How to Configure Staff Roles and Permissions

Zipper has three built-in roles with different levels of access. You can also use Advanced Permissions to customize exactly what each staff member can do.

The Three Roles

Role	What they can do
Admin	Everything — full access to all settings, data, and features
Manager	Same as Admin, except they cannot manage other staff members
Staff	Limited — can teach classes and book appointments, but can’t access settings, customer data, or financials by default

Most studios use: Admin for owners, Manager for lead staff, and Staff for instructors and contractors.

How to Change a Staff Member’s Role

Step 1: Go to Staff Management

Navigate to: Staff > Staff Members

Staff management page showing list of team members with roles and Edit/Clone/Remove buttons

Step 2: Edit the staff member

Find the staff member in the list
Click: Edit

Edit staff member modal showing Dashboard View and Role fields

Step 3: Change the role

In the Organization Permissions section, find the Role dropdown
Select: Admin, Manager, or Staff
Click: Save

Fine-Tuning with Advanced Permissions

For Staff-role members who need access to specific features (but not full Manager access), use Advanced Permissions.

How to open Advanced Permissions

In the Edit staff member modal, scroll to Advanced permissions
Click: Show

Advanced permissions expanded showing checklist of individual permission toggles

Most useful permissions for Staff-role members

Permission	What it unlocks
`view-customers`	Can see the customer list in CRM
`manage-customers`	Can edit customer profiles
`view-customer-financials`	Can see customer billing and payment history
`manage-point-of-sale`	Can use the Point-of-Sale to check out customers
`view-payment-collector`	Can see unpaid fees and charge customers
`manage-schedule`	Can create and edit classes/events
`view-substitution-board`	Can see open sub requests
`claim-substitutions`	Can claim open sub requests
`post-substitution-board`	Can post their own sub requests
`manage-own-time-tracking`	Can clock in/out for themselves
`view-org-financials`	Can see org-level revenue reports

How to add a permission

Find the permission in the Advanced Permissions list
Toggle it on
Click: Save

On Mobile

Same steps — staff management and the edit modal work on mobile browser.

Tips

“Why can’t my instructor see the Calendar?” — If they’re Staff role with no extra permissions, they may not have manage-schedule. Add it via Advanced Permissions.
“An admin can’t add staff” — Check if they’re Manager (not Admin). Managers can’t manage other staff by design. Upgrade to Admin if needed.
Contractors / sub board: Contractors need view-substitution-board + claim-substitutions. See: How to Enable the Sub Board for Independent Contractors.
Changes take effect immediately — no need to log the staff member out and back in.

Troubleshooting

Staff member can’t see the feature I enabled. After saving the permission change, have them refresh their browser. If it still doesn’t show, confirm the permission was saved by reopening the Edit modal.

I don’t see the “Advanced permissions” section. It appears in the Edit staff member modal — scroll down below the Role selector. If the modal seems cut off, try expanding your browser window.

Need a hand?

Email our team at support@joinzipper.com and we'll usually reply within a few hours.

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