SupportHQ lets you invite your team, assign roles with different permission levels, and hand off conversations between agents. This guide covers the full team management system — from inviting your first teammate to transferring a live conversation.
The Three Roles
Every team member has one of three roles. Roles are hierarchical — higher roles inherit all permissions of lower roles.
Owner
The account creator. Full access to everything, including billing, company settings, and the ability to delete the company. There is exactly one Owner per account, and the role cannot be reassigned.
Admin
Full operational access. Admins can manage the team, configure connectors, manage documents, view analytics, handle conversations, manage quick replies, triggers, and procedures. The only things Admins cannot do are manage billing and edit core company settings (name, plan).
Agent
The front-line role. Agents can handle conversations, send messages, join live chats, and use quick replies. They cannot access team management, settings, billing, or most configuration pages.
Permission Reference
Here's what each role can do:
| Capability | Owner | Admin | Agent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Handle conversations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Use quick replies | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Invite & remove members | Yes | Yes | No |
| Change member roles | Yes | Yes | No |
| Manage documents | Yes | Yes | No |
| Manage connectors | Yes | Yes | No |
| View analytics | Yes | Yes | No |
| Manage quick replies & triggers | Yes | Yes | No |
| Manage AI procedures | Yes | Yes | No |
| Edit company settings | Yes | No | No |
| Manage billing | Yes | No | No |
Inviting Team Members
Navigate to the Team page and click Invite member. The invite flow has two steps:
Step 1: Create the Invite
- Enter the person's email address
- Choose their role — Admin or Agent (Owner cannot be assigned)
- Click Create invite
Step 2: Share the Invite Link
After creating the invite, you'll see a unique link. Copy it and send it to your teammate directly — no email is sent automatically, so you need to share the link yourself (via email, Slack, etc.).
- The link is valid for 7 days
- It can only be used by someone with the exact email address you invited
- If the link expires, you can revoke and re-invite to generate a new one
What Happens When They Accept
When your teammate clicks the invite link:
- They sign in (or create an account) with the invited email address
- The invite is automatically accepted
- They're added to your company with the assigned role
- Your company becomes their active workspace
Managing Team Members
The Team page shows all current members and pending invites.
Changing a Role
Click the role badge next to a member's name to open a dropdown. Select a new role (Admin or Agent). The change takes effect immediately. You cannot change the Owner's role.
Editing a Profile
Click the edit (pencil) icon to open the member edit modal. You can update:
- Profile photo — upload a new image (max 2 MB) or remove the existing one
- Full name
- Email address — must be unique across the platform
- Role — Admin or Agent
Removing a Member
Click the delete (trash) icon next to a member. You'll be asked to confirm. Once removed, they lose access to your company immediately. The Owner cannot be removed.
Revoking a Pending Invite
Pending invites appear in a separate section below the member list. Click Revoke to cancel an invite before it's accepted. The invite link will stop working immediately.
Conversation Handoff
When an agent is handling a live conversation, they can hand it off to another team member. There are two types of handoff:
Transfer (Immediate)
A transfer immediately reassigns the conversation to the target agent. No acceptance is needed — the conversation moves instantly.
- The original agent is removed from the conversation
- The target agent becomes the new handler
- A system message is posted: "Conversation transferred from Alice to Bob."
- Both agents see the update in real-time
Use transfers when you know the right person for the job and want to move fast.
Delegate (Pending Acceptance)
A delegation sends a request to the target agent, who can accept or reject it.
- The conversation stays with the original agent until accepted
- The target agent is notified in real-time
- A system message is posted: "Alice delegated this conversation to Bob (pending acceptance)."
- If accepted: the conversation moves to the new agent
- If rejected: the conversation stays with the original agent
Use delegations when the target agent should have a say — for example, if they might be busy or the topic might not be in their area.
Who Can Initiate a Handoff?
- The assigned agent can always hand off their own conversations
- Admins and Owners can force-transfer any conversation, even ones they're not assigned to
Handoff Details
When initiating a handoff, you can optionally include:
- Reason — a short note explaining why (max 200 characters)
- Note — additional context for the receiving agent (max 600 characters)
Tips
- Start with Admins — invite your first team members as Admins so they can help configure the system. Downgrade to Agent later if needed.
- Use Agent for support staff — agents can handle conversations without accidentally changing settings or deleting data.
- Share invite links promptly — they expire after 7 days. If expired, just revoke and create a new one.
- Transfer vs Delegate — use Transfer for urgent or obvious reassignments. Use Delegate when you're not sure the other agent is available.
- Add profile photos — when agents join conversations, visitors see "Joined" with the agent's name. A photo in the dashboard helps your team identify who's handling what.