> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.dirtview.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Employees vs. External Contacts

> Employees log in and hold a role. External contacts are a directory you route things to. Picking the wrong one is the most common setup mistake.

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<Video id="80.1" />

<Warning>
  **The most common setup mistake in DirtView.** Get this one right and you'll avoid a week of confusion.
</Warning>

## The difference

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Employees" icon="user">
    **People who log in.** They have an account, a role, and they do work in DirtView — write RFIs, fill forms, approve tickets.

    Your own staff.
  </Card>

  <Card title="External Contacts" icon="address-book">
    **People you send things to.** They're a shared directory. No login, no role.

    The architect, the owner's rep, suppliers, the GC's PE.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## How to decide, every time

Ask one question: **does this person need to log in and do work in DirtView?**

* Yes → Employee.
* No, I just need to send them things and record that I did → External Contact.

<Tip>
  When you're not sure, make them an External Contact. Upgrading later is easy; you're not paying for a seat they don't use, and you haven't given a login to somebody outside your company.
</Tip>

## What goes wrong

| Mistake                             | What you see                                                                   |
| ----------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Architect added as an Employee      | A login nobody uses, a role that doesn't fit, and a seat spent                 |
| Your own foreman added as a Contact | He can't sign in, and you spend a day on "permissions" that aren't the problem |

## Next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Add an employee" icon="user-plus" href="/people/add-an-employee">
    Pending Invite, Active, Inactive.
  </Card>

  <Card title="The six roles" icon="shield-halved" href="/people/built-in-roles">
    Who to assign to whom.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>