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Hi everyone, it's Dave Parrish back with another Knack database topic. Today, we're diving into a critical issue that many businesses overlook: who actually owns your Knack account? Let's get right into it with some real-world examples and best practices to avoid potential pitfalls.
A Costly Oversight: The Case of the CRM
A couple of weeks ago, a new client came to me in a bit of a panic. They had been using a CRM and project management app for years, which was essential to their operations. They had put their office manager in charge of setting it up, and she did so using her personal email account. They were unaware of this until she left the company on bad terms. Since she had control over the account, she locked them out, leaving their business in chaos.
This situation was dire. They were running their entire business on this system and suddenly found themselves without access. I had to step in quickly to help rebuild their system. This experience highlights the importance of proper account ownership and the risks of not having control over critical business tools.
Another Client's Misstep: The Investment Firm's CRM
In another instance, I was hired by an investment banking firm to maintain and further develop their CRM. An internal employee had developed it but used his personal email address. While he didn't leave on bad terms, his departure still posed a risk. The first thing I noticed was that the account was under his personal email. I advised them to transition this to an email address under their own domain to maintain control.
Best Practices to Avoid Account Ownership Issues
Always Use a Company Email for Business Accounts When setting up critical business tools, always use an email address associated with your company's domain. This ensures that the company retains control, even if an employee leaves.
Regularly Update Account Owner Information Ensure that the account owner information is up-to-date. This includes the name and email address associated with the account. If there's a change in personnel, make sure the transition is smooth and the new owner's details are updated promptly.
Understand Terms of Service and Ownership Definitions Review the terms of service for any software or app you use. Some terms can be vague, like distinguishing between a "customer" and an "owner." Clarify these terms with the service provider if necessary to ensure you understand who holds control over the account.
Secure Backup and Recovery Options Ensure you have backup and recovery options in place. If you lose access to the primary account, you should have a way to recover it without relying on the previous owner's personal information.
Maintain Control Over Domain and Email Accounts Your domain and associated email accounts should always be under your control. This reduces the risk of losing access to critical business tools due to personnel changes.
Conclusion
In conclusion, proper account Knack ownership is crucial for the smooth operation of your business. Always use company-controlled email addresses, regularly update account information, understand service terms, and maintain control over your domain. These practices can save you from the chaos and disruption of losing access to essential business systems.
Thanks for tuning in, and I hope these insights help you avoid potential problems in the future. Stay vigilant and ensure your business tools are always within your control.
Full Transcript
0:00 Okay folks, stay perished back here uh with another video for you. I'm gonna get right into it today's topic. Who is the actual owner of your knack account and avoid a problem? 0:12 I'm gonna tell you quick stories Two weeks ago a company, a new client came to meet. And today we lost our app. 0:18 It's a CRM and project management app. It was pretty involved. Umm. They said we put our office manager. They've been using it for years. 0:26 Our office manager in charge of getting it put together. I think she built subs. She hired some folks like me. 0:32 But she put it in her own personal email account. They were never aware of that. And then two weeks ago she left on bad terms. 0:41 I don't know all the circumstances. But she, since she had control of it, she locked them out of it and wouldn't let them get back. 0:48 Again, umm. And they are me and I'm going to quick, very quick rebuild of this. But they're running their whole business on this. 0:56 They're active right now without their system to manufacture this thing. I'm going to tell you multi deals with this topic and what the best practice are to avoid a problem like this. 1:05 Thanks. Thank you.
0:00 Okay, back to this topic of account ownership. I'm gonna throw in another quick story. A couple weeks ago I was hired It was some investment banking firm out east. 0:11 They developed a CRM and they had one of their internal people develop it. And he used his own email address. 0:18 Now, he didn't leave on bad terms, but he did leave. And they hired me to sort of take over, maintain it, and further development. 0:25 First thing I saw, this is in this other guy's personal email account, man. You need to get this into something, ideally, that you can your own domain, that you have control over it. 0:34 Because if something happens, uh, in terms of relationship, or if something happened to him and you didn't have access to the credentials, it'd be a big problem. 0:42 But let's uh, let's look into it. The first thing in your account, you're going go to accounts. You're at your dashboard account. 0:50 Pretty clear. Account owner info. Name and email address. If you do have a change of person, make sure this is transitioned. 1:01 It should, a lot of times you might start an app, you're just clicking on and playing around. You create an account, maybe it's a trial, you move on and then it starts to develop and then all of a something important and it could have been lost, whose account this really was in, uhm. 1:17 You can usually see the account name up top. But more important is this email, it's also important if you want to transfer an app to someone else, you need permission from the owner which they established as this email address. 1:30 Uhm, so the first thing is you need to make sure this is in. Likely your, your own domain because you're going to have control over that. 1:40 Second, let's shift to their terms of service. There's something they establish who they are and they call it the customer. 1:48 I went through this terms of service thing. They never really call it the owner. I don't know if, to me it's slightly unclear. 1:57 I sent them an email and I'll post it on here if I get a good response. What's the difference between a customer and the owner and that email address. 2:06 And another thing here I saw. There's some other documentation. This I've seen a lot in my career, several years. I've dealt with this a lot. 2:16 The person who developed it, it's in a different email address. Now they're saying hey, uhm, do a, get, to get this right. 2:24 The credentials, do a lost password, reset the password. Well, it's not email under your control, you're not going to get it. 2:33 And then they mention this, which I found a little curious. If you're not able to reset the password. Provide your credit card information, last four digits, expiration, security code. 2:45 Uh, to establish that you're an account, you're the account owner. Uhm, this, that wording there seems to me, that that overrides this email address. 2:56 I'm not sure if that's true. Uhm, that's generally it. The important thing is, when you have an app, it's critical to your business, and you spend a lot of money on developing, make sure your domain, you have control of that. 3:12 It's really important. So, to avoid any of those potential problems. Thanks.
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