Star Micro Systems Discussion Forums

Dear Michael,

I have some questions about setting up account restrictions in A1.

Is there any way to set a user account so that the person cannot start IMs? Or have no access (start,send, or receive) to IMs?

What about for Emails? Is there a way where a person can be allowed only to receive emails? Or if they send emails they can only do it from within a case? (Meaning the person cannot send emails unless it is a case-specific email).

Thanks!

Sincerely,
Michael Lerner
Lerner, Moore, Mammano, Strasser, and Silva
www.injuryatwork.com
(909) 889-1131

Hi Michael -

right now I have only invoked restrictions for the Chat section of the program. It's not hard to implement and I could easily do it if you really want it. The demand for this has been very small for several reasons:

1. Taking away rights, takes away autonomy and productivity. In other words - now the person may have "interrupt" an attorney or a staff member's phone call through the intercom system rather than utilize an instant message. In fact - if there's an intercom system - they could even use that as a replacement of the Instant Message.

2. Most offices have opted to measure productivity (ie: through the case activity reports) rather than measure the time the staff is not being productive. They seem to feel that if a staff member is going to abuse a feature and it's no longer available, then they will find some other way.

It's really a trade off. When computers were first becoming popular, businesses were worried that users would do nothing but "play games" on the computers rather than use a word processor. Probably the same with telephones (business may have been worried that employees would talk to friends more than clients).

Just out of curiousity - there must be some reason you want to limit the instant message and Email. I'm pretty sure you probably ALREADY know who the staff members are - the question is whether they will simply find some other way (ie: the intercom, a phone, a book, the internet if they have access, a computer game, etc).

Let me know your thoughts on this.
Mike.