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User Roles Guide

This guide explains the role-based access control system in Answering Agent.

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Role Overview

The system uses a simple role-based approach with 4 predefined roles:
RoleDescriptionKey Abilities
OwnerTeam owner with full controlAll actions including billing and team deletion
AdminFull administrative accessEverything except billing and team deletion
ManagerOperational managementManage assigned resources, view reports
UserBasic team memberView and interact with assigned resources

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Detailed Permissions

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Phone Numbers

ActionOwnerAdminManagerUser
View All✓✓✓*✗
View Assigned✓✓✓✓
Create✓✓✓✗
Update✓✓✓*✗
Delete✓✓✗✗
Assign Users✓✓✗✗
*Managers can view/update all phone numbers only if they have no phone number assignments. If assigned to any phone numbers, they can only view/update their assigned numbers. Admins always see all phone numbers regardless of assignments.
ActionOwnerAdminManagerUser
View All✓✓✓*✗
View Assigned✓✓✓✓
Update Status✓✓✓✓
Export✓✓✓✗
*Same assignment-based visibility rules apply for managers. Admins always see all calls/data.

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User Management

ActionOwnerAdminManagerUser
Invite Users✓✓✗✗
Remove Users✓✓✗✗
Change Roles✓✓*✗✗
View All Users✓✓✓✗
*Admins cannot promote users to Owner role

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Settings & Billing

ActionOwnerAdminManagerUser
Team Settings✓✓✗✗
Billing✓✗✗✗
API Keys✓✓✗✗
Integrations✓✓✗✗

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Assignment-Based Visibility

A key concept in our permission system is assignment-based visibility:
  • Owners: Always see ALL resources
  • Admins: Always see ALL resources (assignments are ignored for simplicity)
  • Managers with NO assignments: Can see ALL resources
  • Managers WITH assignments: Can only see assigned resources
  • Users: Always limited to assigned resources only
This allows flexible access control where managers can oversee everything or be limited to specific phone numbers, while keeping admin access simple and predictable.

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Role Hierarchy

Roles follow a strict hierarchy: 
Owner → Admin → Manager → User
  • Each role inherits all permissions from roles below it
  • Users can only be managed by roles above them
  • Only Owners can change billing or delete the team

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Best Practices

  1. Principle of Least Privilege: Assign the minimum role necessary
  2. Use Assignments: Limit manager access to relevant phone numbers
  3. Regular Audits: Review user roles and assignments periodically
  4. Document Responsibilities: Clearly define what each role should do in your organization

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Common Scenarios

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Scenario 1: Call Center Supervisor

  • Role: Manager
  • Assignment: Specific phone numbers for their team
  • Result: Can view calls, tasks, and questions for their team only

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Scenario 2: Technical Administrator

  • Role: Admin
  • Assignment: None
  • Result: Full access to all technical aspects, no billing access

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Scenario 3: Support Agent

  • Role: User
  • Assignment: Customer service phone numbers
  • Result: Can view and handle calls for assigned numbers only

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API Considerations

When using the API:
  • Permissions are enforced at the API level
  • The same role hierarchy applies
  • Partner API has additional considerations (see API documentation)