Tag: Staff Plugin WordPress

No doubt you already know that people often tend to buy from businesses they already know, like and trust.

If you are searching for quicker and simpler ideas to sell more products online, then one of the things you can do, is help your prospects get to know, like and trust you and your business better.

If you use WordPress, a simple way to help people get to know you better is to use a WordPress staff list plugin that will let you display information about your key partners, your faculty, or your staff members.

This tutorial shows you how to add an easy-to-manage directory of staff to your web site.

WordPress Plugin Tutorial: How To Add A Staff Directory

In this tutorial, you will learn how to install, activate and configure a free plugin called Simple Staff List.

Simple Staff List – WordPress Plugin

(Simple Staff List – WordPress Plugin)

Simple Staff List lets you build a simple staff directory for.

The first step is to install and activate the plugin.

Log into your admin and go to Plugins > Add New …

(WP Plugins Menu – Add New)

In the Plugins panel, search for “simple staff plugin”. This brings up the Simple Staff Plugin in your search results area.

Click on Install Now …

(WordPress Plugins  – Add Plugins screen)

Click on the Activate Plugin link …

(Activate plugin)

After the plugin has been installed and activated, a new menu will be added to your main WordPress admin menu called Staff Members …

(Staff Members menu)

Here is where you will manage and configure all of the options and settings for your plugin are configured and managed from this menu.

Configuring The Simple Staff List Plugin

Depending on how many people are in your organization and how you want to structure your directory, you can begin to add new staff member details after installing the plugin, or create several groups (i.e. categories) to place yourstaff into.

Staff Members – Groups

To set up your directory categories go to your dashboard menu and choose Staff Members > Groups …

(Staff Members Menu – Groups)

This takes you to the Groups panel …

(Groups settings)

Note: Setting up directory groups works just like WordPress categories …

(Groups work just like WordPress categories)

Create new groups by entering the following information:

1. Group Name – Enter your category name here
2. Slug – Type in the slug of your category. Note: make sure that all letters are in lower case and use hyphens instead of spaces.
3. Parent – This section lets you set up nested categories
4. Description – Type in your category description
5. Click the Add New Group button when done to set up a new directory group …

(Groups settings screen)

If you run a business that employs many people, being able to set up different groups can be very useful. For example, you can create categories for investors, developers, departments, etc.

Create as many categories and nested categories as you need by adding new Groups and then using the Parent drop-down menu to assign these to a hierarchical structure …

(Nested categories)

Remember to click on the Add New Group button after entering each item …

To change or reassign Groups for a particular entry, hover your mouse over a category title and select the Edit link …

The item’s details will open in the Edit Group page. Select a new category from the Parent drop-down menu …

(Edit Group screen)

Click the Update button when done …

To change your Group name or slug, hover over the group name and select the Quick Edit menu feature …

Click on Update Group  to save your changes …

Add as many categories as you need to until you have created your directory structure …

You can add as many nested groups as you like …

(Nested categories)

Once you are done setting up your hierarchical structure, you can start to add staff details to your directory.

Staff Members – Add New

In your admin menu, click on Staff Members > Add New …

(Staff Members – Add New)

The Add New Staff Member area …

(Add New Staff Member settings area)

This area provides an easy-to-use interface for adding your staff member details and includes the following fields:

Name Section (1)

• Name: The employee’s name
• Permalink: Here you can change the slug for each employee if required (you will see this section after your first save).

Staff Photo Section (2)

• Photo: Upload a photo here

Staff Member Info Section (3)

• Position: Type in the person’s position here
• Email: Enter your staff member’s email address
• Phone Number: The staff member’s phone number
• Facebook URL: Add your company’s Facebook URL (note: use the full URL, e.g. http://www.facebook.com/username)
• Twitter URL: Enter the person’s Twitter username (note: only enter the username, not the full twitter URL)

Staff Member Bio Section (4)

• Staff Member Bio: Enter a profile description for your employees here. This uses the WordPress Text Editor, so you can format content into this section.

Groups Section (5)

• Groups: Assign the individual to a group (see the previous section of this tutorial to learn how to set up groups).

Click on the Screen Options tab …

(Screen options)

You will see options to enable additional features …

(Enable additional fields in screen options)

Now that you know what each section does, enter each of your employee’s details …

(Add Staff Member settings)

After you have finished inputting details, assign your new item to a directory group in the Groups box located in your sidebar …

(Groups feature)

Note: If you have not set up your directory groups before starting to add new staff members, you can add a new group by selecting Groups > + Add New Group …

(Groups - + Add New Group)

A field will appear allowing you to create a new group name, with a drop-down menu to assign your new entry to a parent group. Type in the name of your new group and click on the Add New Group button …

The new directory category will be created. Remember to tick the check box to assign the person’s details to the group …

(New group added in Groups section)

Note: Groups cannot be edited when new employee details are being added or modified. To edit an item, go to the Groups section of the plugin’s settings (see “Groups” section of the tutorial above for details).

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After typing in your team member’s details, click the Publish button …

Click View Post …

You can edit your staff member’s profile by clicking the Edit Staff Member link in your WP admin toolbar …

(Edit Staff Member link – admin toolbar)

For a detailed tutorial about using the admin toolbar , go here:

• Your WordPress Dashboard Explained

Note: If you see ’not found’ page errors like the one shown below, check that your permalinks have been set up correctly …

(Page error – Check your permalinks)

If you need help setting up permalinks, go here:

• Using Permalinks To Improve Your WordPress SEO

Repeat the above process to continue adding more members to your directory directory.

Staff Members – All Staff Members

After you are done entering employee details into your directory, you can view and edit their details by selecting Staff Members > All Staff Members on your menu …

(Staff Members – All Staff Members)

This brings up a table listing all the staff profiles and their details …

(Staff Members table)

If you need to change individual entries, hover your mouse over their list name, and a menu will appear.

Click on Edit if you need to edit their Staff Bio, or Quick Edit to edit details such as their name, slug, group, and publish status. You can also delete someone from your employee directory by clicking on Trash, or view the entry on your site by clicking View …

(Editing Staff Members profile information)

If you have many employees, your table can become unwieldy.

Use the Search Staff Members search box to locate member details …

(Search Staff Members search feature)

The plugin also lets you specify which fields can display in this screen. To show or hide fields on your screen, click the Screen Options tab at the top of your page …

(Screen Options)

Placing a tick in the item’s check box displays the field and unchecking a box hides the field. You can also select how many staff members are shown per page. Click the Apply button when finished to update your screen options …

Staff Members – Order

The plugin also features a drag-and-drop interface that allows you to specify the order in which entries appear on your directory pages.

Select Staff Members > Order on the menu …

(Staff Members Menu – Order)

To rearrange the order of your listings, click and drag the entry to its desired position …

(Rearrange listings using drag and drop)

Your list will be automatically reordered …

(Reordered list items)

Once you are done adding all of your staff details to the directory, the next step is to display your directory on your site.

Staff Members – Order

The Simple Staff List plugin also features a drag-and-drop interface that allows you to set the order in which listings display on your directory pages.

Select Staff Members > Order in your dashboard menu …

(Staff Members – Order)

To rearrange the order of your listings, click and drag the item to the desired position …

(Rearrange items using drag and drop)

Your staff list will be automatically reordered …

(Reordered listings)

Once you are done adding all of your member details to your directory, the next step is to display the directory to your site users.

Simple Staff List – Additional Notes

Simple Staff List also lets you create the style and layout of your directory listings using template tags and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets).

Templates Menu

To customize the layout and style of your directory, select Staff Members > Templates from the main admin menu …

(Staff Members – Templates)

This brings up the Templates screen …

(Simple Staff List Templates page)

To customize your directory listings, insert any of the permitted template tags inside the [staff_loop] [/staff_loop] code.

For example, here is the Default Template …

(Default Plugin Staff Loop Template)

The The code shown above displays your listing as shown below …

(Default Staff Loop Template Listing)

Notice that there are no Facebook or Twitter URLs showing in the above listing. To make these fields show in your directory, we will need to include the [staff-facebook] and [staff-twitter] template tags, as shown in the example below …

(Template tags can be added to Staff Loop Template)

Your employee details will now display as as shown below …

(Directory with social media URLs added)

Note: If you want to customize how your directory looks but don’t want to mess around with code or are unsure of what to do, please contact us for help.

Usage Menu

In addition to being able to customize your directory templates, the Simple Staff List plugin lets you display your staff profiles differently using modified shortcodes.

In your menu, select Staff Members >Usage …

(Staff Members Menu – Usage)

This opens the Usage page …

(Usage shortcodes)

This screen provides a list of all the shortcode variations you can use.

For example, a useful shortcode variation you can add to your page to display only members of a specific group is the shortcode [simple-staff-list group=”group name”], (e.g.:[simple-staff-list group=”property managers”])

You can also make your listings display in ascending or descending order by using the shortcode [simple-staff-list order=”ASC”] (ascending).

Options Menu

In your dashboard menu, select Staff Members >Options …

(Staff Members Menu – Options)

This opens the Options screen …

(Simple Staff List – customizable fields)

Here you can modify labels like Staff Members URL Slug and Staff Member title

You can also export your staff members data by going to the menu and clicking Tools > Export …

(Export Staff Members plugin info)

If you need specific help with the Simple Staff List plugin, visit the Simple Staff List plugin site.

Other Staff Directory Plugins

Simple Staff List is not the only for displaying a directory of your team members in WordPress. Here are some other plugins you can look at:

Modern Team Staff Directory

(Modern Team Staff Directory – WordPress Staff Directory Plugin)

This plugin helps you collect your team information and showcase it anywhere on your site in beautiful grids, columns and tables. This premium plugin features over a dozen presets and provides editors that make it easy to edit and update your directory.

(Modern Team Staff Directory – Responsive Templates)

For more details go here:

• Modern Team Staff Directory – WP Staff Directory Plugin

Staff Directory

(Staff Directory – WordPress Staff Directory Plugin)

Staff Directory lets you easily display a list of staff/team/faculty members. The plugin supports staff categories and can be used for churches, teams, etc.

You can also insert custom fields …

(Custom Details Fields Screen. Screenshot source: plugin website)

More info:

• Staff Directory – WP Plugin

Faculty And Staff Directory

(Faculty And Staff Directory – WordPress Staff Directory Plugin)

This plugin provides a simple and flexible faculty and staff directory for a small college or university.

The plugin also includes a widget that allows you to feature profiles in a widget area.

For more details go here:

• Faculty And Staff Directory

Company Directory

(Company Directory – WP Staff Directory Plugin)

With the Company Directory plugin, you can add your employees to your website. Different layouts are included, including list and customizable single views, as well as fields like position title, email, phone, pic and bio, allowing visitors to get to know your company and capabilities.

Visitors will be able to click through from your list, grid, and table views to read more about each employee in a customizable single view …

(Display your staff and faculty in an easy-to-view format. Screenshot sourced from plugin website)

This plugin uses simple shortcodes.

Go here to learn more:

• Company Directory – WP Staff Directory Plugin

Employee Spotlight

(Employee Spotlight – WordPress Plugin)

Employee Spotlight displays staff members, founders or just a single member of your team in a 4-column circle grid page. This page can be easily created with a setup assistant upon plugin activation.

Employee Spotlight includes two sidebar widgets that let you display featured and recent employees, plus two responsive views which adjust to the device screen size.

Detailed information about  each staff member can be displayed in their own page, as well as in summary …

(Responsive layout with employee circle grid. Screenshot source: Employee Spotlight plugin website)

Go here to learn more about this plugin:

• Employee Spotlight – WordPress Staff Directory Plugin

Staffer

(Staffer)

Staffer uses custom post types for employee management and supports the display of staff members via a shortcode, allowing you to easily create and manage an online staff directory …

(Staffer archive page. Screenshot sourced from Staffer plugin website)

Staffer works with many popular WordPress themes, and also allows for custom template use and custom content wrappers.

Go here to learn more about the plugin:

• Staffer – WP Staff Directory Plugin

If the above plugins aren’t what you’re looking for, just go online or visit the WordPress plugin directory and search for:

• Add Staff Directory To WordPress
• WordPress Staff Directory Plugin
• Staff Directory WordPress Plugin
• Staff Directory Plugin WordPress
• etc.

Hopefully, now you know how to easily add an easy-to-manage simple faculty directory in your WordPress site using a free plugin.

Images of models used to display sample staff members were sourced under creative commons license from pixabay.com

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