# Invite an agent

Create a separate staff login, choose its role, and finish the required inbox-access step.

## Choose the role first

Use a separate login for every person. An **Administrator** manages account settings; an **Agent** handles customer conversations. A custom role can narrow conversation access and contact visibility.

If the person must have masked customer details or see only assigned work, [create the custom role](https://docs.bow.chat/getting-started/custom-roles) first. Naming a role **Masked Number** does not set its permissions automatically.

## Add the person

1. As an administrator, open **Settings → Agents**.
2. Click **Add Agent** or **Add User**.
3. Enter the person's name and email address.
4. Select the intended role in **Role**, including the custom role if you created one.
5. Click **Add Agent**.
6. Ask the person to open the invitation email and complete the email verification or password setup it requests. Check spam/junk and the email spelling if it does not arrive.

To change an existing agent, edit their entry in **Settings → Agents**, choose the role and save.

## Required: add the agent to an inbox

The invitation is only the first part. Open **Settings → Inboxes → your inbox → Collaborators**, select the new agent and click **Update**. Repeat for each inbox they should use.

[Follow the inbox-access steps](https://docs.bow.chat/getting-started/inbox-access). If you skip them, the person may sign in successfully and see no messages, including in the Android app.

## Check the handover

Have the agent sign in with their own email, choose the right account, open the intended inbox and answer a test conversation. For an assigned-only role, assign that conversation to them first. [Check access and troubleshoot](https://docs.bow.chat/getting-started/troubleshoot-agent-access).

Canonical: https://docs.bow.chat/getting-started/add-agents
Version: 1
Updated: 2026-10-17T13:47:08.082Z