Beside has two levels of roles: one at the organization level, and one at the inbox/line level. Understanding how they interact is key to knowing what you and your teammates can do.

Two levels of roles

Every person in a Beside organization has:

An organization-level role - which controls what they can manage across the organization (members, lines, billing)
A inbox/line-level role - on each specific line they've been added to, which controls what they can do on that line

These two levels are independent. An organization Admin who isn't added to a line can still manage that line's settings - but cannot make or receive calls on it.

Organization roles

Every member of your organization has exactly one of these three roles:

Role	Who this is	How assigned
Owner	The person who created the account. There is exactly one Owner per organization. They cannot be removed or demoted.	Set at organization creation. Cannot be transferred.
Admin	The person who runs the Beside account day to day - inviting members, creating lines, managing settings across the organization.	Promoted from Member by the Owner or another Admin.
Member	A teammate who uses Beside for their own calls and messages. No control over organization-wide settings or other members.	Default role when invited to the organization.

Inbox/Line roles

Within each line, members have a separate role that controls what they can do on that specific line:

Role	What they can do
Inbox/Line Admin	Can manage the line's settings, members, voicemail, and phone number.
Inbox/Line Member	Can make and receive calls and messages on this line. Cannot change line settings.

📌 Organization Admin bypass: Organization Admins and Owners can perform Inbox/Line Admin actions on any line in the organization - even lines they are not a member of. The only exception is making and receiving calls, which requires actual line membership.

What each role can do

Organization-level actions

Action	Org Member	Org Admin	Org Owner
View organization members and lines	✅	✅	✅
Invite members to the organization	❌	✅	✅
Remove members from the organization	❌	✅	✅
Change a member's organization role	❌	✅	✅
Create new lines	❌	✅	✅
Rename the organization	❌	✅	✅
Can be removed or demoted	✅	✅	❌

Inbox/Line-level actions

Action	Inbox/Line Member	Inbox/Line Admin	Organization Admin / Owner
Make and receive calls	✅	✅	Only if line member
Send and receive messages	✅	✅	Only if line member
Update line settings (notifications, etc.)	✅	✅	✅
Invite members to the line	❌	✅	✅
Remove members from the line	❌	✅	✅
Configure voicemail	❌	✅	✅
Manage phone number	❌	✅	✅
Delete the line	❌	❌	✅
Leave the line	✅	✅	N/A

What you see when a permission is denied

Situation	What you see
Organization Member tries an admin-only organization action	"You don't have permission to do this"
Line Member tries a Line Admin-only action	"You don't have permission to do this"
Non-line-member tries to access calls or messages	The line content is not visible
Someone tries to remove or demote the Organization Owner	Action not available

FAQ

I'm an organization Admin but I can't make calls on a line - why?

Making and receiving calls requires actual membership in that line. As an organization Admin, you can manage the line's settings and members, but to take calls you need to be added as a Line Member first. Ask another Inbox/Line Admin or organization Admin to add you.

Can I have different roles on different lines?

Yes. Your organization role is the same across your entire organization, but your line/inbox role can differ per line. You might be a Inbox/Line Admin on your main line and a Inbox/ Member on a shared support line.

Who can change my organization role?

Any organization Admin or the Owner can promote a Member to Admin, or demote an Admin back to Member. The Owner cannot be demoted or removed.

Who can change my line role?

Organization Admins and Owners can change line roles on any line/inbox. There is currently no UI for Inbox/Line Admins to change another member's line role - this is coming in a future update.

What happens if the Owner leaves the company?

The organization, its lines, and its billing persist even if the Owner is no longer active. However, the Owner role cannot be transferred in the current version. Contact Beside support if you need help with an owner transition.

What is Beside?

Share your line with your team

Manage your organization

Set up Beside for your organization - Admin guide

Getting started with Beside - Teammate guide