Accessing and Switching Between Branches in Pulse

HQ staff can step into any branch workspace, manage it as if they were a local team member, then step back out to HQ. The access model is built around sessions — you are either in HQ context or in a specific branch context at any moment.

HQ admin access

HQ admins can switch into any active branch at any time directly from the Branches list. No invitation or special setup is required. Click a branch to open its detail, then use the Switch Into Branch action to enter that branch's workspace.

Non-admin HQ staff access

Non-admin staff at HQ do not automatically have access to branches. An HQ admin must grant them Switcher Access to specific branches using the HQ Access panel on the branch detail page. Once granted, those staff can switch into the branches they have been given access to. Access can be revoked at any time by the HQ admin.

What a branch session means

When you switch into a branch, Pulse gives you a branch-scoped session. From that point:

• All data you see, create, and manage belongs to the branch — projects, clients, tickets, inventory, and everything else.
• You have no visibility into HQ data or other branches while in this session.
• The Branches management page is hidden while you are in a branch session (you would need to exit first to manage branches from HQ).
• The group dashboard and HQ-level views are also unavailable from within a branch session.

You can only be in one branch session at a time. Switching directly from one branch to another requires exiting to HQ first.

Returning to HQ

An exit action in the branch workspace returns you to your HQ session. All HQ data and branch management tools become available again immediately.

Branch staff: what they see

Staff who belong to a branch — not HQ staff switching in — log in directly to their branch workspace. They never see HQ data or other branches. Their Pulse experience is exactly the same as any other Pulse user, just scoped to their branch. They do not know about, or have access to, the group layer at all.

Practical use cases for switching

• An HQ admin reviews a branch's open invoices or overdue milestones after seeing them flagged in the group dashboard.
• An HQ operations manager creates a project on behalf of a branch that is short-staffed.
• An HQ manager troubleshoots a branch ticket or resolves a client issue that the branch team escalated.