External-client workspaces

Create one when the data belongs to a client. The workspace is billed on its own, it names the client’s data owner, and that person is invited as a free observer.

Only admins of your organisation can create a workspace. On the free plan, “Create workspace” opens the upgrade form as soon as your organisation has one workspace (“Free plan allows 1 workspace per organisation”), so your organisation needs a paid plan first.

Create one#

1. Open your organisation’s “Overview” and choose “Create workspace”.
2. “Name”: name the workspace.
3. “Ownership”: pick “For an external organisation”. The screen describes it as “A separate data-ownership and billing context.”
4. “Owning organisation”: the client organisation that owns the data.
5. “Data owner email”: the person at the client who owns this data. They must be outside your organisation.
6. “Access”: keep “Everyone in your organisation”. The other two options need a paid plan on the workspace, and a new one starts free.
7. “Review”: check that “Ownership” reads “Separate (client)”, then choose “Create workspace”.

If the data owner is one of your own people, the screen refuses: “This data owner is already in your organisation. For an external client, name someone outside it, or create an internal workspace instead.”

What happens next#

• The data owner gets an email invite to join as an observer. They join when they accept it, signed in with that email address. This invite stays valid for 30 days.
• You become the workspace’s admin.
• The workspace’s plan badge ends in “(partner)”, for example “Free (partner)”, with the note “Billed separately, not part of the organisation’s plan.”

Billing and limits#

The workspace starts on its own free plan, whatever plan your organisation has. Who counts the free limits depends on your organisation’s plan:

• Your organisation is on a paid plan: the limits count for this workspace alone.
• Your organisation is on Free too: the workspace shares your organisation’s free allowance. Its “Free plan allowance” card reads “Shared across all workspaces in this organisation”.

The ones you meet first:

• 5 hours of recorded audio a month, and at most 1 hour per conversation. Nothing that was recorded is ever locked.
• One project, two chats a month with 20 questions each, and one report a month.

To arrange a paid plan, open the workspace’s settings and go to “Usage and billing”. It reads “This workspace is billed separately”. Choose “Tell us what you need”: a short form, then a call with dembrane, then an offer. For prices, ask dembrane.

Seats are counted on this workspace’s own account:

• A colleague you add takes a seat here, on top of their seat on your organisation’s plan.
• An external collaborator takes a seat. An observer does not.

Your organisation’s “Billing” page lists the workspace under “Workspaces billed separately”, with a “Manage” button.

Who can find it#

A new client workspace is set to “Everyone in your organisation”: “Anyone in your organisation can find this workspace. Admins can join; members can request access.” Your organisation’s admins can open it without joining.

To close it to colleagues, put the workspace on a paid plan first (“Private workspaces come with a paid plan.”). Then open workspace settings, “General”, “Access”, pick “Invite only” or “Private”, and choose “Save access”.

The client’s logo#

A logo is not special to client workspaces. Any workspace on Changemaker or above can set one in workspace settings, “General”, “Logo”. Participants see it in the portal.

Related#

• Observer & external collaborators
• Data ownership & handoff
• Organisations & workspaces
• Tiers & billing
• Visibility & discovery