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Last updated: 2025-09-19


SmartCommissions - User Setup


Overview


To ensure security and control over the level of access that users have when using SmartCommissions, a SmartOffice administrator must assign each user only those SmartCommissions user rights and licenses that are appropriate to the user's job responsibilities. Appropriate permissions must also be assigned for the file types that the users will need to access.


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This section outlines the available user rights and licenses. The instructions assume that the administrator knows how to work with user accounts in SmartOffice. For detailed information about configuring user accounts, see User Accounts - Viewing and Editing.


Note: Administrators who are new to SmartCommissions may want to read all of the SmartCommissions documentation before deciding which user rights and licenses to assign to their users. At the very least, however, enable the CTM Administrator license for the user who will be performing SmartCommissions module setup.


Licenses


This section describes the available SmartOffice licenses related to commission tracking that the administrator can enable for user accounts.


SmartPolicies Licenses


The following commission-related licenses are located in the SmartPolicies section of the User Accounts - User Rights content link.


SmartCommissions - Advanced Licenses


The following commission-related licenses are located in the SmartCommissions - Advanced section of the User Accounts - User Rights content link.


  • CTM Administrator: This license enables access to all functions of the commission system. This includes carrier postings of commission checks, expected versus received reconciliation, all reporting functionality, mass projection and special utilities that enable the user to set up commission defaults and to mass modify commission records.
  • CTM Advisor View: This license enables the user to view commissions at the advisor level only, not at the supervisor or house levels of the commission hierarchy. The user can view the commission data associated with the advisor who is specified as the linked contact record in the user's preferences.

Note: The CTM Advisor View license should not be confused with the SmartView for Advisors module. The latter enables advisors to view their own data in SmartOffice.

  • CTM Supervisor View: This license enables the user to view commission data for advisor and supervisor levels of the commission hierarchy.
  • CTM House View: This license enables the user to access all levels of payment in the commission hierarchy.
  • CTM Processing: This license enables access to all processing functions of the commission system except mass projection, the Error Log, Update Commissionable Transactions and Commissions Setup. Users can access carrier postings of commission checks, expected versus received reconciliation, all reporting functionality and special utilities used to mass modify commission records.
  • SmartCommissions
  • Advisor: This license is for users who want to track advisor commissions only, without using contracts or establishing a hierarchy. This method of tracking commissions is covered separately in SmartCommissions for Advisors.

SmartCommissions - Base Licenses


The following commission-related licenses are located in the SmartCommissions - Base section of the User Accounts - User Rights content link.


  • SmartCommissions
  • Carrier Interface: This license enables the user to receive electronic downloads of commission data from insurance carriers. The license can be enabled independently of other SmartCommissions licenses. Even users who do not have access to SmartCommissions can enable this license. Used as a stand-alone interface, this feature can accept standard files from carriers and make the data available in advisor and policy records.
  • CTM
  • Advisor Payment Import: This license enables the user to import commission transactions (particularly non-policy commission transactions) that have been calculated outside of SmartOffice and simply need to be passed to the advisor on a commission statement and paid. For more information, see Advisor Payment Import.
  • Advisor Rep ID Maintenance: This license is used in conjunction with the CTM
  • Advisor Payment Import license to maintain the rep ID information necessary for linking the imported transactions to data in SmartOffice. For more information, see Advisor Payment Import.

User Rights


Mass Operation User Rights


The following commission-related user rights are located in the Mass Operation section of the User Accounts - User Rights content link.


  • Mass Deletion Commission Records: This user right should be enabled for any user who may need to delete and recreate expected commission records.

Advanced Advisor Management Features User Rights


The following commission-related user rights are located in the Advanced Advisor Management Features section of the User Accounts - User Rights content link.


  • Show Commissions Content Link to Non-CTM Users: This user right is intended for advisors who need to see their own commission data from SmartView for Advisors. This user right does not require the advisor to have a full SmartCommissions license. For that reason, it is highly restricted in terms of the data that the advisor can access.
  • Show Commissions SmartCheck Tab to Non-CTM Users: This user right is intended for advisors who need to see the checks that have been generated for them when signing in to SmartView for Advisors. The advisor can view only those checks that have been paid to the advisor.

Permissions


Permissions specify whether a user has read-only or full access to specific areas of SmartOffice. The following commission-related permissions are located on the User Accounts - Permissions content link.


  • Advisor/Agency: This permission specified whether the user can update an advisor's basic demographic information.
  • Commission Rate Information: This permission identifies whether a user can change rates or only view them.
  • Contracts/Appointments/Licensing: This permission specifies whether the user can modify the contract of an advisor.

Suggested Configurations by User Type


Here are some suggestions about which licenses to assign to users based on their particular roles in the office. Administrators who are unsure which licenses to assign to users can follow these suggestions for initial setup, then fine-tune license assignments later as needed.


Case Managers


The licenses that should be assigned to case managers depend on the level of advisor access they are given. If a case manager creates a case and the SmartCommissions module is enabled, projected commissions will be generated automatically, regardless of the case manager's SmartCommissions licenses. If the case manager requires no further access, then no SmartCommissions licenses are necessary.


If the case manager requires the ability to modify commission payouts or rates:


  • CTM Administrator or CTM Processing license
  • Commission Rate Entry license

If the case manager needs to project commissions:


  • CTM Administrator, CTM Advisor View, CTM Supervisor View or CTM House View license

If the case manager will establish the commission hierarchy for a new agent and assign a contract:


  • Advisor Contract/License Management license

Commission Department Employees


  • Commission Rate Entry license with appropriate permissions
  • SmartCommissions - Carrier Interface license
  • CTM Administrator or CTM Processing license
  • Advisor Contract/License Management license

Resource People who Maintain the Tables in the Database


  • CTM Rate Entry license with appropriate permissions

Management


  • CTM House View license

In-House Supervisors


  • CTM Supervisor View license

In-House Advisors


  • CTM Advisor View license

Licensing/Contracting User


  • Advisor License/Contract Management license