To invite an agent with limited access to only one inbox in Papo (https://papo.global/), you need to create a custom role that restricts visible modules and associate the agent exclusively with the team responsible for that inbox, ensuring they see only conversations from that channel.
This setup is ideal when you need an external attendant, partner, or outsourced team to access only conversations for a specific customer or department, without seeing other inboxes in the account.
Setup summary
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| Custom role | Create a profile that allows access only to the Conversations module (and other essential ones), blocking modules such as Reports, Settings, or Kanban. |
| Dedicated team | Create a team containing only the agents who should see that inbox. |
| Inbox association | Link the team to the desired inbox instead of adding agents individually. |
| Agent invitation | Invite the agent with the custom role and include them in the created team. |
How to restrict an agent to a single inbox
Papo organizes conversation access through teams and roles. To limit an agent to a specific inbox, you combine these two resources:
- Custom role – defines which modules the agent can access (e.g., only Conversations, with no access to Reports or Settings).
- Team linked to the inbox – the agent is placed in a team that is exclusively associated with the inbox they should handle.
This way, even if there are other inboxes in the account, the agent will only see conversations from the team they belong to.
Step by step
1. Create a custom role with restricted access
The custom role lets you control which platform modules the agent sees. For minimal access:
- Go to Settings in the side menu.
- Scroll to Custom Roles and click Add custom role.
- Give it a name (e.g., “Single Inbox Agent”).
- In permissions, check only the essential modules for service, such as Conversations. Leave modules such as Reports, Settings, Kanban, or Contacts unchecked as needed.
- Save the role.
Important: The custom role controls module visibility, but it does not restrict which inboxes appear. Inbox restriction is done by association with a team.
2. Create a dedicated team for the inbox
- Still in Settings, go to the Teams section.
- Create a new team with a name that identifies the inbox (e.g., “Customer X Support”).
- Add to the team only the agents who should access that inbox. If the agent does not exist in the account yet, you can invite them later.
3. Associate the team with the inbox
- Go to Settings → Inboxes.
- Find the inbox that will be the only one visible to the agent.
- Click the inbox Settings and access Collaborators.
- Instead of selecting individual agents, choose the team you created.
- Save the change.
From that moment on, all team members will see only conversations from that inbox. If the agent belongs to more than one team, they will see the inboxes of all teams they are linked to — so keep them in a single team.
4. Invite the agent with the correct role and team
- If the agent is not in the account yet, go to Settings → Agents (or Users) and use the Invite agent option.
- In the invitation, select the custom role created in step 1.
- After the agent accepts the invitation, go to team management and add them to the dedicated team from step 2.
If the agent already exists in the account, edit their profile to change the role and make sure they are only in the desired inbox team.
Who this setup is useful for
- White-label resellers who need to give agents of each end customer access only to their own inbox, without exposing other customers’ data.
- Operations with sensitive data (finance, legal) that require total segregation between departments.
- Outsourced teams working on a specific project or campaign and who should not access the rest of the operation.
- Franchises or units that share the same Papo account but need isolation between each store’s inboxes.
Frequently asked questions
Can the agent still see the summary of other inboxes?
No. The inbox summary (open, resolved, unassigned) is displayed only for inboxes the agent has access to. Since they are linked to a single team, they will see only that inbox’s summary.
Can I limit the agent to reading conversations but prevent them from replying?
The custom role lets you control modules, but more granular permissions within the Conversations module (such as read-only) are not covered by standard roles. For that level of detail, consult the advanced permission options in the platform documentation.
What if the agent is moved to another team by mistake?
As long as they are in only one team, they will see only the associated inbox. If they are added to a second team, they will also see the inboxes of that new team. Therefore, periodically review team composition in settings.
Does this restriction work for all channels (WhatsApp, email, chat)?
Yes. The team + inbox logic is the same for any channel configured in Papo: WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, email, SMS, or website widget.
Do I need to create a custom role for each agent?
No. The same role can be assigned to multiple agents. Create a “Restricted Agent” role and reuse it for everyone who should have limited access to a single inbox.
Can the agent still access the Contacts or Kanban module?
It depends on the permissions you define in the custom role. For maximum restriction, uncheck all modules except Conversations. This way, the agent will not see Contacts, Kanban, Reports, or Settings.
See also
- How to join Papo Global’s white-label reseller program
- How to transfer multiple conversations from an inactive agent to another team member
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With Papo, you control exactly what each agent sees, keeping the operation organized and each customer’s data isolated.