If you’re wrangling a big sales team and using Chilipiper to handle meeting scheduling or routing, you already know things can get messy—fast. One wrong permission, and suddenly new reps can change team settings, or your whole SDR team sees calendars they shouldn’t. This guide is for admins, sales ops folks, and anyone tired of permissions chaos. Let’s get your team locked down so people only see (and break) what they’re supposed to.
Why Permissions Matter (and Where They Usually Go Wrong)
Permissions in Chilipiper aren’t just a checkbox. They control who can book on behalf of others, edit team settings, or even see sensitive customer info. With a small team, it’s easy to wing it. But with dozens—or hundreds—of users, winging it means:
- Too many cooks: Everyone’s an admin, nobody knows who changed what.
- Shadow admins: Someone gets promoted, never loses old access.
- Onboarding/offboarding headaches: Users still lurking long after they’ve left.
You don’t want your BDRs editing routing rules or your managers manually changing users every week. The good news: Chilipiper's permission system does what it says on the tin, once you understand the basics.
Step 1: Map Out Your Roles Before Touching Settings
Don’t start clicking around just yet. First, list out the roles on your team. In big sales orgs, you’ll usually have:
- Admins: People who manage Chilipiper settings, routing, integrations.
- Managers: Team leads who need to see stats, maybe adjust their team’s users.
- Reps: The folks actually booking meetings—SDRs, AEs, etc.
Some companies get fancy with subgroups (like regional teams), but don’t overcomplicate unless you have a real need. Write down who actually needs admin access. Spoiler: It’s probably fewer people than you think.
Pro tip: Go through your current admin list. If you’re surprised by any names, they probably shouldn’t be there.
Step 2: Understand Chilipiper’s Permission Model
Chilipiper organizes permissions around:
- User Roles: Basic levels like ‘Admin’ or ‘User.’
- Teams: Groups of users (e.g., East Coast AEs, SDRs).
- Workspace Access: Some features and settings are tied to specific workspaces.
Here’s the honest breakdown:
- Admins: Can do everything, including change routing, integrations, and manage users.
- Team Managers: Usually can view and manage users in their team, but not global settings.
- Standard Users: Can use booking/routing, see their own calendar, and sometimes limited team details.
What works: The system is simple and covers 95% of use cases if you stick to these roles.
What doesn’t: Granular permissions (like “let this person edit routing but not integrations”) aren’t really a thing. If you need that, you’ll have to get creative (or lobby Chilipiper’s product team).
Step 3: Set Up Teams and Workspaces
Teams in Chilipiper let you group users for routing and reporting. Workspaces are like separate sandboxes for different business units or regions.
To set up teams:
- Go to the Admin panel.
- Click Teams.
- Create a team for each function—don’t just lump everyone together. Examples: “Enterprise AEs,” “Inbound SDRs,” “UK SMB Team.”
For workspaces (if you use them):
- Workspaces are best if you have totally separate sales motions (like different global regions that never overlap). If you don’t, skip them—more workspaces mean more setup headaches.
Common mistake: Over-segmenting. Don’t make a team for every little subgroup unless you need specific routing or reporting.
Step 4: Assign Roles Carefully
Now that your teams are sorted, assign user roles:
- Add users to Chilipiper (manually or through an integration like Salesforce or Google).
- Assign each user to the right team(s).
- Set their role:
- Admin: Only for trusted ops or IT folks.
- Team Manager: For people who need to oversee team performance or handle basic troubleshooting.
- User: The default for most sales reps.
How to decide who gets what:
If someone shouldn’t be able to break your routing rules or integrations, they’re not an admin. If they don’t need to manage teammates, keep them as a standard user.
Pro tip: Too many admins is a security risk and a recipe for confusion. Do a quarterly audit.
Step 5: Review Default Permissions and Adjust as Needed
Chilipiper’s defaults are pretty locked down for regular users. Still, double-check:
- Who can book on behalf of whom: Some teams want managers to book for their reps. Others don’t.
- Calendar visibility: Make sure users only see what they need. Avoid “calendar sprawl.”
- Access to routing rules: This should be admin-only, unless you like surprises.
Ignore: Over-complicating access. You don’t need a custom role for every edge case. If someone asks for “special” access, ask why—nine times out of ten, there’s a better process fix.
Step 6: Set Up Onboarding and Offboarding Processes
Even the best setup falls apart if you forget to remove users or never add new ones to the right teams.
- Onboarding: Make adding new hires to the correct team and role part of your checklist. If you use HR systems or SSO, see if you can automate this.
- Offboarding: When someone leaves, remove them from Chilipiper immediately. Lingering users are a security risk—and can mess up routing.
Pro tip: Keep a shared doc or checklist for these steps. It’s boring, but it works.
Step 7: Monitor and Audit Regularly
Set a calendar reminder every quarter (or month, if you’re big) to review:
- Admins list: Still accurate?
- Team memberships: Anyone moved roles or regions?
- Unused accounts: Any users who haven’t logged in lately?
Chilipiper’s reporting isn’t as deep as some enterprise tools, but you can usually export lists or check logs for major changes.
What to ignore: Obsessing over tiny permission changes every week. Focus on the big stuff—admin access, team assignments, and calendar visibility.
Troubleshooting: Common Permission Pitfalls
-
“Why can’t my rep see the right calendar?”
Double-check their team and role. Nine times out of ten, they’re not in the right group. -
“A new user can edit routing rules!”
You probably made them an admin by accident. Downgrade immediately. -
“Someone left, but still appears in round robin.”
Remove them from both the team and any active routing rules. Sometimes you have to update both spots. -
“Too many teams or workspaces.”
Consolidate if you can. More isn’t better—it’s just confusing.
Pro Tips for Large Teams
- Integrate with your SSO or HRIS if possible. Automating provisioning/deprovisioning saves headaches.
- Limit admin access to 2-3 trusted people. Rotate if needed, but don’t go wider.
- Document your setup. A simple diagram or spreadsheet can save you when someone’s out sick.
- Don’t chase every edge case. If someone asks for odd permissions, ask why. Usually, there’s a better fix upstream.
Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Managing user permissions in Chilipiper isn’t rocket science, but it does require discipline. The best setups are simple, reviewed regularly, and only give people what they need—no more, no less. Don’t try to build the “perfect” system on day one. Get the basics right, check in often, and tweak as your team changes. That’s how you keep things running—and avoid permissions nightmares down the road.