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Serval uses a two-level permission system: organization roles control what you can do across the entire org, while team roles control what you can do within specific teams.

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Organization Roles

Every user has one organization-level role that applies across all of Serval.
RoleDescription
MemberStandard user. Can submit tickets, request access, and use Serval’s help desk features.
AdminFull administrative access. Can manage users, create teams, configure organization settings, and access all teams.
Most users should be Members. Reserve Admin for IT administrators who need to manage the platform.
To add a new user, navigate to “Settings” and select “Invite User” —> add their email addresses, choose to make them admin or not and optionally add them to a Serval team

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Team Roles

Within each team, users are assigned a team-specific role that controls their capabilities for that team.
RoleDescription
AgentCan view and respond to tickets, use workflows, and view analytics for the team.
ManagerEverything an Agent can do, plus: create workflows, write guidance, configure integrations, and manage team settings.
A user can be a Manager in one team and an Agent in another. Team roles are independent.

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Permission Summary

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What Members Can Do

  • Submit tickets through Slack, email, or web portal
  • Request access to applications
  • View their own tickets and access requests
  • Use the access catalog

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What Org Admins Can Additionally Do

  • Create and manage teams
  • Invite and deactivate users
  • Configure organization settings (SSO, branding, etc.)
  • Access all teams regardless of team membership
  • Manage API keys

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What Team Agents Can Do

  • View all tickets for their team
  • Respond to and resolve tickets
  • Create internal notes
  • View team analytics
  • Run workflows

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What Team Managers Can Additionally Do

  • Create and edit workflows
  • Write and publish guidance
  • Configure integrations and applications
  • Manage team settings
  • Set up access policies and entitlements
  • Configure knowledge sources

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Managing Permissions

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Changing Organization Roles

  1. Go to Settings → People
  2. Find the user and click their name
  3. Select Member or Admin from the organization role dropdown
  4. Save changes

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Changing Team Roles

  1. Go to Settings → Teams
  2. Select the team
  3. Find the user in the team members list
  4. Change their role to Agent or Manager
  5. Save changes
Use your identity provider to automatically assign roles. Map directory groups to Serval roles in Settings → Integrations → Directory Sync.

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Common Questions

Yes. Organization role and team role are separate. An Org Admin could be an Agent on specific teams if they only need to handle tickets, not configure that team.
Users without team membership can still submit tickets and request access. They just can’t view team queues or use team-specific features.
Access approvers are configured per access policy, not by role. Both Agents and Managers can be designated as approvers.