The Admin screen is a set of tiles that open SeroBooks' set-up tools: your item catalogue's building blocks (categories, units, taxes, variation groups), your staff and their roles, payment methods, printers, and a few tools such as live support, the web Back Office and bulk product import. Its heading reads Admin with Set up your company, staff and settings underneath.
Most of these tools also have a place in the menu bar — for example Company ▸ Set Up Users and Roles… or Lists ▸ Sales Tax Code List. The Admin screen is simply the place where they are all together.
Opening the Admin screen
- Click the Menu button (☰) at the far left of the top bar. The left menu slides out.
- Click Admin.
Who gets straight in:
- the owner (Admin role) and anyone with a Manager role;
- anyone whose role holds at least one Admin tile permission (ticked on the Workspace tab of their role).
Anyone else sees the Admin Access box (Manage products, categories, staff and settings). An Admin or Manager types their Login ID and Password and clicks Verify. Once verified, SeroBooks does not ask again until you sign out.
| Message in the Admin Access box | What to do |
|---|---|
| Please fill both fields | Type both the login and the password. |
| Please Enter Admin or Manager User id and password | The login typed is not an Admin or Manager. Ask one of them to type theirs. |
| Invalid credentials | The password is wrong. |
Getting Started
Under the heading is a Getting Started button. It opens a short guide to setting up a company in SeroBooks, one step per card:
- Welcome! Let's set up your company
- Step 1 — Company information (Company ▸ Company Information…)
- Step 2 — Chart of Accounts (Lists ▸ Chart of Accounts)
- Step 3 — Sales tax (Lists ▸ Sales Tax Code List)
- Step 4 — Customers, vendors and items (Customers ▸ Customer Centre, Vendors ▸ Vendor Centre, Lists ▸ Item List)
- Step 5 — Opening balances (Company ▸ Enter Opening Balances, or File ▸ Import from QuickBooks…)
- Step 6 — Users and your first transactions (Company ▸ Set Up Users and Roles…)
Use Next and Back to move between cards, Skip to close the guide, and Got it! on the last card. You can reopen it at any time with the Getting Started button.
The tiles
Tiles are arranged in three sections. On a wide window they sit three to a row.
Catalog
| Tile | Subtitle | What it opens |
|---|---|---|
| Products | Add, edit and remove products | A list of your products with Add Product, for quick catalogue set-up. The full item tools are in Lists ▸ Item List — see Add or edit an item. |
| Categories | Group your products and services | The Categories list: Add Category with a Category name and an optional Parent category. |
| Units | Units of measure (Pcs, Kg...) | The Units list: Add Unit with Unit name (for example Pieces), Short name (for example Pc(s)) and Allow decimal quantities (for example 0.5 Kg). |
| Taxes | Tax rates | The Taxes screen. See Tax rates and tax groups. |
| Variation Groups | Size, color... with per-product prices | Reusable option groups, such as Size with the values S, M and L. Each group has a Group name and a list of values; prices are set per product. |
Settings
| Tile | Subtitle | What it opens |
|---|---|---|
| Users & Roles | Staff accounts and permissions | See Set Up Users and Roles. |
| Receipt Layout | Headings, footer, barcode, logo | The heading, sub-headings, footer, barcode option and logo for printed receipts. See Business and location settings. |
| Payment Methods | Enable cash, card and custom payments | See Payment methods. |
| Printer Setup | Connect your invoice and receipt printers | See Printer Setup. |
Tools
| Tile | Subtitle | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Live Support | Chat with SeroBooks support — send screenshots, get help fast | Opens the support chat panel. This tile is never locked by your plan or your role, so help is always reachable. |
| HRM & Payroll | Shifts, attendance and clock in/out setup | Shift, attendance and clock-in set-up. Needs the payroll part of your plan. |
| Back Office | Control much more and see reports from the Back Office | Opens the web Back Office, already signed in. On Windows it opens inside SeroBooks; on other computers it opens in your browser. If the automatic sign-in cannot be arranged, the Back Office home page opens and you sign in there yourself. |
| Download Excel | Product import template | Downloads the Excel template for importing products. |
| Import Products | Bulk import from Excel | Lets you pick a filled-in template (an .xls file on Windows) and uploads it. |
After Import Products, a message says either Products imported — they'll appear on the POS automatically. or Import failed (…) with the reason code. Import failed: check your connection and file format. means the file did not reach the server or was not in the template's format.
Locks on the tiles
A tile can carry a small padlock in the corner of its icon for two different reasons.
| Why | What happens when you click it |
|---|---|
| Your role does not hold the tile's permission. | A Manager Approval box asks an Admin or Manager to approve opening it this once. To remove the lock for good, the Admin ticks the tile's permission on your role's Workspace tab. See Roles and permissions explained. |
| Your plan does not include it (a greyed icon). | An Upgrade to SeroBooks Pro card explains that the feature is part of a higher plan and lists what SeroBooks Pro adds. See Pro plans opens the SeroBooks pricing page in your browser; Not now closes the card. See Your subscription and plan. |
During a free trial, plan locks are lifted.
Leaving the Admin screen
Close the Admin screen with the back arrow at the top left. If you added or changed anything on any tile, SeroBooks quietly refreshes this computer's copy of your company in the background, so the new categories, units, taxes or products appear in lists and drop-downs without you signing out.
Tips
- Set up categories, units and taxes before items. Every new item asks for them.
- Use the menu bar for everyday work. The Admin screen is for set-up; the same lists are one click away in Lists and Company.
- Grant tiles, not the Admin role. A bookkeeper who needs to maintain tax rates needs only the Taxes permission, not an Admin login.
Common problems
Admin asks for a password every time. Your role holds no Admin tile permission. Ask the Admin to tick the tiles you use on your role's Workspace tab; you will then go straight in.
A tile I need has a padlock. Either your role lacks its permission (ask for approval, or have the Admin grant it) or your plan does not include it (see Your subscription and plan).
New items do not appear after importing. Wait a moment for the background refresh after leaving Admin, or use Menu ▸ Sync DataBase.