Before you deactivate a user, there are a few key steps to take to ensure a seamless transition. This article will walk you through everything you need to do to transfer Lead or Customer records and revoke access properly.
Getting Started
Only Administrators can deactivate users. Here’s how:
Go to: Settings ➡️ Users
Find & select the user you want to deactivate.
Review & update their settings in each relevant tab, especially the System tab—this is crucial for fully deactivating the account.
Is there anything I should do before deactivating a user?
One tip to make transferral of records easier
When you deactivate a user, all their Lead and Customer records will automatically be set to Unassigned.
However, other record types may still show the user’s name in the Owner field until you manually reassign them.
To make this process easier, we recommend creating a Work Stack for each record type (e.g., customers, tasks) and filtering by the Owner field. This will display all records currently assigned to that user, allowing you to reassign them in bulk before deactivation.
Need help on reassignment? 🤔
Follow this article on how to reassign opportunities from an Opportunity Work stack. You will have a similar option (either Reassign, Reassign Owner or Update Owner) to transfer records for Leads, Customers, Tasks, Quotes, and Sales Order stacks.
Can I re-allocate/reassign the user's records in bulk via a spreadsheet? (permission based)
Yes! If you need to transfer multiple records at once, you can also do this using a spreadsheet.
Export a populated customer file from the Data Manager.
Filter the "Owner" column to display records assigned to the specific user you’re deactivating.
Update the "Owner" field to the name of the user to whom you want to reassign these records.
Remove any records and columns you do not wish to update—keep only the "Owner" column and all mandatory columns.
Save & close the file, ensuring it’s in the correct format.
Import the file back into the system as a Customer Upsert to apply the changes.
🙋♀️Curious about Data Manager?
We've got you covered with this article: How to use Data Manager.
Essential Checks before deactivating/disabling a user
To ensure a smooth deactivation, follow these best practices and update the necessary settings.
System Tab
Make sure the following settings are unticked:
▶️ Active
▶️ View Only My Records
▶️ API Login Allowed
▶️ Default Case Watcher
Memberships
Department Memberships: Untick all departments.
Shared Calendar Department: Set to "--Please select a business unit--"
Shared Calendar Mode: Set to "Hide All"
Default Browsing Group (Widget): Set to "--No Group--"
Custom Report Access Group: Set to "--No Group--"
Contact Preferences (Communication Tab)
Notification Schemes: Ensure all are unticked.
Other Settings
Signature, Telephony, and Information: No changes are needed unless an * Asterisk phone system is in use.
Final Cleanup
To prevent unnecessary notifications and access, check these settings at the top menu:
▶️ Digests: Remove any feed subscriptions.
▶️ Subscriptions: Ensure no scheduled subscriptions remain.