Yes. Admins can create User Roles for a channel to allow users who are not normally part of the channel to talk to its members by creating a User Role named "External". The "External" User Role can speak to the members of the channel but they cannot hear conversations between its members. Also, a second User Role is created for the regular channel members so they only speak to each other and not the External users.
Example: Adding External users to an IT Team channel
To illustrate, we'll use the example of a hotel's IT team channel named "IT Team". Normally, all users on this channel would be IT staff. However, other departments may need to contact an IT team member when an IT issue arises. To allow outside users to talk to an IT staffer on the IT Team channel without being an active member of the channel, two User Roles will be added to define who can talk with each other.
- One User Role named "IT Team" will be created for the IT staff
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A second User Role named "External" will be created for outside users.
Once the roles are set up and assigned, IT Team members will be allowed to speak to other IT Team members but not initiate calls to External users. External users will be able to speak to IT Team members but not initiate calls with other External users.
The following steps are used to set up the IT Team channel's User Roles and assignments.
Creating and assigning User Roles in the channel
Before creating User Roles, make sure the external users are already listed as users on the IT Team channel. You can refer to this article on how to add users to the channel. In our IT Team channel, we have added outside users from these departments: FrontDesk, Security, Maintenance, Housekeeping, and Catering to the channel.
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From the Management Console, select Channels from the taskbar.
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Select the channel you will create new User Roles for. In our example, the channel is named IT Team
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Make sure any external users are already listed as users in the channel. Tap the Add (+) icon in the Roles section to create a new role for the channel's regular members, the IT staff, first.
- To create the "IT Team" User Role, select Type as Speak to selected roles, and click on IT Team (self). Click Continue when done
- Assign IT team staff members to the role and click Continue
- Now we will create the "External" User Role for the external users. On the IT Team Channel Details page, click on the Add (+) icon in the Roles section. Create the User Role by selecting Type of Speak to selected roles and select IT Team. Click on Continue when done
- Assign the non-IT users to the External role: FrontDesk, Security, Maintenance, Housekeeping, and Catering
- When completed, the IT Team Channel Details page up will display IT team members with the User Role of "IT Team", and non-IT team members with the User Role of "External". The IT Team members cannot contact External users, only other IT members. External users cannot contact other External users, only the IT Team members.
