Getting started7 min read
Roles, permissions and who can do what
How roles, individual permissions and ownership work — including the driver / sales-rep split and the full permission list.
DriveDesk does not decide what someone can do from their job title. It decides from a list of permissions granted to them individually. A role is only a starting point — pick one when you invite somebody, and the matching permissions are ticked for you. From then on you add or remove them one at a time.
The starting roles
| Role | Starts with | Needs KYC? |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | Everything, always — ownership cannot be reduced | No |
| Manager | Bookings, approvals, vehicles, team, leads, monitoring, incidents, reviews, billing, settings, website, analytics | No |
| Staff | The combined field role: drives, is tracked, is scanned at the gate, and handles the customer handover | Yes |
| Driver | Drives, is GPS-tracked, carries the gate pass — does not handle the customer | Yes |
| Sales rep | Handles the customer — licence, one-time code, handover, signature — and can create bookings and field tasks | No |
| Gatekeeper | Scanning gate passes only | No |
One person or two per drive
Some dealerships send one person out with the car; others send a driver and a sales representative together. DriveDesk supports both. Assign a single Staff member, or assign a Driver plus a Sales rep to the same job — both see it in the app, but each only sees their own controls.
- The driver holds the vehicle and the gate pass, so the gate-pass QR shows on their phone. The customer handover button does not.
- The sales rep sees a banner telling them they are attending as sales rep, and gets the licence, one-time code, signature and handover controls. The gate-pass QR does not show for them.
- The gatekeeper's scan screen names both people, so they know who to expect at the gate.
The full permission list
| Permission | What it unlocks |
|---|---|
| Manage bookings | Create and edit test-drive bookings |
| Manage field tasks | Dispatch deliveries, pickups, service runs and errands |
| Approve tasks | Approve or reject bookings and field tasks; holders' own submissions are auto-approved |
| Manage vehicles | Add, edit, archive and restore fleet vehicles |
| Scan gate pass | Use the gate app and the gate screen |
| Manage event customers | Add attendees to an event booking on site |
| Perform handoff | Run the customer handover: licence, one-time code, signature, return |
| Drive vehicle | Drive fleet vehicles — this is the permission that requires KYC |
| Work field tasks | Work from the field app rather than the desk |
| Transfer vehicle | Move a vehicle to another dealership |
| Transfer member | Move a team member to another dealership |
| Manage enquiries | Triage leads, unlock marketplace leads, record outcomes |
| Manage monitoring | See the live operations map |
| Manage incidents | Acknowledge and resolve reported issues |
| Review KYC | Approve staff Aadhaar and licence submissions |
| Review customer licence | Approve or reject customer licences saved for review |
| Manage team | Invite, edit and remove members |
| Manage billing | Subscription and plan |
| Manage settings | Dealership settings, hours, geofence |
| Manage website | Public site content, pages, custom domain |
| View analytics | The analytics dashboard |
Rules worth knowing
- The owner always has everything. Ownership is not a permission that can be revoked; you cannot lock yourself out.
- Some permissions depend on others. Being allowed to drive implies working in the field, so ticking the child automatically ticks and locks the parent.
- Removing a permission takes effect immediately. The next page load bounces the member out of whatever it protected.
- Your plan sets the ceiling. A permission your subscription does not include is not effective even if it is ticked — see Billing and plans.
Handing over the dealership
An owner can transfer the dealership to an existing manager. Ownership moves in one step; the outgoing owner remains a member with whatever permissions you leave them. Only the current owner is offered this.
Common questions
- Can we change someone's role later?
- Yes. Change the role preset on their member page and their permissions re-seed from the new role, or simply tick and untick individual permissions. Owners are the exception — ownership moves through the transfer flow instead.
- Which permission triggers the KYC requirement?
- Only Drive vehicle requires it. A manager, sales rep or gatekeeper never has to complete Aadhaar or licence verification, because none of them get behind the wheel of a fleet car.
- What does a field staff member see if they open the dashboard?
- They see the overview and their notifications, but no management sections and no shortcuts they cannot use. The dashboard adapts to the person.
Related guides
- Staff identity verification (KYC)Aadhaar and driving-licence verification for the staff who drive your vehicles — DigiLocker, fallbacks, and the review queue.
- Setting up: your first day and first weekA practical checklist for your first day and first week — fleet, team, KYC, settings and one end-to-end test drive.
- The DriveDesk mobile appOne app, three home screens — how drivers, sales reps, gatekeepers and managers use DriveDesk on the phone.
Still stuck?
Check the FAQ for a quick answer, or ask us — we reply within one business day.