Article summary: Automated user management on Speakap relies on seamless access to your organization's employee records. This guide covers how to properly structure your employee data fields, choose between API and SFTP connection methods, and coordinate synchronization frequencies.
To automatically manage your workforce within Speakap, the platform requires direct access to your corporate employee records. Speakap utilizes the information provided in this master record to securely invite, remove, and manage your employees across the network.
1. Structuring Your Employee Record
To successfully provision and add new users to your network, your employee record must be structured with specific mandatory data points alongside highly recommended optional fields.
| Field Type | Data Field | Purpose & Technical Requirements |
| Required (for inviting & deleting) | Employee ID | Used to uniquely identify individual users within your internal records and accurately match them to user profiles in Speakap. This value must be unique for every individual. |
| Optional (for group management) | Location(s) | Used to automatically place the user into the proper localized business unit group(s) within Speakap. This can be a description or code. |
| Optional (for group management) | Department(s) | Used to automatically place the user within the proper structural department group(s) within Speakap. This can be a description or code. |
| Optional | Name | Used to pre-fill the display name of the employee. This data should preferably be separated into distinct First name and Last name fields. |
| Optional | Job Title | Used to pre-fill the job title field in your employee’s public profile. This field can also be utilized to dynamically determine a user’s role within the network. |
| Optional | Phone Number | Used to pre-fill the phone number contact field in your employee’s profile. |
| Optional | UPN | This field is strictly required in cases where your organization implements Single Sign-On (SSO). |
2. Technical Methods for Accessing Records
To successfully manage your user sync, Speakap accommodates two standard technical solutions for accessing your external employee files.
Method A: API-Based Connection
Many modern HR management tools feature an integrated API or connector that allows third-party software developers like Speakap to programmatically fetch your employee records. For example, the HR platform AFAS supports this integration architecture via their native "Get Connector".
- Deliverables: Your organization must provide valid login credentials for your specific HR tool or connector to grant Speakap access.
Method B: SFTP Connection
If your HR tool does not possess an active API, or if the API cannot be utilized for your deployment, Speakap provides a secure SFTP server to facilitate data synchronization.
- Authentication Options: Speakap can configure an SFTP account for you using secure key authentication, or your organization can provide Speakap with credentials to connect directly to an internally hosted SFTP location to fetch the data.
- File Formats: The employee record can be delivered in multiple common file formats, ranging from .xls to .csv and .xml files.
- Formatting Templates: You can download our Example employee record CSV or Example employee record XLS to model your data schema.
SFTP Connection Deliverables Matrix:
- Your Responsibility: You must provide the specific IP address(es) from where your system's SFTP connection will be initiated. You are also responsible for regularly uploading the actual employee record to the SFTP server.
- Speakap's Responsibility: Speakap will generate and provide the unique login credentials for your designated SFTP account.
3. Custom Alternatives & Synchronization Frequency
- Alternative Custom Solutions: If neither the API connection nor the SFTP server method is compatible with your organization's IT infrastructure, Speakap will need to collaborate with you to explore alternative data-sharing methods. You could upload files in Speakap’s User Sync manually for example. Please note that designing an alternative solution can have a major impact on your standard implementation timelines.
- Processing Frequency: Once Speakap secures access to your employee record, an ongoing processing frequency must be established. Speakap’s technical preference is to synchronize data on a daily basis. However, if your operations require files to be processed more or less often, inform our team and we will adjust the User Sync application configuration accordingly.