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GZ Staff Logging into Community via SSO/Active Directory

Updated
The Goal: Give GrowthZone employees instant access to any customer Community site by logging in via SSO through Active Directory, so GZ staff can assist on any customer Community site immediately upon receiving a call, email, chat, or ticket.

Before You Begin:

  • You must be a GrowthZone employee with Active Directory/SSO credentials.
  • Have the customer's Community site URL ready (for example, https://customersitename.junolive.com).
  • CAUTION: Notifications are sent for various activities across the platform. Engaging within the front end of the platform will be visible to all community members either on the pages, in the form of notifications within the platform, or within their email notifications (such as the daily digest). It is encouraged to try and reproduce issues in a test environment rather than testing in customers' live platforms.

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Copy the URL to the customer's Community site and paste it into a new tab/window (or a notepad document).
  2. Add the query string parameter ?is_staff_login=1 to the end of the URL. The URL for GZ Staff to log in to a customer Community site should look like: https://customersitename.junolive.com/?is_staff_login=1
  3. Log in via Active Directory/SSO. The “GrowthZone Staff” permission level is automatically assigned when logging in with this query string parameter. This will also change your role if you were previously listed as a Site Admin or Member.

  4. For your own test/demo sites, it is recommended to not use this query string parameter so your user account on those sites retains full access to all features as a regular Site Admin.

How “GrowthZone Staff” appears on the frontend of the platform

  • Not able to be found in:
    • Site search
    • Site level directory
    • Messenger (Messenger is completely disabled)
    • Profile page (not found by others, but GZ staff can access their own)
  • Are able to be seen/found when:
    • Adding themselves to groups on the community platform
    • Engaging via the discussion/feed at either the global or group levels
    • Clicking to “attend” and/or joining Sessions/Meetings globally or within groups
    • Engaging in LMS courses
    • Uploading resources
  • Not able to engage with private calls (all users in the directory will appear disabled for a GrowthZone employee).

How “GrowthZone Staff” appears on the backend of the platform (in the Site Settings/Admin area)

  • Will be listed in the full list of users with the new role of “GrowthZone Staff”.
  • This permission/role level cannot be changed, so that:
    • Our customers are not able to remove our GZ Staff permissions.
    • Our customers and their members are not able to be assigned the GZ Staff permission.
    • A new filter option is available to see all users with this new permission level.
  • Will be included in all analytics and reporting.

Common Pitfalls

  • Testing in a live customer environment: Engaging on the front end of a customer's live Community is visible to members through pages, in-platform notifications, and email digests. Reproduce issues in a test environment whenever possible.
  • Using the staff query string on your own demo sites: Adding ?is_staff_login=1 to your own test/demo site login limits your account to GZ Staff permissions instead of full Site Admin access. Omit the parameter on those sites.

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