Published at: 2026-10-12

Manage External Organizations, departments, users, and roles

Establish downstream enterprises and accounts. Maintain organization relationships and business permissions.
📝
This guide uses updated interface screenshots and original screenshots that remain applicable.
If old menu Names or example data differ from this guide, follow the current entry points and confirmed instructions.

Before you begin

❗
  • Required Role: Manage enterprises, users, departments, and roles as an upstream External Administrator. Invitation-code connections require a downstream administrator’s cooperation.
  • Prerequisite configuration: Complete External Settings. Check required quota, account update synchronization, and Invitation Notification.
  • Related records: Prepare Valid Account or Partner and Contact records. Contact Mobile must contain a value for Batch activation.
  • Independent Tenant: To activate a downstream ShareCRM tenant, prepare connection quota, downstream quota, and a template enterprise.
  • Department management: Enable the External Department Plugin if departments determine downstream Data Range.
In Setup, go to External Management > External Users. Manage External Organizations and External Users there. After enabling External Department, you can also manage External Departments. Upstream relationships have a separate External Management > Upstream Info menu. Open Upstream Enterprises there, rather than the former External User tab. Maintain External Roles under External Management > External Roles.
This guide covers External Organizations, External Users, External Departments, and External Roles in order. Choose new records, Batch additions, or invitation-code connections according to your requirements. Assign existing roles when creating users. Use role configuration to add or change roles.

1. External Organizations

External Organizations represent downstream enterprises that do business with an upstream enterprise. The list supports creation, Batch addition, export, promotion analysis, usage analysis, invitation-code sharing, and enterprise group management. For individual enterprises, view details, Edit associations, or activate downstream tenants when eligible.
External Organization list and operation entry points

1.1 Create an External Organization

  1. In External Users > External Organizations, click New.
  2. Select the related Account or Related Partner. Check External User information populated from related records.
  3. Choose whether to activate a downstream ShareCRM tenant according to business requirements and purchased quota.
  4. For an independent tenant, select Template Enterprise to copy the required configuration.
  5. Check enterprise and association information, then submit.
    New External Organization and downstream tenant settings
  6. Return to the list and check the result. For tenants, also check activation and copy status.
Downstream model Result and completion requirements
No ShareCRM tenant activation Creates the External Organization and corresponding External Users directly. Downstream users access upstream External services
Activate a ShareCRM tenant Activates the downstream tenant, then copies template configuration. Both must succeed before corresponding administrators and employees are fully created and usable
⚠️
If activation or copying fails, provisioning is incomplete.
Resolve the failure and retry activation. Confirm both statuses succeed before Delivery to downstream users.
Connect existing ShareCRM tenants through invitation codes to avoid duplicate tenant provisioning.

1.2 Add External Organizations in Batch

For a large quantity of downstream enterprises, create External Organizations from existing Accounts or Partners.
  1. In the External Organization list, click Batch Add External Organizations.
  2. If the Partner object is enabled, select the enterprise source. SharePartner generally uses Partners; ShareOrder, ShareService, and ShareCRM FMCG generally use Accounts.
    Source selection for Batch External Organization addition
  3. Select records in the corresponding object list.
  4. If tenant activation appears, choose whether to activate it. Activate a tenant when the downstream enterprise needs its own CRM.
  5. Select the configuration template for independent tenant activation and initialization.
  6. Open External Role settings and information validation. Select roles shared by this Batch of External Users.
  7. Validate Mobile and enterprise name. Correct abnormal information or Remove ineligible records.
    Role assignment and information validation for Batch addition
  8. Submit and return to the External Organization list. Check creation results and applicable activation and copy status.
You cannot select Accounts or Partners that already have corresponding External Organizations. Resolve missing Contact Mobile, duplicate enterprise Names, or disabled related External Organizations before submitting. Tenant activation options depend on the current enterprise’s applicable quota.
Switch between these list Topics:
List Topic Data Range and operations
Active cooperation Enterprises with normal External Status can use External services. Supports disabling
All Includes active and discontinued cooperation. Use it to check whether an enterprise already exists
Discontinued cooperation Disabled enterprises can be enabled. To end cooperation permanently, Void them and delete them from the recycle bin
Disabling moves an enterprise to Discontinued Cooperation. It does not delete it immediately.

1.3 Connect a downstream enterprise through an invitation code

Connect two enterprises through invitation codes when both already have ShareCRM tenants. Non-paying enterprises without External quota can also request connections using paying enterprises’ invitation codes.
  1. As the upstream administrator, select Send Our Invitation Code from the External Organization list’s additional operations.
  2. Copy the code and provide it to the downstream administrator.
  3. As the downstream administrator, enable Connect to Upstream Enterprise under External Settings > Basic Settings.
  4. Open External Management > Upstream Info. On Upstream Enterprises, click + to open Enter Invitation Code.
  5. Enter the upstream enterprise’s code and click Submit to request a connection.
    Enter an upstream invitation code through Upstream Info
  6. As the upstream administrator, approve under External Chats > External Enterprise Connections > My Approvals. If no message arrives, use More > Approve Connection Requests.
  7. After connecting, create External Users and assign External Roles according to the management model.
📝
An enterprise Interconnection does not give every downstream employee an external account or permission.
Complete user and role configuration after connecting. Check enterprise relationships and user authorization separately.
When a downstream tenant adds its representatives as External Users, the system matches Contacts using name and Mobile. It searches under the External Organization’s related Account or Related Partner. Successful matches populate Associated Contact. Unmatched records are not populated automatically.

1.4 Usage analysis

Open Usage Analysis from the External Organization list. Review usage and Number of Users for this week, last week, this month, or last month.
Downstream enterprise usage analysis
Usage analysis shows enterprise-wide usage. For account entitlement checks, review User License on the External Organization or External User. For completed login, review activation information.

1.5 Individual enterprise details, editing, disconnection, associations, activation, and export

View details

Click an enterprise name to open its details panel. Check enterprise name, status, and associations, and review its External Users.
External Organization details and downstream users
Management model user maintenance responsibility
Enterprise-managed upstream maintains downstream External Users, including Add and disable operations
Self-Management downstream maintains its own personnel. Upstream does not replace downstream personnel maintenance. Downstream maintains its External Users in the corresponding upstream enterprise details
The former “Our Representatives” entry is now Related Team. Add upstream employees who work with the downstream enterprise to define their business engagement scope.

Edit and associate

Open Edit for an External Organization and maintain information permitted for its downstream model.
  • Downstream without a Tenant: upstream can Edit Company Name and abbreviation.
  • Downstream with a Tenant: upstream cannot change the downstream Company Name. Downstream updates it in its own tenant’s enterprise information settings.
  • Related records: If only an Account is linked, add a Partner where permitted. If only a Partner is linked, add an Account. Maintain these associations through Edit rather than the old association process. Complete, accurate associations cannot be edited repeatedly.
For downstream enterprises using SharePartner and other External Apps, check that Account and Partner associations meet each business requirement.
Edit External Organization and association information

Disable or disconnect

Disabling an External Organization moves it from Active Cooperation to Discontinued Cooperation. Downstream users can no longer use upstream External services. Downstream enterprises without tenants also lose access to corresponding Business Data.
⚠️
If upstream provisioned the downstream tenant, disconnection reclaims its CRM quota. The entitlement expires within two weeks, releasing the corresponding upstream quota.
Restoring the External Organization does not automatically restore reclaimed CRM quota.
downstream must activate the relevant edition to continue using its own CRM.
To Restore cooperation, enable the enterprise in Discontinued Cooperation. To delete permanently, first Void it, then delete it from the recycle bin.

Activate a downstream tenant

When upstream has applicable downstream quota, Activate can appear for individual External Organizations. It creates a CRM tenant for a downstream enterprise without ShareCRM to manage its own business.
Select a template enterprise during activation. Check tenant activation and configuration copy results. Maintain shared template settings in External Settings. Do not create duplicate template configuration here.

Export

Use Export in the list or relevant operations. External Organizations use a dedicated export capability that differs from Standard Object export.

1.6 Manage enterprise groups

Enterprise groups organize External Organizations by Region, Product Line, or similar dimensions. They simplify selection of downstream enterprises for data synchronization and sharing.
  1. In External Users > External Organizations, open Enterprise Group Management from the upper-right additional menu.
  2. Add group dimensions, such as domestic Regions or Product Lines.
  3. Add enterprise group Names under each dimension.
  4. Add External Organizations to custom groups. Remove members or Edit Basic Info as needed.
    Enterprise group dimensions and membership
  5. For many dimensions, groups, or members, click Import. Select the business object and Record Type. Choose Add New Data or Update Existing Data. Prepare and upload the file using Download date template. Check notification settings and click Start Import.
    Batch enterprise group import
Group source Maintenance rules
System standard Generated from the related Account or Related Partner Record Type. Does not support manual administrator maintenance
Custom Supports new dimensions and group Names, Basic Info editing, and adding or removing External Organizations
📝
Select External Organizations for enterprise groups, rather than original Account or Partner records.
Removing group membership is different from disabling, disconnecting, or deleting an enterprise.

2. External Users

External Users are accounts for External services, with enterprise and individual types. Both have an External Organization field. Enterprise-type External Organizations appear in the enterprise list. Corresponding individual-type information does not appear there. Distinguish field availability from list display.

2.1 Manage External Users

Add External Users

  1. In the External User list, click Add External User.
  2. Select the related External Organization.
  3. Select Associated Contact. Check the automatically populated user name and Mobile.
  4. Set primary owner, manager, and other attributes according to responsibilities. Assign External Roles.
  5. If External Departments are enabled, set Primary External Department and required Secondary External Department assignments.
    Add External User and configure department and role
  6. Submit and check enterprise, Contact, role, and department membership.
Individual External Users are created by Self-Registration. You cannot create them manually here. For full-record and lightweight registration methods, see Registration Configuration in External Settings.

Primary owner, manager, and department attributes

Attribute Meaning and restrictions
Primary owner Only one per External Organization. Can view other External Users’ data within the enterprise. Without a tenant, can manage enterprise users and roles through User Management in the WeChat Official Account menu
Manager Multiple managers per enterprise. Can view all External Users’ data in that enterprise. Typically assigned to downstream Business Owners
Primary External Department and Secondary External Department Defines organization membership and corresponding Data Range after External Departments are enabled
Combine these attributes with app object settings and External Data Permission. They do not imply functional access to every app.
When upstream creates an External Organization and activates its tenant, the primary owner is usually the downstream system administrator. The identities can differ after downstream assigns another administrator. Account Update Synchronization also offers an option linking upstream primary owner assignment to the corresponding downstream employee’s system administrator identity. Check actual settings. Do not universally equate primary owner with system administrator.

View External User details

Click a user name to open details. Check Basic Info, Associated Contact, related External Organization, External Roles, and account binding information.
External User details and account binding
User License on External Organizations and users identifies the License type for quota, additional purchase, and renewal checks. After login, activation information changes to Activated.

Edit External Users

Maintain permitted information according to the enterprise’s management model:
  • With a tenant under enterprise-managed mode, upstream can change External User name and roles.
  • Under Self-Management, downstream maintains its own personnel. Upstream can change only corresponding External Roles.
Edit External Users
Account Update Synchronization determines whether basic account deletions or updates affect related records or downstream employees. Check both parties’ maintenance responsibilities before making changes.

Disable External Users

Disable accounts when users no longer need External services. Disabled users move from Active Cooperation to Discontinued Cooperation. To delete permanently, first Void the user, then delete it from the recycle bin.
Account synchronization settings can also affect downstream employees. A list status change alone does not describe the full impact.

Transfer ownership

Use Transfer Owner to change the External Organization’s primary owner. Each enterprise supports only one primary owner. Check the new person and management scope.
Without a tenant, the primary owner can maintain enterprise users and roles through the configured WeChat User management entry. With a tenant, check whether primary owner assignment also changes the downstream system administrator identity.

Set managers

Set Business Owners as managers when they need to view all External User data in the enterprise. Multiple managers are supported. They do not occupy the unique primary owner position.

Related Team

Related Team defines the upstream employees working with the downstream enterprise. Maintain membership by responsibility and include all employees who need to participate.

3. External Departments

Enable External Departments when larger downstream enterprises need department-specific Data Permission. This capability is available to all enterprises. Enable it under External Settings > Basic Settings > Business Plugin to add the External Department object.

3.1 Create External Departments

  1. In the External Department list, click New External Department.
  2. Select a permitted organization or department type and enter the relevant information according to your Org Structure.
  3. Set Parent External Department according to Record Type. Check the hierarchy and complete creation.
    New External Department and Parent settings
  4. Set corresponding primary and Secondary Departments during user maintenance to establish department membership.
Enterprise-type departments are automatically generated when External Organizations are created. You cannot create them manually here. Organization-type departments require upstream Multi-Org activation.

3.2 View External Department details

Open department details from the list. Review Basic Info and External Users in the department. Check personnel and organization membership.
External Department details and users

3.3 Edit External Departments

Use Edit to maintain permitted department information and hierarchy. Before changing the Parent, check the Record Type restrictions below and review affected users’ Data Range.
Edit External Department

3.4 Void External Departments

You can Void an External Department only when it has no Child departments or External Users. Check both before proceeding.
Void failure when Child departments or users exist
The screenshot shows a Void failure. Resolve existing Child department or External User associations before voiding the department.

3.5 Department types, hierarchy, and permissions

Record Type Creation and Parent scope
Enterprise Auto-Generate when an External Organization is created; manual creation is unavailable. Departments of other External Organizations can be selected as Parents
Organization Available after upstream enables Multi-Org. Parent must be an External Department in the same External Organization
Department Maintained according to the downstream Org Structure. Parent must be an External Department in the same External Organization
After department management is enabled, the enterprise’s primary owner becomes the enterprise-type External Department’s owner. Enterprise managers become its assistants. Department Manager and assistants have Data Permission for the entire department. Parent External Departments can view Child department scope.
Configure organization membership, department Data Range, and External Role functional permissions separately. A department hierarchy does not replace role or app authorization.

4. External Roles

Upstream enterprises have an External Roles menu for assignment and functional permission management. When acting as downstream, maintain your users under each corresponding upstream relationship. Do not use Standalone Configuration in your downstream tenant to define the other upstream enterprise’s roles.

4.1 Role assignment

Open External Roles > Role Assignment. Maintain authorization from either all users or an individual role.

View and Edit all External Users’ roles

  1. Under External Roles > Role Assignment, select All External Users in the role list.
  2. Search the right-hand user list. Review primary role and all assigned roles.
    Role assignment and all External Users
  3. Click Edit for a user and select External Roles according to responsibilities.
  4. Check roles and Primary Role. Optionally select Do Not Update Primary Role for Users with an Existing Primary Role, then click OK.
    Edit External User roles
With All External Users selected, these operations are also available:
Operation Behavior and Business Scenario
Delete user roles Deletes all roles except default roles after confirmation. Deletes assignments, rather than the user account
Copy roles to Employees Copies the current user’s roles to other External Users. Useful when a Batch needs identical role configuration

Manage External Users by role

  1. Select the External Role to maintain.
  2. Click Add External User. Select users and corresponding roles, then complete the addition.
  3. In that role’s user list, Remove assignments or select Set as Primary Role as needed.
    Maintain users and primary roles by role
The role list is grouped by External App by default. New Custom Roles belong to Custom Role. External Users can be added to every role.
📝
The role list in Role Assignment supports adding Custom Roles only. It does not support editing or deleting definitions.
Use Permission Settings to change Names, available apps, or delete roles.

4.2 Permission Settings

Open External Roles > Permission Settings to configure object functional permissions and available apps. The list contains Business Roles plus two base roles: Enterprise user and Individual user.
External Role permissions and available apps
Base role Applicable accounts
Enterprise user Enterprise external accounts for Dealers, agents, Service Providers, and similar organizations
Individual user Individual external accounts for consumers and individual terminal users. Applicability depends on actual account type, rather than business labels alone

Create roles

  1. Under External Roles > Permission Settings, click new role.
  2. Enter the role name and description.
  3. Select Available Apps. Copy an existing role during creation if you need its permissions.
  4. Configure corresponding object functional permissions, check them, and complete creation.
  5. Return to Role Assignment and assign the role to External Users who require it.

Edit roles

In Permission Settings, Edit the role name, description, and available apps. Maintain object functional permissions.
Standard External Roles support only External Apps of the same type. They cannot include other app types. App-specific business objects, External Data Permission, and detailed views remain covered by their respective guides. See Initialize and configure External Apps.

Delete roles

Delete the role in Permission Settings. Read the Reminder and confirm the impact.
⚠️
Deleting a role affects functional permissions for assigned users.
Deleting a definition differs from removing one user’s assignment. Check assigned users and dependent apps first.

Verify configuration

  • Related Accounts and Partners are correct. Tenant activation and copying succeed where applicable.
  • Invitation-code connections are approved. External Users and roles are configured separately.
  • Contacts, Mobile, department membership, and roles match actual business responsibilities.
  • Each enterprise has one primary owner. Manager scope is appropriate. Downstream system administrator identity matches tenant source and synchronization settings.
  • department types and Parent scope meet restrictions. Owners’ and assistants’ Data Range matches the Org Structure.
  • roles, primary roles, and available apps match account types and job responsibilities.

Related topics

Submit Feedback
Previous
Configure External Settings
Next
Initialize External Apps and open configuration