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How to create new roles in Zoho CRM

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Roles in Zoho CRM define your organisation’s hierarchy and control how data is shared between users. Higher level roles automatically see the records owned by users below them, so setting roles up correctly gives secure, structured access to customer data while still supporting collaboration.

Key concepts of role hierarchy

  • Top-down access: users in higher roles, such as a Sales Manager, can view and manage records owned by their subordinates.
  • Peer restriction: by default, users in the same role, such as two VPs, cannot view each other’s records.
  • Superiors Allowed: enable this option in a sharing rule to let superiors access records their subordinates have shared with others.
  • Share Data with Peers: enable this on a role to let users with the same role access each other’s data.
  • Access control: users need at least read access to interact with a record, for example to add notes or attachments, or send an email.

Availability and permissions

  • Role management is available in all paid editions.
  • Creating and editing roles requires the Manage Roles permission in the user’s profile.
  • Users with the Administrator profile have full access regardless of their assigned role.

Default role structure

When you sign up, Zoho CRM includes two default roles: CEO and Manager. You can create additional roles to match your organisational structure.

How to create a new role

  1. Go to Setup > Security Control > Roles and Sharing.
  2. Click New Role.
  3. Enter a Role Name.
  4. Select a Reports To role (its superior).
  5. Optionally, tick Share Data with Peers.
  6. Add a brief description.
  7. Click Save.

How to assign roles to users

Once roles are created, assign one to each user.

  1. Go to Setup > General > Users.
  2. Click a user’s name.
  3. Click the edit icon next to Role.
  4. Choose the new role from the dropdown.
  5. Click Save.

How to edit a role

You can update roles at any time to reflect changes in your hierarchy.

  1. Go to Setup > Security Control > Roles and Sharing.
  2. Click the role name from the list.
  3. Click Edit.
  4. Update the role name, its Reports To relationship, or the Share Data with Peers option.
  5. Click Save.

How to delete a role

Before deleting a role, transfer its users and any child roles to another role.

  1. Go to Setup > Security Control > Roles and Sharing.
  2. Click the role name.
  3. Click Delete.
  4. Select an existing role to transfer child roles and users to.
  5. Click Transfer & Delete.

Frequently asked questions

What roles does Zoho CRM include by default?

CEO and Manager. You can create additional roles to match your own organisational structure.

Can two users with the same role see each other’s records?

Not by default. Enable Share Data with Peers when creating or editing the role to allow this.

What must I do before deleting a role?

Transfer its users and any child roles to another role, since you choose a destination role as part of the delete process.

Need help?

Need help designing roles or a hierarchy in Zoho CRM? Contact support@thoughtlogik.com or see our Zoho implementation services.

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