Creating Custom Roles
When the standard roles (Owner, Admin, Manager, Staff) don't quite fit your needs, create custom roles with exactly the permissions your team requires.
Why create custom roles?
Custom roles are useful when:
Standard roles are too broad — you want to limit specific capabilities
Standard roles are too narrow — you need to combine features from different levels
You have unique positions — roles specific to your business structure
Different locations need different access — customise by site or department
Examples of custom roles
Custom role | Based on | Key differences |
Booking Coordinator | Staff | Can create and edit bookings, but not access finances |
Tour Guide | Staff | View-only for bookings, can update customer notes |
Finance Officer | Manager | Full financial access, no product management |
Location Manager | Manager | Full access for one location only |
Marketing Assistant | Staff | Access to customer data for marketing, nothing else |
Creating a new custom role
Go to Settings > Roles
Click Create Custom Role
Enter the role details:
- Role name — a clear, descriptive name - Description — explain what this role is for - Base role — select which standard role to start from
Customise permissions (see below)
Click Create Role
Your new role is now available when assigning team members.
Customising permissions
After selecting a base role, adjust permissions to match your needs:
Adding permissions
Find the permission category (Bookings, Customers, etc.)
Click the toggle next to permissions you want to add
Green toggle = permission enabled
Removing permissions
Find the permission you want to remove
Click the toggle to disable it
Grey toggle = permission disabled
Permission groups
Some permissions are grouped logically:
View — see information
Create — add new records
Edit — modify existing records
Delete — remove records
Export — download data
You can enable viewing without editing, or editing without deleting.
Step-by-step example: Booking Coordinator
Let's create a role for someone who handles bookings but shouldn't access finances:
Go to Settings > Roles
Click Create Custom Role
Enter:
- Name: Booking Coordinator - Description: Handles booking creation and management without financial access - Base role: Manager
In Financial permissions, disable:
- View revenue - View detailed financials - Process refunds - Export financials
In Team permissions, disable:
- Invite members - Manage roles
Click Create Role
Now you can assign team members to "Booking Coordinator" instead of Manager.
Editing custom roles
To modify an existing custom role:
Go to Settings > Roles
Find your custom role in the list
Click Edit
Adjust the permissions
Click Save Changes
Changes apply immediately to all team members with this role.
Duplicating roles
To create a similar role with small differences:
Go to Settings > Roles
Find the role you want to copy
Click the three dots menu
Select Duplicate
Rename the new role
Adjust permissions as needed
Click Create Role
Deleting custom roles
Before deleting a custom role:
Check who's assigned to it in Settings > Team
Reassign those members to different roles
Go to Settings > Roles
Find the role to delete
Click the three dots menu
Select Delete
Confirm the deletion
You cannot delete a role while team members are assigned to it.
Managing multiple custom roles
Naming conventions
Use clear, consistent names:
Good: "Booking Coordinator", "Finance Officer", "Tour Guide"
Avoid: "Custom Role 1", "New Role", "John's Role"
Documenting roles
For each custom role, document:
Who should be assigned this role
Why it exists (what gap does it fill?)
Key differences from standard roles
Regular review
Every quarter, review your custom roles:
Are they still being used?
Do the permissions still make sense?
Can any roles be consolidated?
Are there new needs for additional roles?
Role hierarchy
Custom roles don't automatically fit into the standard hierarchy. Consider:
What's the "seniority" of each custom role?
Who can manage people in custom roles?
How do custom roles interact with standard roles?
Best practices
Start with the closest standard role — modify rather than build from scratch
Name roles by function — not by person
Keep it simple — fewer roles are easier to manage
Test before deploying — assign yourself temporarily to verify access
Document your decisions — note why each role exists
Common mistakes to avoid
Mistake | Better approach |
Creating a role for one person | Use individual permission overrides |
Too many similar roles | Consolidate into fewer, flexible roles |
Vague role names | Use descriptive, function-based names |
Forgetting to test | Verify access works as expected |
No documentation | Keep notes on role purposes |
Troubleshooting
Role not appearing in dropdown
Confirm the role was saved successfully
Refresh the page
Check you have permission to assign that role
Team member has wrong access
Verify they're assigned to the correct role
Check the role's permissions in Settings > Roles
Look for individual permission overrides on their profile
Can't delete a role
Check for team members still assigned to it
Reassign them to other roles first
Try deleting again
Custom roles let you match Launchpad perfectly to how your team works.