Guide for Salon Administrators

12-15 minutes

Tutorial 16.2: Guide for Salon Administrators

Introduction

As a Salon Administrator (Admin) in Luminate, you're responsible for running the day-to-day operations of the salon. You have nearly full access to the system—everything except billing and subscription management, which remain with the Owner.

Think of the Admin role as the "operations manager" position. You can manage staff, process refunds, export reports, and configure most salon settings. This guide covers your complete capability set and helps you understand both what you can do and where your responsibilities lie.

Who this is for: Team members assigned the Admin role in Luminate.

What you'll learn:

Your complete permission set and access levels
How to manage staff profiles and login accounts
Processing refunds and financial operations
Report access and export capabilities
Salon settings you can modify
What you cannot access (billing)

Time to complete: 12-15 minutes

Prerequisites

Before you begin:

You should have received a login invitation email from the salon owner
You should have completed your first login and set your password
Helpful to have read Tutorial 1.3: Understanding Roles and Permissions

What Admins Can Do

Admins have comprehensive access to salon operations. Here's the complete overview:

Feature Area	Admin Access
Dashboard	Full access with all statistics
Appointments	Create, edit, cancel any appointment
Waitlist	Full management
POS/Transactions	Process sales, view all transactions
Refunds	Process refunds
Customers	Full customer management
Staff	Add, edit, and deactivate staff members
Staff Accounts	Create and remove login access
Roster	Full schedule management
Leave	Approve/reject all staff leave requests
Services	Create, edit, delete services
Products	Full inventory management
Reports	View all reports
Exports	Export data to CSV/Excel
Salon Settings	Modify most settings
Notifications	Configure reminders and templates
Messages	Full messaging access
Billing	No access

The Admin Dashboard

Location: Sidebar → Dashboard

When you log in, you'll see the full management dashboard with:

Quick stats - Today's appointments, revenue, and key metrics
Sales breakdown - Revenue by services, products, and payment methods
Staff performance - Top performers for the selected period
Revenue trend - Graph showing daily revenue
Rebook rate - Customer rebooking statistics
Skin test alerts - Customers needing patch tests
Setup checklist - Progress on salon setup (if incomplete)

Use the period selector to switch between:

Today - Current day's data
This Week - Monday to today
This Month - First of month to today
Custom - Select specific dates

Staff Management

As an Admin, you have full control over staff profiles and accounts.

Adding a New Staff Member

Location: Sidebar → Staff → Add Staff

Click Add Staff in the top-right corner
Fill in the required fields:
- First name and Last name
- Email (optional but needed for login access)
- Phone (optional)
- Role - Select Admin, Manager, Staff, or Receptionist
Configure optional settings:
- Commission rate - Their default commission percentage
- Staff level - Experience tier for tiered pricing
- Pay structure - How they're compensated
Click Save

Editing Staff Profiles

Location: Sidebar → Staff → [Select staff member] → Edit

You can modify:

Contact information
Role (and the permissions that come with it)
Commission structure
Staff level assignment
Working preferences

Creating Login Accounts

Location: Staff → [Staff member] → Login Access section

To give a staff member their own login:

Ensure the staff member has an email address on file
Navigate to their profile
Find the Login Access section
Click Create Login Account
An invitation email is sent automatically

Managing invitations:

Resend invitation - If they didn't receive the original or it expired
Remove access - Revoke their login immediately (staff profile remains)

Deactivating Staff

When someone leaves the salon:

Navigate to their profile
Click Deactivate
Their profile is hidden from active lists
Historical data (appointments, transactions) is preserved

Note: Deactivation is different from deletion. Deactivated staff can be reactivated later if needed.

Anonymising Staff (GDPR)

For complete data removal:

Navigate to the deactivated staff member
Click Anonymise
Confirm the action

This removes personal data while keeping transaction records for accounting. This action cannot be undone.

Processing Refunds

Location: Sidebar → POS → [Select transaction] → Refund

Admins can process refunds when customers return products or cancel services:

Full Refund

Navigate to POS in the sidebar
Find the transaction in the list
Click to open the transaction details
Click Refund
Confirm the full refund

Partial Refund

Open the transaction
Click Refund
Adjust the refund amount or deselect items
Click Process Refund

What happens:

The transaction status updates to "Refunded" (full) or "Partial Refund"
The refund appears in revenue reports
If linked to an appointment, the appointment billing status updates

Report Access and Exports

Location: Sidebar → Reports

Admins have access to all reports with full export capability.

Available Reports

Report	Purpose
Daily Revenue	Track income by date and source
Staff Performance	See who's generating revenue
Hours Worked	Review rostered hours
Top Customers	Identify your best clients
Accounts Receivable	Monitor unpaid balances
Gift Vouchers	Track voucher sales and redemptions
SMS Usage	Monitor message sending
Leave Report	Staff leave taken and remaining
Payroll	Commission and pay calculations

Exporting Data

Each report has an Export button:

Navigate to the report
Set your date range and filters
Click Export to CSV or Export to Excel
The file downloads to your device

Export formats:

CSV - Simple format for spreadsheets
Excel - Formatted with headers and styling

Tip: Monthly exports help with accounting and tax preparation.

Salon Settings

Location: Salon name in sidebar → Edit (or Salons page)

Admins can modify most salon settings:

You CAN change:

Salon name and business name - Display names for the salon
Contact details - Email, phone, address
Logo - Upload or replace the salon logo
Theme colour - Interface colour scheme
Timezone - Location-based time settings
Currency - Display currency for prices
Date format - How dates are displayed
Public holidays - Enable/disable or create custom holidays
Staff levels - Create experience tiers
Leave settings - Default allowances and carryover
Online booking - Enable and configure customer booking

You CANNOT change:

Owner assignment - Who owns the salon
Billing settings - Subscription and payment details

Leave Management

Location: Sidebar → Leave

Admins can approve leave requests from any staff member, regardless of their role.

Viewing Requests

The Leave page shows:

Pending requests - Awaiting approval
Upcoming leave - Approved future leave
Leave history - Past requests

Approving/Rejecting Leave

Navigate to Leave
Find the pending request
Click Approve or Reject
Optionally add a note explaining your decision

Hierarchy note: Unlike Managers, Admins can approve leave from anyone, including other Admins. Only Owner leave is self-approved.

Requesting Your Own Leave

You can request leave like any other staff member:

Go to Leave → Request Leave
Select leave type, dates, and notes
Submit the request

Your leave requests go to the Owner for approval.

Notification Management

Location: Sidebar → Notifications

Admins can configure customer communications:

Reminder Settings

Set when appointment reminders are sent (24h, 48h before, etc.)
Enable/disable specific reminder types
Choose channels (email, SMS, both)

Notification Templates

Customise message content
Use variables (customer name, appointment time, etc.)
Preview before saving

Note: SMS balance and credit management is only visible to Owners. If you need to check SMS credits or purchase more, ask the salon Owner.

Messages Inbox

Location: Sidebar → Messages

Admins have full access to the messaging system:

View all conversations - SMS and email threads
Reply to messages - Respond to customer enquiries
Close conversations - Mark threads as resolved
Archive threads - Remove from active view
Manage conversations - Full administrative control

Daily Workflow for Admins

Morning Tasks

Check dashboard for today's overview
Review pending leave requests (badge count in sidebar)
Open cash drawer if your salon uses one
Check waitlist for booking opportunities
Review any skin test alerts

Throughout the Day

Monitor appointments for issues or changes
Process transactions as customers pay
Handle customer enquiries via Messages
Assist staff with any system questions

End of Day

Close cash drawer and reconcile
Review today's transactions for accuracy
Check tomorrow's schedule for preparation
Address any pending leave requests

Weekly Tasks

Run staff performance reports for team review
Check accounts receivable for follow-up
Review roster for the coming week
Export reports as needed for accounting

What Admins Cannot Do

Understanding your boundaries helps avoid confusion:

Feature	Why You Can't
Access Billing	Subscription management is Owner-only
View SMS balance	SMS credits and top-up is Owner-only
Create new salons	Multi-salon creation requires Owner
Delete the salon	Only Owners can delete salons
Transfer ownership	Contact support for ownership changes
Approve Owner leave	Owners self-approve their leave

If you need any of these actions, speak with the salon Owner.

Common Pitfalls

"I can't find the Billing page"

This is expected. Billing is Owner-only. If you need billing information, ask the Owner.

"I can't see the SMS balance"

SMS balance and credit management is only visible to Owners. If you're concerned about SMS credits running low or need to purchase more, ask the Owner.

"A staff member didn't receive their invitation"

Check they have the correct email address on file
Ask them to check their spam folder
Use Resend Invitation to send a new one
If still not working, ask the Owner to check email delivery settings

"I accidentally deactivated the wrong staff member"

Don't worry—go to the Staff page, find them in the inactive list, and click Activate to restore them.

"I can't export this report"

All reports are exportable for Admins. If you're having trouble:

Check you're on the report page (not the reports index)
Look for the Export button in the top-right area
Try a different browser if the download doesn't start

"The Owner's leave request isn't showing"

Owners don't need approval for their leave—it's automatically approved. You won't see Owner leave requests in your pending queue.

Tips and Best Practices

Regular report reviews - Weekly performance reports help identify trends before they become problems.
Prompt leave responses - Staff appreciate quick decisions on leave requests. Check the pending count regularly.
Keep staff data current - Update contact details and roles when they change.
Export for backup - Monthly exports of key reports protect against data loss.
Document your processes - Keep notes on how you handle common situations for consistency.
Communicate with the Owner - Keep them informed of major changes or issues.
Train your managers - Help Managers understand their responsibilities to share the workload.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is Admin different from Owner?

The only meaningful differences are:

Billing access - Owners only
SMS balance and credits - Owners only
Multi-salon creation - Owners only
Salon deletion - Owners only

For daily operations, Admin and Owner are nearly identical.

Can I be an Admin at multiple salons?

No. Staff accounts (including Admins) are assigned to one salon only. If you need to work across salons, ask the Owner about alternative arrangements.

Can I change my own role?

No. Role changes must be made by someone with higher or equal permissions—typically the Owner.

What happens if the Owner is unavailable?

Admins can handle nearly everything. The only actions requiring the Owner are:

Billing issues (payment failures, subscription changes)
Creating new salons
Ownership transfers

For emergencies, contact hello@luminate.salon.

Can I see what the Owner sees on their dashboard?

Yes. Admins see the same full dashboard as Owners, with all statistics and charts.

Can other Admins see my activity?

The system logs certain activities, but there's no dedicated "audit log" visible to users. The Owner may be able to see some activity through transaction and appointment history.

Last Updated: January 2026