Getting started

Pilla has two surfaces. Managers and Admins use the web app to build shared workflows, look at numbers, and manage the account. Staff can use it to add personal Pilla automations. The mobile app is where everyone completes workflow runs. This page is a map to help you find where everything lives.

Workflow templates and workflow runs

Before you start building, it helps to understand two terms:

• A workflow template is the reusable set of steps you build on the canvas. It defines what needs doing and when the workflow should run.
• A workflow run is one occasion when those steps are carried out. It holds the answers, photos and completion details recorded that time.

For example, you could build one template for a daily equipment check. Each day's check is a separate run, so today's answers stay separate from yesterday's.

You build the template once and your team completes its runs as work comes around. See Workflow templates and workflow runs for more detail, or start with Building workflows to create a template.

What the web app is for

The web app is the side of Pilla that runs in a browser. It's where workflow templates are built on the canvas, where integrations are connected, and where teams and users are managed. Staff do not complete workflow runs here, but they can open live workflows and manage their own Pilla automations.

If you're a Manager or Admin, you'll spend most of your Pilla setup time here. If you're Staff, Pilla sends you straight to Workflow runs. Use Workflows and my automations in the top bar when you want to open the read-only workflow canvas and add a personal automation. The mobile app remains the place to complete work.

The Pilla bar at the top of the web app

The web app has a thin bar across the top of the screen. It stays in place wherever you are. On the left of this bar is a small button with your profile picture and name. Tapping it opens a short menu with these options.

• Change picture -- opens a panel where you can upload or replace your profile photo
• Switch to light mode or Switch to dark mode -- flips the whole app between bright and dark colours
• Manage my integrations -- opens the integrations screen where you connect outside services like Slack and Google Calendar (managers and admins only)
• Log out -- signs you out and reloads the sign-in screen

In the middle of the top bar is a small title that tells you which screen you're on, for example Dashboard, Workflow runs 11 May, or Workflow templates. Staff also see a Workflows and my automations button. Over on the right are a chat icon that opens Chats, a question-mark icon that opens these help docs in a new tab, and, for Admins, a gear icon that opens Settings.

Pilla chat in the web sidebar

Down the left side of the web app there's a sidebar. The sidebar is Pilla's home on the web. Pilla is Pilla's AI assistant. Whichever screen you open, the sidebar shows a short message from Pilla explaining what you're looking at. At the bottom of the sidebar is a chat box where you can type a question and Pilla will answer it.

Pilla can look up your live account data when it answers, including workflows, teams, users, tags, and recent activity. Making changes through chat is coming soon, so if you ask Pilla to change something it will point you to the right screen instead.

When you're on a screen that isn't the main dashboard, a small back link appears at the top of the sidebar. On most screens it reads "Back to main menu" and takes you to the dashboard. On the canvas and the import screens it points at wherever you came from, for example "Back to templates" or "Back to users".

The dashboard and the three cards

When you first sign in to the web app as a Manager or Admin you land on the Dashboard. Across the top is a row of three cards, each one is a doorway into a different area of the app. Each card is a button showing a count and a short note saying whether the count covers your whole account or just your teams. Tap a card to open that area.

• Workflow runs today -- opens the list of every workflow run scheduled for the date you pick
• Workflow templates -- opens your library of templates
• Teams and people -- opens the two-column People screen

There's no card for integrations. To reach the integrations screen, open the profile menu in the top-left bar and tap Manage my integrations.

Below the cards is a chart that shows how your workflow runs are tracking day by day. Tapping a day on the chart opens the Workflow runs screen filtered to that day.

The workflow runs screen

Tapping the Workflow runs card opens a data table of every run for the date or date range you choose. Each row is one execution of a workflow template. Rows are colour-coded so you can spot trouble at a glance. Green means the run finished on time. Orange means it finished late. Red means it's overdue and still not finished. Filters across the top let you narrow the table by date range, team, tag, and progress status.

The workflow templates screen

Tapping the Workflow templates card opens your library of templates. Staff open the same view with Workflows and my automations in the top bar. Each row is a workflow template; Managers and Admins can also see unfinished rows with a Draft badge. Tapping a template opens the canvas. Managers and Admins can wire up the shared workflow; Staff see those parts as read-only and can edit only their own Pilla automation nodes.

The first time you open the canvas, Pilla's sidebar explains each kind of step, called an element, as you add it. Elements include Checklist, Photo, Written guidance, and Signature. A group is a collection of related steps.

Every template starts with a trigger that decides when it runs. Choose Run manually, Run once, Run hourly, Run daily, Run weekly, Run monthly, or Run yearly. Expert accounts also see Run from external trigger as a disabled option marked Beta, which means it is still being tested.

On Pro and Expert, you can add Pilla briefings, decisions, actions, and conditional follow-up steps. Starter includes AI workflow building and editing, but not these AI automation steps inside a workflow.

The integrations screen

The integrations screen is an Expert feature for Managers and Admins and opens from Manage my integrations in the top-left profile menu. It shows supported outside services, including Slack and Google Calendar, and whether each one is connected. Pro and Expert can use Pilla's built-in actions and data sources without setting anything up. On Expert, outside services appear in Manager and Admin canvas pickers after they have been connected here. Expert accounts also see external triggers as a disabled Beta option for now.

The teams screen

The Teams card opens a list of your teams. Teams control who sees what. Staff and managers only see workflows and other data tied to the teams they belong to. Admins see everything. The header has a New team button to add one team and an Import button to bring in lots of teams at once from a spreadsheet. Each row's menu lets you edit or delete a team, and ticking two or more rows switches to a bulk delete.

The users screen

The Users card opens a list of everyone in your Pilla account. Each user has a role, either Staff, Manager, or Admin. The header has a New user button to add one user and an Import button to bring in lots of users at once from a spreadsheet. Each row's menu lets you edit or delete a user, and ticking two or more rows switches to a bulk delete.

What the mobile app is for

The mobile app is what your staff carry with them while they work. It's optimised for doing, not for setting up. There's no canvas and no integrations screen on mobile, because templates and integrations are built on the web app. Staff sign in, see what work runs are due today, complete them, post stories, and chat with their teammates. Managers see a couple of extra menu options, and admins can also manage users, manage teams, and adjust account settings from the mobile menu.

When you first sign in on the mobile app, you land on the Work Items tab. This is the only tab in the bottom bar. The app runs on both phones and tablets.

The Stories row at the top of the mobile work list

Across the top of the Work Items tab is a horizontal row of round profile pictures. This is the Stories row. Each circle is a recent photo, video, or short note someone on your team has posted. Tap a circle to see the story, tap the plus on your own circle to post one yourself. Stories are a quick way to share what's happening in real time without sending a message to everyone.

The date scroller on the mobile work list

Just below the Stories row is a strip of dates you can swipe left and right. Tapping a date jumps the work list below it to that day. Each date in the strip shows a small dot or number telling you whether there are runs scheduled and how they're progressing. By default the screen opens on today.

The work list on the mobile app

Below the date scroller is the list of work runs for the selected date. Each card is one work run. Cards show the title, the team, the time window it should be completed in, and a colour that matches the same green, orange, red status used on the web app. Tap a card to open the work run and start working through its steps. Swipe a card right to message the whole team about that run, or swipe it left to send a direct message to one person about it.

In the top-right corner of the work list is an Info button. Tapping it opens an "About workflows" explainer with a colour key (Unfinished and late, Finished late, Finished on time) and a preview of the menu options for a run.

The floating action bar on the mobile app

At the bottom of the mobile app, floating above the work list, is a small bar with three buttons. From left to right these are.

• A chat bubble icon -- opens your Chats, where you can read team messages, group chats, and direct messages
• A target icon -- opens the Pilla chat as a full screen popup so you can ask questions like "what's due tomorrow?"
• A menu icon labelled Menu -- opens a list of extra options for the screen you're on

The bar floats over the work list so it's always one tap away no matter how far you've scrolled.

The mobile menu

Tapping the Menu button on the floating action bar opens a popup that slides up from the bottom of the screen. The options depend on your role and on which screen you're looking at. On the Work Items tab everyone usually sees.

• Run a workflow template -- opens a picker so you can manually trigger one of the templates your manager has set up
• Filter teams -- choose which teams to include in the list
• Hide carried-over workflows -- a toggle to hide work runs that started before the selected date
• Hide completed workflows -- a toggle to hide work runs that are already finished
• Log out -- signs you out of your account

Managers and admins see two extra options.

• Show workflow runs by tag -- pick a tag and see every run that uses it
• Show workflow runs by team -- pick a team and see every run for that team

Admins see three more, and each can be turned off for everyone in Settings.

• Add/Edit Users -- opens the users list to add, edit, or remove people
• Add/Edit Teams -- opens the teams list to add, edit, or remove teams
• Adjust Settings -- opens the account settings so you can change look-ahead days, edit windows, chat permissions, and which menu items appear on mobile

Who uses what

Web is mainly for managers and admins: building shared templates on the canvas, connecting integrations, adding users and teams, and reviewing workflow runs. Staff can also open a live workflow on the web app and add or manage their own Pilla automations without changing its steps.

Mobile is where everyone completes workflow runs. Staff sign in, see what's due, complete it, chat with their team, and post stories. Managers can do all of that plus their extra menu options, and admins can also manage users, manage teams, and adjust settings from the mobile menu.

If you're a manager, the easiest pattern is to keep the web app open on your laptop for setup and reporting, and your phone in your pocket for the same on-the-floor experience your staff get.

Tips

• Bookmark the web app URL once you've signed in, you'll be coming back to it a lot if you're an admin
• The dashboard is the front door, every other web screen has a back link in the Pilla sidebar to get you back here
• Pilla's tone changes per screen, the sidebar always tells you what the current screen is for
• If you're a staff member who signs in to the web app, Pilla drops you on Workflow runs. Use Workflows and my automations in the top bar when you want to add a personal Pilla automation
• The Work Items tab on mobile always opens on today, swipe the date strip to look at yesterday or tomorrow
• Pilla can look anything up in your account from chat, but making changes through chat is coming soon, so it will point you to the right screen when you ask it to change something

A team is a group of users inside your Pilla account. Most people use teams to mirror locations or departments so the right people see the right work, chats, and dashboards.

What a team is

A team is a named group of users with a shared address and timezone. Every workflow run, chat, and dashboard view in Pilla is filtered by team membership, so picking the right teams up front saves you a lot of clean-up later.

A user can sit in more than one team. People who float between locations or departments just get added to each team they belong to.

Creating a team on the web

You build teams from the Teams screen in the web app. The Teams screen is open to managers and admins.

1. On the Dashboard, find the teams tile (the one with the people icon showing your team count, such as "3 teams") and tap it to open the Teams screen.
2. Tap New team in the top right. It is the dark button with a plus icon, sitting next to the Import button.
3. Fill in the team details in the side panel (see the fields below).
4. Tap Save in the top right of the side panel.

• Team Name (text, required) -- the name your team will be known by everywhere in Pilla. Tap the small camera box to the left of this field to add a team photo from your computer. Images must be under 5 MB. A photo helps people spot their team in lists.
• Address (address, required) -- start typing and pick a suggestion. The address sets the team's timezone automatically. A note under the field reads "The address is used to determine the timezone of the team."

The side panel closes as soon as you tap Save and a "Creating team..." message appears. Pilla creates the team, then works out the timezone from the address in the background. You will see a "Team Created" message when it is done. If you add a team while workflow templates are set to run for all teams, those workflows attach to the new team and Pilla tells you how many were applied.

Editing a team on the web

You can change a team's name, photo, or address at any time from the Teams screen.

1. Open the Teams screen.
2. Tap the team row you want to change, or tap the three-dot menu on the right of the row and pick Edit team.
3. Update the name, photo, or address in the side panel.
4. Tap Save.

If you change the address, Pilla re-checks the timezone in the background. The change takes effect immediately for everyone in the team.

Deleting a team on the web

Deleting a team hides it from the workspace but keeps its history.

1. Open the Teams screen.
2. Tap the three-dot menu on the right of the team row.
3. Pick Delete team (shown in red).
4. In the popup titled "Delete team?", tap Delete to confirm. Tap Cancel to back out.

Once you confirm, the team disappears from lists and filters. Old workflow runs and messages tied to that team stay in your records.

Deleting several teams at once on the web

When you need to clear out a batch of teams, you can select and delete them together from the Teams screen.

1. Open the Teams screen.
2. Tick the checkbox on the left of each team row you want to remove. Tick the checkbox in the header to select every team on the page.
3. With two or more rows ticked, tap the three-dot menu on any selected row and pick Delete {count} teams (shown in red).
4. In the popup titled "Delete {count} teams?", tap Delete {count} teams to confirm. Tap Cancel to back out.

The selected teams disappear from lists and filters. Their workflow runs and messages stay in your records.

Importing teams in bulk on the web

You can add a lot of teams in one go with a spreadsheet, without typing each one in by hand.

1. Open the Teams screen.
2. Tap Import in the top right. It is the outline button with an upload icon, next to New team.
3. Follow the on-screen steps to upload your spreadsheet of teams.

Managing teams on the mobile app

Admins can create, edit, and delete teams on mobile. The Teams screen is reached through an admin-only menu item.

1. Open the menu and tap Add/Edit Teams (under the body text "Add, edit, or remove teams"). This item only appears for admins, and only when the account setting that controls it is switched on.
2. Tap New in the top right to open the Add Team screen, or tap the three-dot icon on a team row to edit or delete it.
3. Fill in Team Name (required), tap the Team Photo box (it shows a camera icon and "Add Photo") to pick a photo from your phone gallery, and fill in Address (required). A note under the address reads "The address is used to determine the timezone of the team."
4. Tap Save in the top right.

To edit a team on mobile, tap the three-dot icon on the team row and pick Edit team. To delete one, tap the three-dot icon, pick Delete team, then tap Delete in the "Delete team?" popup (tap Cancel to back out). Managers and staff do not see the Add/Edit Teams menu item; only admins do.

Filtering the teams list on the web

When you have a lot of teams, you can narrow the list with the filters at the top of the Teams screen.

• All Users -- pick one or more people. The list shrinks to only the teams those people belong to.
• All Timezones -- pick one or more timezones. Only teams with a matching timezone are shown. The list of timezone options is built from the teams you already have.
• Search teams... -- type any part of a team name. Matches show as you type. This search box appears on wider screens.

The filters stack. So if you pick a user and a timezone and type a name, you get teams that match all three at once.

Tips

• Use the team photo. It is the fastest way for people to spot their team in lists and filters.
• Be specific with names. "Kitchen Manchester" beats "Kitchen" if you have more than one site.
• Set the address accurately. Pilla uses it to pick the right timezone, which drives every workflow run and report.
• Delete instead of recreate. Deleted teams are hidden but their history is kept, so you can refer back to it later.
• Add yourself to every team you want to see. Even admins only see data for teams they belong to.

Users are the people in your Pilla account who can log in. You invite them by email, give them a role, and add them to one or more teams. They show up on workflow runs, chats, and dashboards based on the teams they belong to.

What a user is

A user is anyone with login access to your Pilla account. Every user has a name, an email, a role (Staff, Manager, or Admin), and at least one team. Their role controls what they can do across the app, and their teams control what they can see.

Users are tied to a single Pilla account. They cannot be moved between accounts, so if someone leaves and joins a new business that also uses Pilla, they will need a new invite there.

Opening the Users screen on the web

The Users screen is where managers and admins add, edit, and remove people. You reach it from the Dashboard.

1. Go to the Dashboard.
2. Find the small card that shows your user count, for example 5 users (it has a person icon).
3. Click the card to open the Users screen.

The card only appears for managers and admins. Admins see every user in the account. Managers see only the users in the teams they belong to.

Inviting a new user on the web

You add new users from the Users screen.

1. Open the Users screen.
2. Tap New user (the dark button with a plus icon, in the top right).
3. Fill in the user details in the side panel that slides in (see fields below).
4. Tap Save in the top right of the panel.

• Name (text, required) -- the person's full name. Shown everywhere they appear in Pilla.
• Email (email, required) -- their login address. Must be unique across your Pilla account.
• Role (dropdown, required) -- tap the box reading Select role and pick Staff, Manager, or Admin. See the Roles and permissions doc for what each role can do.
• Teams (picker, required) -- tap the box reading Select teams and tick each team they should belong to. Pick at least one.

The Save button stays greyed out until all four fields are filled in. When you tap it, the panel closes and Pilla creates the user and emails them a welcome message letting them know their account is ready. There's no password in the email; they sign in by sending themselves a magic link from the sign-in screen. A "User Created" message confirms it worked.

Editing a user on the web

You can change a user's name, email, role, or team memberships any time.

1. Open the Users screen.
2. Tap the user's row (or tap the three-dot icon on the right of the row and pick Edit user).
3. Update any field in the Edit user side panel.
4. Tap Save in the top right of the panel.

Role changes take effect as soon as the person's app refreshes. If you change someone from Manager to Staff, they lose manager features right away. Changing the email also changes the address they log in with.

Removing a user on the web

Removing a user stops them logging in but keeps their history. Pilla calls this deleting the user.

1. Open the Users screen.
2. Tap the three-dot icon on the right of the user's row.
3. Pick Delete user (shown in red).
4. In the popup headed Delete user?, tap Delete (the red button) to confirm. Tap Cancel to back out.

The user disappears from the list and can no longer log in. Their past workflow runs, messages, and other history stay in your records. Their email address is freed up, so you can reuse it for a new invite later.

Deleting several users at once on the web

When you have more than one person to remove, you can delete them together.

1. Open the Users screen.
2. Tick the checkbox on the left of each row you want to remove. Tick the box in the header to select everyone on the page.
3. Once two or more rows are ticked, tap the three-dot icon on any selected row and pick Delete {count} users (shown in red).
4. In the popup, tap the red Delete {count} users button to confirm, or tap Cancel to back out.

You cannot delete your own account in a bulk action. If your own row is among those selected, Pilla skips it and removes the rest.

Importing many users at once on the web

If you are setting up a lot of people, import them in one go instead of adding them one by one.

1. Open the Users screen.
2. Tap Import (the button with an upload icon, next to New user).
3. Fill in a row for each person: Name, Email, Role, and Teams. Every field is required.
4. Tap Add Row to add another person. You can import up to 500 users at a time.
5. Tap Import in the top right. The button shows how many valid rows it will bring in, for example Import (12).

The import runs in the background and you get an email with the results when it finishes. Rows with errors are flagged in red as you type, and the Import button stays greyed out until at least one complete, error-free row is ready.

Resending an invitation

Pilla does not yet have a one-click "resend invite" button. If someone never got their welcome email, the simplest fix is to remove them and invite them again.

1. Open the Users screen and find the user.
2. Tap the three-dot icon and pick Delete user, then confirm.
3. Tap New user and invite them again with the same email.

Removing the user frees their email address, so the new invite can reuse it. A fresh welcome email goes out, and they sign in with a magic link. Ask them to check their spam folder first before you go through this.

Managing users on the mobile app

Only admins can add, edit, and remove users from the mobile app, and only when an admin has switched on the matching setting (see Settings). Managers and staff do not see the option. The fields match the web app, but you pick teams from a popup with tick-boxes.

1. Open the menu and tap Add/Edit Users to open the Users screen.
2. Tap New in the top right to add someone, or tap the three-dot icon on a user's row to edit or delete them.
3. On the Add User or Edit User screen, fill in Name, Email, Role, and Teams. Tap the Teams box to open a popup, tick each team, then tap Done.
4. Tap Save in the top right.

To delete a user on mobile, tap the three-dot icon on the user's row, pick Delete user from the menu (which is headed with the person's name), then tap Delete in the Delete user? popup. A "User deleted" message confirms it.

Filtering the users list on the web

The Users screen has filters across the top to help you find the right person.

• All Teams -- pick one or more teams. The list narrows to people in those teams.
• All Roles -- pick Staff, Manager, or Admin. Only matching users show.
• Search users... -- type any part of a name, email, or job title. Matches show as you type.

The filters stack, so you can combine all three. As a manager, you only ever see users in the teams you belong to, even when the team filter is empty.

Tips

• Use real email addresses. Pilla emails a welcome message to the address you enter, and the person signs in with a magic link sent to it. No password is sent.
• Start people as Staff. You can always promote them to Manager or Admin later.
• Add people to every team they belong to. Their workflow runs, chats, and dashboards all filter by team.
• Remove leavers promptly. It stops them logging in and frees their email for reuse.
• Email must be unique among active users. If you see a "user with this email address already exists" message, the address is in use by someone who is still active on your account. Deleting that user frees the email.
• The mobile menu items for managing users, teams, and settings are admin-only and each can be switched off per account. If you cannot find Add/Edit Users on mobile, an admin may have hidden it, or you may not be an admin. The Users screen on the web app is the reliable place to manage people.

Pilla has three roles: Staff, Manager, and Admin. Each user picks up one role when you invite them, and the role controls what they can see and do across the web and mobile apps. Visibility is also limited by which teams a user belongs to.

The three roles

Every Pilla user has exactly one role.

• Staff -- the default role. People who run workflows, send messages, and can add their own Pilla automations to live workflows without changing the shared steps.
• Manager -- everything Staff can do, plus the ability to build workflow templates on the web app, see the dashboard, manage teams and users on the web app, and connect integrations for the teams they belong to.
• Admin -- everything Manager can do, plus full account-wide visibility, the ability to manage teams, users and settings on both the web app and mobile, and the account settings screen.

The more senior the role, the bigger the surface they see. Most people in your account will be Staff. Building and managing the account happens on the web app; mobile is where people run their workflows day to day.

What each role can do

This is a feature-by-feature summary. "Yes" means the person can do it. "Their teams" means they can only do it for teams they belong to. "Yes (account)" means they can do it across every team in the account. Where a row differs between the web app and mobile, that is called out in the table.

A few specific behaviours worth knowing:

• Resetting and reopening a run work differently on web and mobile. On the web app the only run-level command is Reset this workflow run, and it is Manager and Admin only, so Staff cannot reset a run there. There is no reopen command on the web app. On mobile, a staff member opens a work run's menu and sees both Reset this workflow run and Reopen this workflow run, and any role can use them, as long as an Admin has left those actions switched on in settings and the run is still inside the reset window.
• Managers and Admins join the "All Managers" Pilla group chat automatically when you invite them.
• Admins also join the "All Admins" Pilla group chat.
• Managing teams and users is the main difference between web and mobile. On the web app, Managers and Admins can do it. On mobile, only Admins see the Add/Edit Users and Add/Edit Teams menu items, so only Admins can manage teams and users there.
• The account settings screen is Admin only. On the web app the Settings gear in the top right only shows for Admins; on mobile the Adjust Settings menu item only shows for Admins.
• Bulk import lives inside the Teams and Users screens on the web app and is not on mobile. A Manager can open an import table, but the import is turned down when they tap Import -- only Admins can finish one.
• On the dashboard, Staff are sent straight to their workflow runs. They do not see the dashboard cards, but can open Workflows and my automations from the top bar.
• Staff personal automation mode uses Pilla's native tools. Connecting integrations and using third-party tools remain Manager and Admin actions on Expert.

How team visibility works

On top of the role, Pilla limits what a user sees to the teams they belong to. The rule is simple:

• Staff and Managers only see data for teams they are a member of. They do not see other teams' workflow runs, users, or chats.
• Admins see every team in the account by default. They can voluntarily filter down using the team picker.

So a Manager who only belongs to "Kitchen Manchester" will only see workflow runs, users, and dashboards for that one team, even though their role lets them create new workflow templates and edit users in that team. If you want a Manager to see a team's data, add them to that team.

This applies to Admins too if they want fine-grained scoping. If you are an Admin and want to see only your home location, add yourself to that one team and the filters will narrow.

How to change someone's role

You change a role by editing the user. On the web app, Managers and Admins can do this; on mobile, only Admins can. The full steps are in the Managing users doc.

1. Open the Users screen. On the web app this is the Users card on the dashboard. On mobile, Admins open it from the Add/Edit Users menu item.
2. Tap the user's row (or tap the three-dot icon on the right of the row and pick Edit user).
3. In the Edit user side panel, tap the box reading Select role and pick Staff, Manager, or Admin.
4. Tap Save in the top right of the panel.

The new role takes effect the next time their app refreshes. If you demote a Manager to Staff, they lose access to the manager features straight away.

Who can see who completed each step

When someone finishes a workflow step, Pilla can show a "Completed by {name}" line with the time on that step. Admins always see this. Whether Staff and Managers see it is controlled by two account settings, so you can keep completion names visible to everyone or limit them.

• Should staff see who has completed workflow steps? -- turn this on to let Staff see the completer's name and time on each finished step.
• Should managers see who has completed workflow steps? -- turn this on to let Managers see the same.

Both toggles live on the account settings screen, which is Admin only. If a checklist was ticked by more than one person, the step shows "{N} people" instead of a single name, and anyone who can see the line can tap it for a per-item breakdown.

Tips

• Default to Staff. Most people only need to run workflows and send messages, and you can promote them later.
• Promote one or two Admins per account. Admins have full account access, including the settings screen and bulk import, so keep the list small.
• Managers are the right role for people who build workflow templates and look after teams on the web app but do not need the account settings screen.
• If you need someone to manage teams and users from a phone, they must be an Admin. Managers can only do that on the web app.
• Add Admins to teams if they want narrower views. By default they see every team, which can be noisy in a big account.
• Role changes are immediate. There is no "pending" state, so double-check before changing someone from Admin to Staff.

When you are setting up a new Pilla account or onboarding a new location, you can add lots of teams or users at once instead of typing them in one by one. Bulk import is web only. The import runs inside the Teams and Users screens, and only Admins can complete one.

When to use bulk import

The one-by-one New team and New user side panels are great for the occasional new hire. Bulk import is better when you have a lot to add at once.

Reach for bulk import when you are:

• Setting up a brand-new Pilla account.
• Bringing a new location or department online.
• Migrating from a spreadsheet, another tool, or paper records.
• Adding a batch of seasonal staff at the start of a busy period.

You can paste or type up to 500 rows in a single import. If you have more than that, run several imports in turn. Bulk import is Admin only. If you are a Manager you can open the import table, but the import will be turned down when you tap Import.

Importing teams in bulk

Bulk team import runs entirely in your browser, with no separate file upload. You enter the rows directly in a table that takes over the Teams screen.

1. On the Teams screen, tap Import (the button with the upload arrow, next to New team near the top).
2. The import table opens with one empty row.
3. Fill in Name and Address for each team, one row per team.
4. Tap Add Row to add another row, or tap the X on the right of a row to remove it.
5. When the rows look right, tap Import in the top right of the table.

• Name (text, required) -- the team's name. Same rules as creating a single team.
• Address (address, required) -- start typing and pick a suggestion from the autocomplete. The placeholder reads "Start typing an address...". Addresses under 10 characters get an amber warning that they may not geocode cleanly.

The Import button at the top right shows a count of how many rows are ready, for example "Import (12)". It stays greyed out until at least one complete row has no errors.

After you tap Import, Pilla processes the rows in the background. You will see an "Import Started" screen, and Pilla emails you when it finishes with how many teams were created and how many failed.

If you start filling in rows and navigate away without tapping Import, Pilla saves your typing as a draft. The next time you open the import table, a blue banner appears offering to Recover or Discard the unsaved rows.

Importing users in bulk

Bulk user import works the same way as team import. You enter rows directly in a table that takes over the Users screen.

1. On the Users screen, tap Import (the button with the upload arrow, next to New user near the top).
2. The import table opens with one empty row.
3. Fill in Name, Email, Role, and Teams for each user.
4. Tap Add Row for more rows, or the X to remove one.
5. Tap Import in the top right of the table when ready.

• Name (text, required) -- the person's full name.
• Email (email, required) -- their login address. Must be a valid email.
• Role (dropdown, required) -- tap the dropdown and pick Staff, Manager, or Admin.
• Teams (multi-select picker, required) -- pick one or more teams from the list. The picker is searchable and accepts multiple selections.

Pilla processes the import in the background and emails you a summary when it is done. Unlike adding a single user, bulk import does not email each new person a welcome message. After the import finishes, tell imported users how to sign in. There are no passwords to share: they enter the email you imported on the login screen and tap Send Magic Link to get a sign-in link emailed to them.

CSV format

The import tables do not accept a file upload. You enter rows directly in the on-page table. If you have your data in a spreadsheet, copy and paste the cells in column by column.

Both tables expect these columns:

If you are pasting in user rows, make sure your spreadsheet has the team names spelled exactly as they appear in Pilla. The import matches teams by name. Import your teams first so the names already exist when you add users.

Validation messages during import

Pilla (Pilla's AI assistant) does not appear in the import tables. The messages you see are plain inline text under each field, not an AI guide. A row number turns red when a field has a blocking error, and amber when it only has a warning. Common messages:

• "Name is required" -- you left the name blank.
• "Invalid email format" -- the email is not a valid email address.
• "At least one team is required" -- you forgot to pick teams for a user.
• "Address may be too short to geocode accurately" -- an amber warning, not a block. The import will still run but the timezone might be wrong.

If you want help drafting your import data, open Pilla from the sidebar in the main app. Pilla can answer questions about what fields are required and how teams map to users.

Tips

• Get teams right first. Import teams before users so the team names already exist when you add user rows.
• Use the autocomplete for addresses. It picks the cleanest version of the address and gives you the right timezone.
• Your typing is saved as a draft. If you navigate away before tapping Import, you will be offered Recover or Discard the next time you open the import table.
• Keep imports under 500 rows. Above that you will need to split the data across multiple imports.
• Check your email after import. Pilla emails you a summary so you can spot any rows that failed.
• Tell imported users how to sign in. Bulk import does not send them a welcome email, so point them to the login screen where they enter their email and tap Send Magic Link.
• Spelling matters for teams, but capital letters and extra spaces do not. When importing users, "Kitchen Manchester" and "kitchen manchester" match the same team, and any spaces before or after the name are ignored. The words still need to be spelled the same as the team in Pilla.