Users and Teams is the central hub in the Backstory Admin Panel where administrators can add users, build team hierarchies, assign configuration profiles, control permissions, and manage data visibility. It supports both automatic syncing from Salesforce and full manual management, so you can choose the approach that best fits your organization's workflow.
Note: User management requires a Backstory administrator account.
Access the Users and Teams Page
All user management tasks begin on the Users and Teams page in the Admin Panel.
Log into Backstory as an administrator.
Click the grid icon in the top left corner.
Select Admin Panel.
In the left navigation menu under User Management, click Users and Teams.
User Management Modes
Your organization can manage users in Automatic Mode or Manual Mode, depending on how you prefer to control user data and team structure. By default, all organizations start in Manual Mode. To check your current mode, look at the Manage Mode indicator in the bottom-left corner of the Users and Teams page.
Automatic Mode
In Automatic Mode, user management is handled through Salesforce. User data and hierarchy are automatically synced to Backstory based on your configured User Settings Rules. Changes made in Salesforce are reflected in Backstory within 30 minutes. No ongoing manual maintenance is required. Automatic Mode is best for organizations that maintain an accurate and up-to-date Salesforce role hierarchy and want systems to stay automatically aligned.
Manual Mode
In Manual Mode, you manage users directly within Backstory. This includes manually creating and organizing teams and manually adding, editing, suspending, or deleting users. Manual Mode gives you full control over your user list and team structure and is best for organizations that do not rely on Salesforce hierarchy to reflect their team structure.
Automatic User Management
If you choose automatic mode, follow these steps to enable it. If you choose manual mode, skip to the next section.
Note: Enabling this mode will replace your existing Backstory team structure with your Salesforce role hierarchy and all existing teams will be deleted. This may affect reports, dashboards, and Saved Views that reference old Team IDs. Users not present in the Salesforce role hierarchy will be migrated to the top-level team rather than suspended.
Enable Automatic User Management
Prerequisites: Your organization must have a Backstory account connected to Salesforce, and Configuration Profiles must be set up before enabling.
Log into Backstory as an administrator.
Click the grid icon in the top left corner.
Select Admin Panel.
In the left navigation menu under User Management, click Users and Teams.
Click the pencil icon next to Manage Mode in the bottom left of the screen.
Click Enable Auto Manage.
Assign a Configuration Profile to each user.
Set up User Settings Rules to automatically assign settings to users added via auto-hierarchy in the future.
Note: If your organization uses manager fields instead of the Salesforce role hierarchy to define reporting relationships, contact your CSM or support@backstory.ai to configure this option.
Manual User Management
In manual mode, you can add users in bulk by uploading a CSV file or by doing a one-time import from your Salesforce role hierarchy, or you can add users one at a time. All three methods are covered below.
Create Teams Manually
Instead of importing your Salesforce Role Hierarchy, you can choose to add your teams manually.
Log into Backstory as an administrator.
Click the grid icon in the top left corner.
Select Admin Panel.
In the left navigation menu under User Management, click Users and Teams.
On the Users and Teams page, click the Team Hierarchy tab.
Click +Add Team.
Enter a name for the team.
Click Save.
The new team will appear in the Team Hierarchy list in the left sidebar.
Note: Once you build your team hierarchy, you can create additional Custom Teams that allow users to belong to multiple teams simultaneously.
Import Users in Bulk
You can import users in bulk by importing your Salesforce role hierarchy or importing a CSV file.
Import Salesforce Role Hierarchy
This method lets you pull users into Backstory by selectively enabling roles from your existing Salesforce hierarchy. Unlike automatic mode, this is a one-time import. Backstory will not continue to sync changes from Salesforce after the import. This method works best for teams whose Salesforce structure reflects their intended Backstory layout and who want a quick way to bring in users without ongoing automation.
Log into Backstory as an administrator.
Click the grid icon in the top left corner.
Select Admin Panel.
In the left navigation menu under User Management, click Users and Teams.
On the Users and Teams page, click View/Edit Full Hierarchy.
Click the toggle next to each role whose users you want to import.
Click Done.
Once a role is enabled, all users assigned to that role in Salesforce are imported into Backstory with default settings.
Import Users via CSV File
Instead of importing users via your Salesforce Role Hierarchy, you can upload a CSV file. See Manage Users via CSV File for more information.
Add an Individual User
You can add a single user directly from the Users and Teams page without a CSV file.
Prerequisites: The user must first be provisioned on the email server side so that Backstory can successfully process their email and calendar data.
Log into Backstory as an administrator.
Click the grid icon in the top left corner.
Select Admin Panel.
In the left navigation menu under User Management, click Users and Teams.
Click Add User in the top right corner.
Enter the user's First Name, Last Name, and Email Address.
Click the Role dropdown and select Admin, Manager, Member, or Data.
Assign the user to a Team.
Select the user's Object Visibility (Full or Team).
Assign a Configuration Profile.
Click Save.
Edit a User
Editing allows you to change a user’s name, team, and activity data settings.
Log into Backstory as an administrator.
Click the grid icon in the top left corner.
Select Admin Panel.
In the left navigation menu under User Management, click Users and Teams.
Locate the user you want to update.
Click the three vertical dots on the right side of the user's row.
Click Edit.
Update the desired fields.
Click Save.
Suspend a User
Suspending a user immediately revokes their access to Backstory and hides their past data in the app. We recommend suspension over deletion to preserve historical data and maintain system integrity.
Log into Backstory as an administrator.
Click the grid icon in the top left corner.
Select Admin Panel.
In the left navigation menu under User Management, click Users and Teams.
Locate the user you want to update.
Click the three vertical dots on the right side of the user's row.
Click Suspend.
Delete a User
Deleting a user permanently removes their past data from Backstory.
Log into Backstory as an administrator.
Click the grid icon in the top left corner.
Select Admin Panel.
In the left navigation menu under User Management, click Users and Teams.
Locate the user you want to delete.
Click the three vertical dots on the right side of the user's row.
Click Delete.
User Access
Regardless of how a user is added, every user needs three things configured: a role, a license, and an object visibility level. These settings control what a user can do in Backstory and what data they can see.
Note: We recommend specific user settings for users at the executive level. See Manage Executive Users for more information.
User Roles
A user's role controls their level of access within Backstory. Roles must be assigned when adding a user and can be updated at any time. The following roles are available:
Admin: Full access to Backstory, including user management, configuration settings, and all platform data. Intended for system administrators.
Manager: Can view their team's activity data and access team-level reporting. Intended for team leads and sales managers.
Member: Standard access for individual contributors. Users can view their own activity data and work within their assigned team.
Data: Access limited to data visibility without activity capture. Intended for users who need to view data but do not need their own email or calendar synced.
Assign or Update a User’s Role
Log into Backstory as an administrator.
Click the grid icon in the top left corner.
Select Admin Panel.
In the left navigation menu under User Management, click Users and Teams.
Locate the user you want to update.
Click the three vertical dots on the right side of the user's row.
Click Edit.
Click the Role dropdown and select Admin, Manager, Member, or Data.
Click Save.
User Licenses
Licenses determine which Backstory products and features a user can access. A license must be assigned when adding a user and can be updated at any time. The following licenses are available:
Foundation: Core Backstory access, including activity capture and CRM sync.
Engagement Dashboard: Access to engagement analytics and reporting dashboards.
Forecasting: Access to revenue forecasting tools.
Unified Backstory Application Enterprise: Access to the Unified Backstory Application relationship intelligence feature set.
Assign or Update a User's License
Log into Backstory as an administrator.
Click the grid icon in the top left corner.
Select Admin Panel.
In the left navigation menu under User Management, click Users and Teams.
Locate the user you want to update.
Click the three vertical dots on the right side of the user's row.
Click Edit.
Select the appropriate license or licenses for the user.
Click Save.
Object Visibility
Object visibility controls how much data a user can see in Backstory. Changes take effect immediately and can also be applied in bulk by including the Object Visibility column in a CSV upload. There are two levels:
Full: The user can view all activity across the organization, regardless of team. Best suited for administrators, senior managers, and executives who need a comprehensive view.
Team: The user can only view activity associated with objects they or their teammates own. Best suited for individual contributors who do not need visibility into other teams' data.
Assign or Update a User’s Object Visibility
Log into Backstory as an administrator.
Click the grid icon in the top left corner.
Select Admin Panel.
In the left navigation menu under User Management, click Users and Teams.
Click the three vertical dots on the right side of the user's row.
Click Edit.
Scroll to the Object Visibility field and select Full or Team.
Click Save.
User Statuses
The top of the Users and Teams page displays a live count of your organization's users broken down by status. This gives you a quick view of how many users are active and whether any accounts need attention.
The following statuses are displayed:
Total Users: The total number of Backstory users across all statuses.
Pending: Users in the queue for onboarding.
Onboarding: Users currently going through the initial data ingestion and processing process.
Permission Errors: Users whose mailboxes Backstory is not authorized to access. Ensure these users are properly provisioned within your email provider.
Active: Users who are up to date and not suspended.
Suspended: Users who have been manually suspended by an administrator or whose Salesforce license has been revoked or changed. Suspended users' data is not processed and they cannot access the application.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Full and Team object visibility?
Full visibility allows a user to see all activity across the entire organization, regardless of team. Team visibility limits a user to seeing only their own activity and that of their immediate team and any sub-teams beneath them.
What happens to my existing team structure when I enable automatic user management?
Enabling automatic user management replaces your existing Backstory team structure with your Salesforce role hierarchy. Backstory users who are not present in the Salesforce role hierarchy are migrated to the top-level team rather than deleted or suspended. After enabling, assign configuration profiles to each user and set up user setting rules for future additions.
Can I switch back to manual mode after enabling automatic management?
Yes. If you switch back to manual mode, syncing stops, Backstory saves the imported Salesforce hierarchy, and manual tools become available again. Reports, dashboards, and Saved Views that reference old Team IDs may need to be updated.
Can I add a user to Backstory if they do not have a Salesforce license?
Yes. Admins can add users individually using the Add User button regardless of Salesforce license status. However, manually added users cannot be placed into a role hierarchy team and will remain in the Unassigned group.
Can I edit user attributes in Backstory if automatic management mode is enabled?
Some attributes, including job title, first name, last name, and team, are pulled from Salesforce and cannot be edited directly in Backstory when automatic management mode is enabled. Make those changes in Salesforce and they will sync to Backstory within 15 to 30 minutes.
What does it mean when a user shows a Permission Error status?
A Permission Error means Backstory is not authorized to access that user's mailbox. Ensure the user is properly provisioned within your email provider and that the appropriate access has been granted.
Need Help?
Contact your CSM or email support@backstory.ai.