Why this matters
WordPress only allows one email as the administration email address. But who should receive these important emails when there are multiple admin users? You, a colleague, or the client?
When working within a team it is common for a distribution group to be used. While handy in one way, this doesn’t mean you’ll have a suitable level of access when an issue needs fixing. What happens if your client also wishes to receive these emails, “just in case”? While that’s highly unlikely, managing multiple distribution groups, one for each client site, is messy and unnecessary.
It would be helpful if multiple admin users, including your client, could receive these administration emails independently of each other. It would also be super useful to know when a client logged into the site that you manage for them.
ToggleWP can help with all of these.
What it does
With per user opt-in settings your team members (or holiday cover) can also receive administration emails to their own administrator user. No need to share the sites primary login details (a big no no!), or setting up email forwarders for system notices.
Once a month all administrator users will be sent an email with a single use link. When they no longer need to see these emails (you are back from holiday, did you have an ice cream?) they can click this link to enable their “opt-out” setting. They’ll keep their admin user account but will no longer receive a copy of these emails until your next trip away.
Whenever an admin user logs in a notification email is sent to opted-in administrators. This lets you keep an eye on who and where other admins are accessing the site from.
What about your client’s admin user? The one that should never be used. Their user can trigger a special “Emergency Use Only” notification email when it has been used.
How to set it up
These notification settings are found on the User’s profile screen when their role has been set as an Administrator.
For each admin user who should receive site administration emails you can check their “Opt-IN” setting. Uncheck it to stop these emails.
When “Opt-OUT emails” is checked, this means the user themselves clicked their single use link to disable the email sending. This process would also untick the Opt-IN value. If a user had opted-out its recommended to check with them before changing this setting.
For your client’s admin account there is the “Emergency use only” setting. This email subject beings with “Emergency Use Only” so you can set up email rules accordingly to not filter to a sub folder.