# Roles and permissions

> What each built-in role can do, when to make your own, and how roles differ from teams.

Source: https://docs.soosh.io/concepts/roles-and-permissions/

Every member of your workspace has one role. The role decides what they can
see and change in Soosh. Anything a role can't see is hidden from the menu,
so each person sees only the parts they need.

## Why roles exist

A shop with 2 people can share everything. A team of 20 can't. At Blue Lotus
Fashion, agents like Ravi answer chats all day. They don't need the wallet,
API keys or the list of members. Roles keep each screen focused, and keep
costly or risky settings with the people responsible for them.

## The built-in roles

Soosh has 4 built-in roles. You can't change them, but you can open each one
in [**Settings > Roles and permissions**](https://app.soosh.io/settings/roles) to see exactly what it allows.

- **Owner.** Everything, including money. There is exactly one owner: the
  person who owns the workspace. The owner can
  [hand it to someone else](https://docs.soosh.io/guides/workspace/transfer-ownership/). Only the
  owner can add money to the wallet, change automatic top-up and set the AI
  spending limit.
- **Admin.** Everything except changing billing. Admins can see the wallet,
  but can't add money. Only the owner can make someone an admin.
- **Manager.** Runs the day-to-day work: chats, contacts, campaigns,
  templates, the bot, the knowledge base and analytics. Managers can see
  the list of members, so they can assign chats to them. They can't add or
  remove members, or change roles. They also can't see API keys, the audit log,
  calling settings or the wallet. They can see teams, but not change them.
- **Agent.** Answers customers. Agents read and reply to chats, take chats
  from the queue, hand chats on, use saved replies and make calls. They can
  see contacts and tags, but not change them.

## Defaults that may surprise you

- **Agents see every chat.** The built-in Agent role can view all contacts,
  and so every chat in the workspace. To limit someone to the chats assigned
  or handed to them, give them a custom role without **View** on contacts.
- **Agents can hand chats over.** The Agent role can transfer chats and pick
  them up from their teams' queues. It can't see the whole queue or assign
  chats.
- **Agents see only their own calls**, and their recordings. Managers and
  admins see every call.

## Custom roles

When a built-in role doesn't fit a job, make your own, like *Support lead*.
You choose what it can do in each area: view, create and edit, delete, and
actions like assign or pick up.

A few rules keep this safe:

- You can only give permissions you have yourself.
- A role that can manage members and roles, or change billing, can only be
  created and given out by the owner.
- Areas your workspace doesn't have aren't offered.

> **Note:** Leaving out **View** for an area hides it completely, including its menu
> item. People with that role won't know the page exists.

## Roles and teams

Roles and teams answer different questions. A role says what someone can
do. A team says which chats and calls come to them.

A team like *Wholesale* receives chats from bot flows, the AI and call menus,
and shares them between its members. Joining a team gives no extra
permissions. Ravi can be an agent in both the *Wholesale* and *Support* teams.

Members who can't view teams see only the teams they belong to. In the app,
changing a team, or who is in it, needs **Teams: Create and edit**, even for
the team's manager.

## Related

- [Create a role](https://docs.soosh.io/guides/workspace/create-a-role/)
- [Invite a member](https://docs.soosh.io/guides/workspace/add-a-user/)
- [Change a member's role](https://docs.soosh.io/guides/workspace/change-a-users-role/)
- [Create a team](https://docs.soosh.io/guides/workspace/create-a-team/)
- [How chats are assigned](https://docs.soosh.io/concepts/how-chats-are-assigned/)
- [How billing works](https://docs.soosh.io/concepts/how-billing-works/)
- [Closed and deleted workspaces](https://docs.soosh.io/concepts/closed-and-deleted-workspaces/)