Disable License Request Features

pgi_cloudarchive

Ability to disable user license request functions within the Enterprise Admin Console so unlicensed users cannot request licenses through the Smartsheet dashboard.

David Goshorn

We have hundreds of users and get a bunch of requests for licenses that aren't needed. Please make it so we can remove the big green button and banner. We pay lot for this product we should be able to manage who can request licenses.

Thank you,

David Goshorn

pcookhayboo

I would like to second this. I have hundreds of requests from users who simply click the button because they can.

Cleversheet

It's annoying, and wasteful, that hundreds of people in our organization get enticed to tap a button that we're never going to approve. We have a limited team who does all the licensed dev work in Smartsheet, and none of us need to be bothered with declining requests for licenses.

I very much agree with @David Goshorn that it's unseemly for Smartsheet to market licenses to our internal users without our consent.

Mike McNamara

I understand Smartsheet looking at this as an easy way for users to request licenses. But the impact as an admin who needs to maintain proper license counts is just the opposite - it is not making things easier for us. I think the best solution is to make it an admin setting to show or hide this button, allowing each admin to determine what works best for their organization.

IvyAdmin

I would like the ability to disable user license request functions within the Enterprise Admin Console so unlicensed users cannot request licenses through the Smartsheet dashboard. Users are complaining when they request licenses, they are denied and educated that they don't actually NEED a license to do what they need to do.

Users are complaining to leadership about this and it's an impact on me professionally.

Rick Olsen

Yep, this is a huge pain point.

John Stonebraker

I agree - I feel the same pain. I've gotten to the point where I no longer even respond to these. I ignore them completely. Anyone who really needs a license will eventually ask directly. I would like to suggest that only appears when people try to do something requiring a license. "You have attempted an action that requires a license. If you need that functionality, click here to request a license."

Jason at Genuen

On 1/18/2023, Smartsheet responded: "This change is not part of our current plan.... We think it's important to make sure our unlicensed users have a clear path to requesting a license."

The use of "our unlicensed users" makes it sound like from Smartsheet's perspective these are orphaned users, i.e. they are not members of any parent organization. If instead these users are unlicensed members of an admin's parent organization, can we agree that admins should have a vote around how to handle their licensing? In other words, once a member of an organization, they become less "Smartsheet's" unlicensed users and more "the Organization's" unlicensed users?

Here are two options that were suggested above after the latest comment from Smartsheet, on 1/20/2023 and 2/2/2023, respectively:

1. "make it an admin setting to show or hide this button" <--- could only apply to members of the admin's organization
2. "only [show] when people try to do something requiring a license. 'You have attempted an action that requires a license. If you need that functionality, click here to request a license.'"

FWIW, none of our other SaaS tools send the admin nuisance requests for licenses from unlicensed members, so maybe you could reconsider? Thanks!

Cleversheet

Smartsheet, could you please articulate why you regard it as important for hundreds of our internal users—who receive business process notifications from us but will never, under any circumstances, be granted a license under our account—to "have a clear path to requesting a license"?

ecopit

The title speaks for itself.

Remove the "Upgrade" button and the "Request License" features on accounts that have licensed users. This is misleading, and causes a lot of issues for admins having to explain why it looks like we are missing licenses when in fact most of these users don't NEED a license. If you want to make this on by default, fine. But UX is more important than sales when we are already paying. Do better.

JoeKinne

A Simple way for Smartsheet to manage this would be to add a toggle in the admin center where we can choose to allow or block that functionality as required as a company Policy. This is already being done for many features within UI and I can't believe that they don't have ability to do this.

Elliot Alderson

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/361557#Comment_361557

Isn't it obvious? The reason is simple: They seek to capitalize and profit off companies who don't know how to use their platform. For example, in the event a company doesn't know how to administer proper governance; with each licensed user associated with a cost? Those dollars add up. So, critically speaking it makes sense why they would not implement the features we all complain about.

BTW - I know this is the case because my university classmate works for them at their HQ. Again, they capitalize off companies and admins who do not know how to administer their platform. The end result? Bonuses + Commissions for Smartsheet.

KAFisher

Even in a small organization, every single time I share a sheet with a new user, they submit a licensed user request. It is a complete waste of time to have to go decline their request and then go round and round with them via email on how to 'just create an account' because at that point, I have no idea what options they see. Also a big thing Smartsheet needs to consider is that this creates a lot of frustration with users that are new to the Smartsheet platform. We'll never end up buying more licenses if the people we share sheets to refuse to use the system.

JoeKinne

Often times it's not even the amount of time that it takes to deny the request, it's the ill will that we deal with when we tell them that they don't need it for what they are planning to do. We spend more time with users that think they should have the full product even though they will never actually create sheets..

Kenneth Anderson

As a system administrator, it would be nice to be able to disable these functions.