Why it matters

Roles control what users can access and change in Whippy. Clear roles reduce accidental access, make onboarding faster, and give admins a repeatable way to match each person's permissions to their responsibilities.

Key Concepts

Users and teams: The Settings area where admins manage users, teams, and roles.

Roles tab: The tab inside Users and teams where admins review default roles and manage custom roles.

Default roles: Whippy includes Admin and User as default roles. Admin has full workspace access and can manage users, channels, and resources except billing. User has limited workspace access and cannot change organization-level settings. Default role permissions are fixed and cannot be modified.

Custom roles: Roles you define for your own team. A custom role includes a role name, optional description, and selected permissions.

Permission groups: Permissions are organized into expandable groups such as Channels, Contacts, Developer API Keys, Developer Applications, and other areas available in your workspace.

Search permissions: The search field in the role editor that helps you find a permission group or action quickly.

Select all permissions: A checkbox that selects or clears all available permissions for the role. Individual permission groups also have their own select-all checkbox.

How permission names work

Most permissions combine a resource with an action. The resource is the Whippy area, such as Contacts, Channels, Roles, Tags, or Developer API Keys. The action is what the user can do in that area.

For example, Read Contact means the user can view and retrieve contact records. It does not mean the user can edit, merge, delete, tag, block, or unsubscribe contacts. Those actions require update or delete permissions.

Action	What it usually means
Create	Add a new record or item in that area.
Read	View, search, open, or retrieve records in that area.
Update	Edit existing records, settings, or assignments in that area.
Delete	Delete, remove, or archive records in that area.
Disable or Enable	Turn an item off or on without deleting it.
Assign	Assign or remove a relationship, such as assigning tags or assigning roles.
Set default	Mark one item as the default, such as a default signature.
Manage seat	Manage a VoIP seat for a user.
View All Activities	View activities across all channels in the organization, even when the user does not otherwise have access to every channel.

Some product areas have additional action names, such as creating, updating, or deleting sequence steps. Those actions apply only to that product area.

Full permission reference

The permissions available in the role editor depend on the product areas enabled for your workspace. Use this reference to understand what each permission is intended to control.

Some areas do not have a separate Read permission. In those areas, the listed permissions control create, update, delete, assignment, or management actions for that area.

Contacts

Create Contact: Create new contact records and use contact creation workflows.
Read Contact: View, search, filter, count, and open contact records.
Update Contact: Edit contact records and related contact actions such as tags, block status, unsubscribe status, and merging.
Delete Contact: Delete or archive contact records where the delete action is available.

Channels

Create: Create new messaging, email, voice, or connected channels.
Update: Edit channel configuration, settings, users, business hours, auto responses, or related channel details.
Delete: Delete a channel where deletion is available.
Disable: Disable a channel without deleting it.
View All Activities: View activities across all channels in the organization, even if the user does not otherwise have access to every channel.

Users

Enable: Enable or reactivate a user.
Update: Edit user details, user assignments, or user access settings where available.
Delete: Remove, disable, or archive a user where the delete action is available.

Invites

Create: Invite new users to the organization.
Delete: Delete or cancel pending invitations.

Teams

Create: Create teams.
Read: View teams and team membership details.
Update: Edit team details, members, channel assignments, or work schedule settings.
Delete: Delete teams.

Roles

Create: Create custom roles.
Read: View roles and role permissions.
Update: Edit custom role names, descriptions, and permissions.
Delete: Delete custom roles.
Assign: Assign custom roles to users or remove assigned roles from users.

User permissions

Read: View a user's permission set.
Update: Update a user's permission set.

Message templates

Create: Create message templates.
Update: Edit message templates.
Delete: Delete message templates.

Signatures

Create: Create signatures.
Update: Edit signatures.
Delete: Delete signatures.
Set default: Set a signature as the default.

Domains

Create: Add or buy a domain for supported email, link, or messaging setup.
Read: View domain records and setup status.
Update: Edit domain settings or setup details.
Delete: Delete a domain record.

Billing

Read: View billing, usage, invoices, subscriptions, or billing profile details.
Update: Update billing settings or billing profile details where available.

Audit logs

Read: View audit logs.

Developer API Keys

Create API Key: Create developer API keys.
Read API Key: View developer API keys.
Update API Key: Rename, enable, disable, or update developer API keys.
Delete API Key: Delete developer API keys.

Developer Applications

Create Application: Create developer applications.
Read Application: View developer applications.
Update Application: Edit developer applications.
Delete Application: Delete developer applications.

Developer Webhook Endpoints

Create Webhook Endpoint: Create webhook endpoints.
Read Webhook Endpoint: View webhook endpoints.
Update Webhook Endpoint: Edit webhook endpoints.
Delete Webhook Endpoint: Delete webhook endpoints.

Provider accounts

Create: Create provider accounts used for messaging, email, or voice setup.
Read: View provider accounts.
Update: Edit provider account settings.
Delete: Delete provider accounts.

Provider phones

Create: Add provider phone records.
Read: View provider phone records.
Update: Edit provider phone records.
Delete: Delete provider phone records.

SIP

Create: Create SIP domains, credential lists, users, extensions, or related SIP records.
Read: View SIP records.
Update: Edit SIP records.
Delete: Delete SIP records.

VoIP

Manage seat: Assign, remove, or manage a user's VoIP seat.

Trust Center and 10DLC brands

Create: Create 10DLC brand registrations.
Read: View 10DLC brand registrations and status.
Update: Edit 10DLC brand registrations.
Delete: Delete 10DLC brand registrations where available.

Trust Center and 10DLC campaigns

Create: Create 10DLC campaign registrations.
Read: View 10DLC campaign registrations and status.
Update: Edit 10DLC campaign registrations.
Delete: Delete 10DLC campaign registrations where available.

Campaigns

Create: Create campaigns.
Update: Edit campaigns, campaign settings, audience configuration, or campaign status where available.
Delete: Delete campaigns.

Campaign templates

Create: Create campaign templates.
Read: View campaign templates.
Update: Edit campaign templates.
Delete: Delete campaign templates.

Sequences

Create: Create sequences.
Read: View sequences.
Update: Edit sequences or add contacts to sequences where available.
Delete: Delete sequences.
Create step: Create sequence steps.
Update step: Edit sequence steps.
Delete step: Delete sequence steps.
Create segment sequence: Create segment-based sequence enrollment rules.
Update segment sequence: Edit segment-based sequence enrollment rules.
Delete segment sequence: Delete segment-based sequence enrollment rules.

Sequence templates

Create: Create sequence templates.
Read: View sequence templates.
Update: Edit sequence templates.
Delete: Delete sequence templates.

Automation templates

Create: Create automation templates.
Read: View automation templates.
Update: Edit automation templates.
Delete: Delete automation templates.

Keywords

Create: Create keywords.
Read: View keywords.
Update: Edit keywords.
Delete: Delete keywords.

Triggers

Create: Create automation triggers.
Read: View automation triggers.
Update: Edit automation triggers.
Delete: Delete automation triggers.

Link settings

Create: Create link settings.
Read: View link settings.
Update: Edit link settings.
Delete: Delete link settings.

Reports and dashboards

Read custom reports: View custom reports and dashboards.
Create custom reports: Create custom reports and dashboards.
Update custom reports: Edit custom reports and dashboards.
Delete custom reports: Delete custom reports and dashboards.

Metrics

Read: View custom metrics.
Create: Create custom metrics.
Update: Edit custom metrics.
Delete: Delete custom metrics.

AI agents

Create: Create AI agents or related AI agent resources.
Read: View AI agents or related AI agent resources.
Update: Edit AI agents, tools, voices, knowledge bases, LLM settings, or related AI agent resources.
Delete: Delete AI agents or related AI agent resources.

Custom data

Create: Create custom data records.
Read: View custom data records.
Update: Edit custom data records.
Delete: Delete custom data records.

Custom data types

Create: Create custom data types or object definitions.
Read: View custom data types or object definitions.
Update: Edit custom data types or object definitions.
Delete: Delete custom data types or object definitions.

Channel mappings

Create: Create channel mappings.
Read: View channel mappings.
Update: Edit channel mappings.
Delete: Delete channel mappings.

Properties

Create: Create custom properties or fields.
Read: View custom properties or fields.
Update: Edit custom properties or fields.
Delete: Delete custom properties or fields.

Onboarding

Create: Create or complete onboarding setup actions where onboarding permissions are used.

Contacts permission reference

Contacts permissions control access to contact records and related contact workflows.

Permission	What it allows	What it does not allow by itself
Create Contact	Create new contacts. This is also used by contact creation workflows such as adding contacts from Contacts, lists, uploads, or API create/upsert actions.	It does not allow the user to edit existing contacts unless they also have Update Contact.
Read Contact	View, search, filter, count, and open contact records. This includes reading contact details such as name, phone number, email, address, custom data shown on the contact, and related contact information returned by contact search/detail views.	It does not allow the user to change contact fields, add or remove tags, block or unblock contacts, unsubscribe contacts, merge contacts, or delete contacts.
Update Contact	Edit existing contact records. In the current UI, this covers editing contact details, updating contact tags from the contact view, blocking or unblocking a contact, unsubscribing a contact, and merging duplicate contacts.	It does not allow deleting or archiving contacts unless the user also has Delete Contact.
Delete Contact	Delete or archive contacts where the delete action is available.	It does not allow creating, viewing, or editing contacts by itself. For normal dashboard use, users who delete contacts usually also need Read Contact so they can find the contacts first.

For normal dashboard use, users who create, update, or delete contacts usually also need Read Contact so they can find and open the records they are working with.

Step-by-Step: Create or update a custom role

Open Settings > Users and teams.
Select the Roles tab.
Review the Default roles section before creating a custom role.
In Custom roles, click Add role. To update an existing role, open the role or use the role actions menu and select Edit.
Enter a Role name.
Add a Description if you want to explain who the role is for.
Use Search permissions to find a permission group or action.
Expand each permission group and select the permissions the role should include.
Use a permission group's checkbox if you want to select or clear every permission in that group.
Use Select all permissions only when the role should have every available permission.
Click Add role when creating a new role, or Save changes when updating an existing role.

Step-by-Step: Assign a custom role to a user

Open Settings > Users and teams.
Select the Users tab.
Find the user you want to update.
Open the user's actions menu.
Select Assign role.
Search for the custom role if needed.
Select one or more roles for the user.
Wait for the change to save, then ask the user to refresh Whippy if their access does not update immediately.

Manage default and custom roles

Default roles can be opened for review, but their permissions are read-only. Use custom roles when you need a tailored permission set.

Custom roles appear in the Custom roles section. Admins can add, edit, or delete custom roles when team responsibilities change.

When you delete a custom role, confirm that users who relied on that role still have the access they need through another role.

Tips and Best Practices

Keep custom role names outcome-based, such as Support lead or Campaign manager.
Give users the least access they need to do their work.
Use the Description field to explain when the role should be used.
Search permissions before selecting broad groups if you only need one specific action.
Be careful with Select all permissions because it grants every available permission.
Review custom roles after major product or process changes.
Do not use teams as a substitute for permissions. Use teams for grouping and roles for access.
Review roles when someone changes responsibilities, joins a new team, or leaves the organization.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Possible Cause	Fix
Add role or Save changes is disabled	The role name may be blank, no permissions may be selected, or no changes have been made.	Add a role name, select at least one permission, or make a change before saving.
A role cannot be edited	The role may be a default role or your account may not have permission to manage roles.	Create a custom role for a tailored access set, or ask an admin to update your access.
A permission is hard to find	The permission may be inside a collapsed group or the search term may be too specific.	Use Search permissions with a broader term, then expand the matching permission group.
A permission is not listed	The permission may not be available for your workspace or product configuration.	Check whether the related feature is enabled, then ask an admin or Whippy support if the permission should be available.
A user can view contacts but cannot edit them	The user may have Read Contact but not Update Contact.	Add Update Contact if the user should edit contact details, tags, unsubscribe status, blocks, or merges.
A user can edit contacts by direct action but cannot find them in Contacts	The user may have Update Contact without Read Contact.	Add Read Contact so the user can search for and open contact records in the dashboard.
A user still cannot access a feature after a role change	The feature may also depend on channel-specific access, another role, or a refreshed session.	Review the user's assigned roles, check any channel-specific access requirements, then ask the user to refresh Whippy.
A user has more access than expected	The user may have multiple custom roles or a broad permission set.	Review all roles assigned to the user and remove any unnecessary permissions.

Roles and Permissions in Whippy