Summary: This guide shows Network Administrators how to create custom roles, configure permissions, edit existing roles, and assign roles to users. With the right roles in place, everyone gets exactly the features they need, and nothing they don't.
1. How roles and permissions work
Managing an active workforce means deciding precisely who can publish company updates, announcements, and messages, access integrations, or create Journeys content. Speakap handles this with a flexible permissions system.
By building custom roles, you make sure frontline employees, shift supervisors, regional managers, and external partners can do exactly what their job requires, without exposing network-wide settings or sensitive company content to accidental changes.
Desktop only: setting up roles, editing permissions, and managing role assignments are desktop-only tasks. To protect your network from configuration errors, these administrative tabs are hidden in the mobile apps.
2. Creating a new custom role
If the standard default roles don't fit your organization, you can build a new role from scratch:
- Log into the desktop web version of Speakap.
- Click your avatar in the top right corner of the screen.
- Select Network settings from the dropdown menu.
- Click Roles in the menu on the left.
- Click the + Role button at the top.
- Type a clear, distinct name in the Role Name field.
- Go through the individual feature tabs (e.g., Updates, News, Journeys, Network Settings) and check or uncheck the specific permissions the role needs.
- Click Create role to save and publish the new role to your network.
3. Editing an existing role
As your communication needs change, you may want to update the permissions of an existing role:
- Open Network settings and go back to the Roles page.
- Hover your mouse over the row of the role you want to update. A gear wheel settings icon appears on the right side of the row.
- Click the gear wheel icon and select Edit.
- Add or remove permissions across the categories as needed.
- Click Save role at the bottom to apply your changes across the network.
4. Assigning roles to users
Once a role is ready, you can assign it to employees in two ways:
Method A: in bulk, via the Roles menu
Ideal when you want to give multiple people the same role at once.
- In the Roles menu, hover over the role and click the gear wheel icon that appears.
- Select Add members from the dropdown.
- Use the search bar to find your employees, check the boxes next to their names, and click Add.
Method B: individually, via the user card
Best for individual reviews, promotions, or one-off adjustments.
- Go to Network settings and open Users.
- Find the employee and click their name to open their User Card.
- Click the User type tab.
- Open the role field, select the role from the dropdown, and save.
Tip: we can also connect roles to unique values coming from your HR-IS or payroll system, so employees automatically get the right role. For example, if job code 1 belongs to supervisors, we can map job code 1 to the Supervisor role in Speakap. Email technicalimplementations@speakap.nl to set this up.
5. Network roles vs element admins
A network role grants broad permissions across the whole platform. If you instead want to give someone admin rights over a single Business Unit, Department, or Group, make them an element admin. See Assigning Element Admins: Giving Users More or Fewer Rights.
Frequently asked questions
Can I edit a user's permissions from the iOS or Android app?
No. Role modifications and other backend adjustments must be done through the desktop web version. The mobile apps don't show these administrative modules.
What happens to active employees if I modify their current role's permissions?
Changes saved to an existing role take effect almost instantly. If you remove the ability to publish news articles from a custom role, everyone with that role loses their creation buttons across the platform in real time.
Is it possible to delete or override the built-in default Administrator role?
No. Built-in system roles (such as the default Administrator or Invitee) are a permanent part of the platform, to prevent accidental network lockouts. You can't delete them, but you can create custom roles for specific sub-administrative needs.
What is the difference between changing a user's role and making them a Group Admin?
A network role grants broad permissions across the entire platform (such as creating polls or viewing platform metrics globally). Making someone an admin of an organizational element (a specific Business Unit, Department, or Group) limits their administrative power to that one place. See Assigning Element Admins: Giving Users More or Fewer Rights.
Still stuck?
Email us at support@speakap.com with your network name and the role or permission you're working on, and we'll help you out.