Dashboard & navigation
basicFind your way around: where you land after signing in, the sidebar, the top bar, search, notifications, and the AI Copilot.
Apolaris AI puts your whole business in one place, so the numbers you see always agree with each other — no copy-pasting between spreadsheets or jumping between disconnected apps. This page explains where you land after signing in and how to move around.
Where you land after signing in
Apolaris AI does not send everyone to the same screen. After you sign in, the system routes you based on your privileges:
- Managers and report users (anyone with the View reports privilege, or a domain manager) land on the admin dashboard — the KPI home page described below.
- Everyone else (front-desk and other staff without report access) lands in the employee portal — the point-of-sale workspace known as Caja. See The employee portal.
This split is by design. The admin dashboard is privilege-gated, so if you don't have report access you won't see it at all — you go straight to the portal where you do your daily work.
If you expect to see the KPI dashboard but keep landing in the portal, you're missing the View reports privilege. Ask a manager to grant it. See Users & privileges.
The dashboard at a glance
The dashboard brings performance, camera evidence and monthly goals together, in that order. Managers and users with the View reports privilege can open it. Every figure respects their organization and branch access.
Business performance, goals and rewards
The left sidebar
The sidebar lists every feature you have access to, grouped into collapsible sections (for example Bookings, Services, Inventory, Sales).
- Click a section heading (accordion button) to expand or collapse it.
- Click any item to open that page.
- Collapse sections you don't use often to keep the menu tidy.
You only see the items your privileges allow, so the menu stays focused on what you actually do. For example, the Add Service link only appears if you're a manager or have the relevant service privilege.
If your organization uses the employee portal, managers and portal-enabled users also see a POS Portal shortcut pinned to the bottom of the sidebar.
The top bar
Across the top of every page you'll find a fixed set of controls. From left to right on the right-hand side:
| Control | Icon | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Quick search | magnifying glass | Jump to customers, bookings, and more (see below). |
| Calendar | calendar | One-click shortcut to the booking calendar. |
| AI Copilot | robot | Open the in-app assistant panel from any page. |
| Notifications | bell | Alerts and updates that need your attention. |
| My profile | avatar / person | Opens your profile page directly. See Your profile. |
| Logout | sign-out arrow | Signs you out. |
There is no theme toggle and no "site switcher" in the top bar. The look (theme) is an organization-wide setting, and which sites you can see is controlled by your account — not by a top-bar control. Both are covered below.
The profile control is a direct link
The avatar (or person icon) is not a dropdown menu. Clicking it takes you straight to your profile page. Signing out is a separate button — the sign-out arrow at the far right of the top bar.
The AI Copilot button
The robot icon opens the AI Copilot, the in-app assistant. It's available on every page in the CRM, so you can ask questions or get help without leaving what you're doing. See AI Assistant (Copilot) for what it can do.
The organization switcher (multi-organization users only)
If your account belongs to more than one organization, a small organization selector appears in the top bar (next to the page title). Choose an organization to switch the whole app to that tenant's data. If you only belong to one organization, this selector does not appear.
This switcher changes the organization (tenant) you're working in — not a single location. It only shows for users who have been granted access to additional organizations.
Using global search
- Click the Quick search box in the top bar.
- Start typing a name, phone number, or keyword.
- Pick a result to go straight to that record.
Search saves you from clicking through menus when you already know what you're looking for.
How notifications work
The bell lights up when something needs your attention, such as a new request or an approval. Click it to open your notifications list, then click an item to jump to the related page. It's how the system reaches you, instead of you having to check every section manually.
Where the theme is set
The look of the app (its theme) is set per organization, not per user, and there are three choices: Light, Dark, and Blue. There is no per-user theme toggle in the top bar. A manager changes it in Organization Settings, and the choice applies to everyone in that organization. See Organization settings.
On your phone
On a small screen the sidebar tucks away as a slide-out drawer to save space.
- Tap the menu (hamburger) button to open the drawer.
- Tap a section, then an item, to navigate.
- Tap outside the drawer or the menu button again to close it.
The full CRM is responsive on mobile; the installable app experience is specific to the employee portal (Caja). See Using Apolaris on mobile.
Which sites you can see
Apolaris AI scopes data to the sites your account is allowed to see. Managers see all sites in the organization; everyone else sees the sites their employee record is assigned to, plus any sites explicitly granted to them. This is account-level visibility, not a switch you flip — see Site visibility for the full picture.