Learn about the different permission levels available for team members in SupportRetriever.
Permission Overview
SupportRetriever offers four main permission levels:
- Admin - Full access
- View Conversations - Read-only access
- Reply to Conversations - Read and write access
- Delete Conversations - Ability to delete conversations
Admin Permission
What It Includes
Full access to all features:
- ✅ View all conversations
- ✅ Reply to all conversations
- ✅ Delete conversations
- ✅ Manage team members
- ✅ Access all settings
- ✅ View statistics
- ✅ Manage forms
When to Use
Grant admin permission to:
- Team leads or managers
- Trusted team members who need full access
- Users who manage the account
Note: Admin permission gives complete access. Only grant this to trusted team members.
View Conversations Permission
What It Includes
Read-only access to conversations:
- ✅ View conversations
- ✅ See message history
- ✅ View metadata
- ❌ Cannot reply
- ❌ Cannot manage settings
- ❌ Cannot manage team
When to Use
Grant view permission to:
- Team members who need to monitor conversations
- Managers reviewing support quality
- Analysts studying customer interactions
- Read-only observers
Reply to Conversations Permission
What It Includes
Read and write access:
- ✅ View conversations (automatically included)
- ✅ Reply to conversations
- ✅ Send messages to customers
- ✅ Use saved replies
- ❌ Cannot manage team
- ❌ Cannot change settings
When to Use
Grant reply permission to:
- Support agents who respond to customers
- Team members handling day-to-day support
- Anyone who needs to communicate with customers
Delete Conversations Permission
What It Includes
Ability to permanently remove conversations:
- ✅ Delete conversations
- ✅ View conversations (automatically included)
- ❌ Cannot reply (unless also granted Reply permission)
- ❌ Cannot manage team
- ❌ Cannot change settings
When to Use
Grant delete permission to:
- Team members responsible for inbox cleanup
- Support leads who need to remove resolved or spam conversations
- Anyone who needs to manage conversation lifecycle
Warning: Deleted conversations cannot be recovered. Grant this permission carefully.
Combining with Other Permissions
Delete permission can be combined with other permissions:
- View + Delete - Can view and delete, but not reply
- Reply + Delete - Can view, reply, and delete
- Admin - Already includes delete capability
Permission Hierarchy
Permissions follow a hierarchy:
Admin
└─ Includes everything (View, Reply, Delete, Settings, Team)
Reply to Conversations
└─ Includes View Conversations
Delete Conversations
└─ Includes View Conversations
View Conversations
└─ Read-only access
Permission Combinations
Team members can have multiple permissions:
- Admin - Full access, includes all other permissions
- Reply - Automatically includes View
- Delete - Automatically includes View
- View - Standalone read-only access
- Reply + Delete - Can view, reply, and delete conversations
Changing Permissions
To change a team member's permissions:
- Remove the team member
- Add them again with new permissions
Or update permissions through the team management interface if available.
Permission Display
Team members see their permissions in:
- Conversation views (if they can reply)
- Settings page (their access level)
- Error messages (if they lack required permissions)
Example Scenarios
Small Team
- Owner: Admin
- Support Agent: Reply to Conversations
- Manager: View Conversations (for oversight)
Large Team
- Team Lead: Admin
- Senior Agents: Reply + Delete Conversations
- Junior Agents: Reply to Conversations (no delete access)
- Analyst: View Conversations
- Manager: View Conversations
Solo with Help
- Owner: Admin
- Assistant: Reply + Delete Conversations (handles responses and cleanup)
- Consultant: View Conversations (periodic review)
Security Considerations
- Permissions are enforced at the API level
- Users cannot access features they don't have permission for
- Permission changes take effect immediately
- Removed team members lose access immediately