Service Desk roles and access

Service Desk permissions are set by module role: Member, Manager, or Admin. These roles control who can see, create, complete, and manage issues and requests. Roles are assigned per site in Settings > User Management.

Quick reference

* May require manager approval or auto-close per site Options.

** Requires Site Manager or Site Admin (update-site), not Service Desk role alone.

Issues

Members can see only the issues they created or were assigned to. They can add comments and escalate assigned issues back to a manager. Depending on the site configuration, Members may only be able to see their own comments on an issue rather than all comments. Members who created an open issue can edit its reported fields (title, description, reported location, and category). They cannot reassign issues, change triaged fields, or mark issues they did not create as complete. When assigned to an issue, a Member can mark it Complete. Depending on site options, this either sends it to Review for a manager or auto-closes it. Managers can view all issues, assign or reassign them, update triaged status and categories, and resolve or close them. Admins have the same operational access as Managers, plus the ability to delete issues. For step-by-step instructions, see Managing Issues.

Issues can be submitted anonymously through the Report Issue form or a QR code, even without logging in. This is the only anonymous workflow in Service Desk. Anonymous reporters do not receive notifications because there is no user account attached to the report.

Requests

Members and Managers can both submit requests, but Members can only see requests they created or were assigned to. Members who created an open request can edit its reported fields. They cannot reassign requests, change triaged fields, or close requests they only received. Members can escalate assigned requests back to a manager. When assigned to a request, a Member can mark it Complete. Depending on site options, this either sends it to Review for a manager or auto-closes it. Managers can view all requests, assign and reassign them, update status and due dates, and mark them complete. Admins have the same operational access as Managers, plus the ability to delete requests. For step-by-step instructions, see Managing Requests.

Requests always require an authenticated user. Even if someone scans a QR code that opens the request form, they must sign in to submit.

Settings and configuration

Service Desk settings are in Settings > Service Desk. The tabs are Issue Categories, Request Categories, Default Assignees, Report Channels, and Options. Any user with Service Desk module access who is at least a Member can open this page. Most editing is restricted by role, not the page itself.

The permission-denied message "You don't have permission to view service desk settings. Please contact your administrator." appears only when a user lacks Service Desk settings access entirely, typically because they have no Service Desk module access at all.

Category create, edit, and delete require the Service Desk Manager or Admin role. Default assignees and the Options tab require the Site Manager or Site Admin role. A Service Desk Admin without Site Manager cannot necessarily change those. For details, see Set default assignees for issues and requests. For workflow rules, see Service Desk Workflow Rules.

How to change a Service Desk role

Roles are assigned per site and per module. To change someone's Service Desk access:

1. Go to Settings > User Management

2. Find the person and click Edit Access

3. In the Access Control table, set their role for the Service Desk module at each site: Member, Manager, or Admin

4. Click Save

If you do not see Edit Access, you need the Manager role (or higher) for the Site module. For a full overview of the three roles, see Understanding User Roles and Permissions.