by their session
Common examples:
- A warehouse operative with inventory and fulfillment permissions
- A sales representative with commerce and customer permissions
- A product manager with catalogue and development permissions
- A finance user with billing, orders, and export permissions
Predefined roles
Helium comes with several predefined roles to get you started quickly — such as Warehouse Operative, Sales Representative, and Production Manager. Administrators can also create custom roles tailored to your team's structure.
Client users
ClientClient users have access to a dedicated Client Portal — a simplified view of Helium designed for external partners or customers who need to interact with your platform without accessing operational tools.
What clients can do:
- Browse products in your catalogue
- Place and manage orders
- Track shipments and delivery status
- View their account information
What clients cannot do:
- Access operational features (inventory, production, etc.)
- View other clients' data
- Modify organisation or system settings
- See internal pricing rules or cost information
Client onboarding
When setting up a new client user, ensure their client account is properly configured first. The client user will only see data associated with their specific client account.
How permissions work
Permissions in Helium are organised into modules — each module controls access to a specific feature or set of related features. There are 48 permission modules in total, covering everything from product management to system logs.
Each module supports granular actions:
- View — See data and lists
- Create — Add new records
- Edit — Modify existing records
- Delete — Remove records
Roles bundle multiple module permissions together. A user can have multiple roles, and their effective permissions are the combination of all assigned roles.
For more details on configuring permissions, see the Admin section of this documentation.