If you’re managing customer feedback with AskNicely and your team’s growing, you need to control who can see and do what. Maybe you’ve had a scare—someone clicked where they shouldn’t have, or a sensitive customer list got shared. This guide is for you if you want to set up user roles and permissions that actually work, without turning your day into an IT headache.
Let’s keep it practical: you’ll learn what roles actually matter, how permissions work in AskNicely, and how to avoid common mistakes that can leave your data wide open.
Why Roles and Permissions Matter (and Where They Don’t)
First off, you don’t need to turn your AskNicely account into Fort Knox. But you do need to make sure people only see and do what they’re supposed to. Here’s what you’re protecting:
- Customer data: Not everyone in your company needs to see all customer feedback.
- Survey controls: You don’t want a rookie accidentally nuking your NPS survey.
- Integrations and API keys: These can open doors to your whole CRM or email lists.
But don’t overthink it. If you only have a team of five and everyone trusts each other, you might just need a couple of roles. If you’re bigger, or you’re in a regulated industry, you’ll want to be stricter.
Step 1: Understand AskNicely’s User Roles
AskNicely keeps things pretty simple—there are a handful of built-in roles, each with a set of permissions. You can’t create custom roles (as of early 2024), but you can pick the right one for each person.
Main roles:
- Admin: Can do everything—including billing, user management, and survey setup. Give this one to as few people as possible.
- Manager: Can view all feedback, manage surveys, and edit most settings, but can’t access billing or user management.
- User: Can view and respond to feedback, but can’t change surveys or settings.
- Restricted User (sometimes called “Team Member”): Can only see feedback assigned to them or their group—good for frontline staff.
Pro tip: If you’re not sure what someone needs, start with a lower role. You can always bump them up later.
What’s missing?
Custom roles, fine-grained permissions (like “can view but not export”), and audit logs. If you need these, AskNicely might not be enough—look for enterprise tools or ask their support for upcoming features.
Step 2: Map Out Who Needs What Access
Before you hit “invite,” sketch out who needs which role. Don’t rely on job titles—think about what people actually do in AskNicely.
Questions to ask:
- Who needs to edit surveys?
- Who should only see their own customers’ feedback?
- Who manages users and billing?
- Should anyone need to export data?
Example setup:
| Role | Who gets it | What they do | |------------------|----------------------|------------------------------------| | Admin | Head of CX, IT lead | Full control, rare use | | Manager | Team leads | Edit surveys, view all feedback | | User | Support agents | Respond to feedback, can’t edit | | Restricted User | Store staff | See/respond to their own customers |
Skip this? Don’t. If you just hand out Admin to everyone, you’re asking for trouble.
Step 3: Add Users and Assign Roles
Ready to go? Here’s how you actually do it in AskNicely:
- Go to Settings > Users
- You’ll find this in the main menu on the left. If you don’t see “Settings,” you’re not an Admin.
- Click “Invite User”
- Enter their email, first and last name.
- Select a Role
- Pick from Admin, Manager, User, or Restricted User.
- Double-check—there’s no bulk edit if you make a mistake.
- (Optional) Assign Groups or Teams
- For Restricted Users, you can add them to specific teams or locations.
- Send Invite
- The user gets an email to set their password and log in.
Heads up: Invites sometimes land in spam. If someone doesn’t get theirs, just resend.
Step 4: Review and Adjust Permissions Regularly
Don’t treat this as a one-and-done job. People leave, get promoted, or switch roles. Every few months (or after a re-org), review your user list.
How to do it:
- Go to Settings > Users.
- Look for old accounts—deactivate or delete them.
- Check if anyone has Admin who shouldn’t.
- If someone’s role changed, update their access.
Pro tip: Calendar a 15-minute check every quarter. It beats cleaning up a mess later.
Step 5: Use Groups and Teams for Extra Control
If you’ve got a bigger organization, or multiple locations, use Groups (sometimes called Teams in AskNicely) to control what feedback people see.
- Add users to Groups: This limits what feedback shows up for them.
- Assign feedback to Groups: Useful if different teams own different customers.
Where it works:
Groups make sense if you have, say, 10 stores or regions, and only want local leads to see their own data.
Where it doesn’t:
If your org is small, or you don’t have clear customer ownership, don’t bother. It just adds complexity.
Step 6: Control Integrations and API Access
Admins can connect AskNicely to other tools—CRMs, email platforms, you name it. This is powerful, but risky if the wrong hands get in.
- Limit Admins: Don’t give API or integration access to anyone who doesn’t really need it.
- Review API keys: If you fire a vendor or developer, kill their API keys.
- Check integration logs: If something looks off, disconnect and investigate.
Note: AskNicely doesn’t offer super detailed logs or alerts. If you need more, you’ll have to monitor connected apps too.
Step 7: Train Your Team (Without Boring Them)
Most security slip-ups happen because people don’t know what their role actually means. Take 15 minutes to run your team through:
- What they can and can’t do with their role
- How to spot sketchy emails (phishing)
- Who to ask if they need more access
Don’t send a 20-page PDF. Just show them the basics, maybe in your next team meeting.
What to Ignore (For Now)
- Custom roles: Can’t do it in AskNicely, so don’t waste time searching.
- Granular permissions: You can’t say “Jane can export but not edit”—it’s not in the product.
- Audit trails: If you need to track every click, you’ll need a more heavyweight tool.
Honest Takes and Pro Tips
- Default to less access: It’s way easier to add permissions than to clean up after someone sees something they shouldn’t.
- Admins should be rare: If everyone’s an Admin, you have no security at all.
- Don’t let accounts linger: Deactivate users as soon as they leave. Don’t wait for “later.”
- Use Groups for clarity, not confusion: Only set them up if they solve a real problem.
Keep It Simple—And Adjust as You Grow
Setting up user roles and permissions in AskNicely isn’t rocket science, but it’s easy to make it more complicated than it needs to be. Start small. Give people the minimum they need, check in every so often, and don’t be afraid to tweak things as your team or needs change. Secure collaboration is about building habits, not hunting for the perfect setting.
If you outgrow AskNicely’s built-in roles, that’s a good sign your team’s maturing. Until then, keep it simple and focus on what actually protects your data and workflows.