FullStory User Management Overview

Introduction

FullStory's user management system allows you to control who can access your organization, what they can see, and what actions they can perform. Whether you're a startup with a small team or an enterprise with hundreds of users, understanding roles and permissions is essential for secure, efficient collaboration.

Understanding Organizations

An Organization in FullStory is your top-level account that contains all your data, settings, and users.

Key characteristics:

• Billing is managed at the organization level
• All users belong to the organization
• Data from all websites/apps is contained within the organization
• Organization-level settings apply to all users and data

User Roles & Permissions

FullStory offers four distinct user roles with different permission levels:

Admin

Full administrative control over the organization.

Permissions:

• Manage billing and subscription
• Add and remove users
• Assign roles to users
• Create and delete segments
• Configure privacy settings
• Manage integrations
• Access all session replays and data
• Create and modify dashboards
• Export data
• Delete the organization

Who should have this role:

• Company founders or executives
• Primary account administrators
• Operations managers
• Senior product managers with full oversight

Limit: Restrict Admin role to 2-5 trusted individuals in larger organizations.

Developer

Technical access with privacy configuration capabilities.

Permissions:

• Access all session replays and data
• Configure privacy and data masking rules
• Create and modify segments
• Create and modify dashboards
• Use developer tools (DevTools integration, API access)
• Implement FullStory tracking code

Cannot:

• Manage billing or subscription
• Add or remove users
• Assign roles
• Delete the organization

Who should have this role:

• Frontend developers
• Technical product managers
• Data engineers
• DevOps/platform engineers

User

Standard access for viewing and analyzing data.

Permissions:

• Access all session replays and data
• Create and modify segments
• Create and modify dashboards
• Share sessions and insights
• Use Omnisearch
• View analytics and funnels

Cannot:

• Manage users or billing
• Configure privacy settings
• Access developer tools
• Modify organization settings

Who should have this role:

• Product managers
• UX designers
• UX researchers
• Data analysts
• Marketing managers
• Customer support managers

Viewer

Read-only access for observing insights.

Permissions:

• View session replays
• View shared dashboards
• View shared segments
• Search sessions (limited)

Cannot:

• Create or modify segments
• Create or modify dashboards
• Configure any settings
• Manage users
• Export data

Who should have this role:

• Executive stakeholders
• External consultants (temporary access)
• Clients (for agencies)
• Junior team members in training
• Cross-functional stakeholders who need visibility

Summary Table

Access Control Best Practices

Principle of Least Privilege

Grant users the minimum access level they need to do their job.

Examples:

• Marketing analyst viewing landing page data → Viewer
• UX designer creating segments and analyzing sessions → User
• Product lead managing privacy settings → Developer
• Operations manager handling billing → Admin

Regular Access Audits

Review user access quarterly:

• Remove users who have left the company
• Downgrade access for users who changed roles
• Verify external contractor access is still needed
• Check that Admin role is limited to appropriate individuals

Temporary Access for Contractors

When granting access to external contractors:

• Use Viewer or User role (never Admin)
• Set a calendar reminder to review access after project completion
• Require NDAs for contractors with access to customer data
• Remove access immediately after project ends

Protect Admin Role

• Limit Admin role to 1-3 trusted individuals
• Use strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication
• Document who has Admin access
• Transfer ownership carefully if team changes

Team Collaboration Features

Sharing Sessions

All users can share session replays via:

• Direct links: Copy session URL and share
• Email: Send session directly from FullStory
• Slack/Teams: Share to channels via integrations
• Embed: Embed session replay in docs or tickets (with player)

Permissions:

• Shared links work for anyone with access to the organization
• External sharing can be disabled in organization settings

Comments & Annotations

Team members can add notes to sessions:

• Timestamp-specific comments
• Highlight issues or insights
• Tag teammates for review
• Create a conversation thread

Available to: User role and above (Viewers cannot comment)

Saved Searches & Segments

Save common analyses for team collaboration:

• Create segments for user cohorts
• Save searches for recurring analyses
• Share segments with team members
• Use segments in funnels and dashboards

Available to: User role and above

Dashboards

Build and share dashboards:

• Combine metrics, funnels, and session lists
• Share dashboards with stakeholders
• Schedule email reports
• Embed dashboards in other tools

Available to: User role and above

User Limits by Plan

FullStory plans have different user seat limits:

Note: Check your specific plan details in Settings > Subscription.

Managing Access for Different Scenarios

Scenario 1: Small Startup Team

Team:

• 1 Founder
• 1 Product Manager
• 2 Engineers
• 1 Designer

Recommended Structure:

• Founder: Admin (billing + full access)
• Product Manager: User (analyze + create segments)
• Engineers: Developer (implement + configure privacy)
• Designer: User (analyze sessions + create segments)

Scenario 2: SaaS Company

Team:

• Engineering team (10 people)
• Product team (5 people)
• Marketing team (3 people)
• Support team (5 people)
• Executives (3 people)

Recommended Structure:

• Engineering Lead: Admin
• Frontend Engineers: Developer
• Product Managers: User
• UX Designers: User
• Marketing Analysts: User
• Support Agents: User
• Executives: Viewer

Scenario 3: Agency Managing Client Sites

Team:

• Agency staff (8 people)
• Multiple clients (each needs visibility)

Recommended Structure:

• Agency Owner: Admin (billing + full control)
• Agency Analysts: User (analyze all client data)
• Agency Developers: Developer (implement for clients)
• Client stakeholders: Viewer (read-only access)

Note: For agencies, consider creating separate organizations per client if you need stricter data isolation.

Scenario 4: Enterprise Company

Team:

• Multiple product teams (50+ people)
• Shared analytics team (5 people)
• Executive stakeholders (10 people)
• External consultants (3 people, temporary)

Recommended Structure:

• Analytics Lead: Admin
• Product Managers: User
• UX Researchers: User
• Engineers: Developer
• Data Analysts: User
• Executives: Viewer
• External Consultants: Viewer (revoke after project)

Security Best Practices

Account Security

Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA):

• Recommended for all users
• Required for Admin and Developer roles
• Reduces risk of account compromise

Use Strong Passwords:

• Minimum 12 characters
• Mix of letters, numbers, symbols
• Unique to FullStory (no password reuse)
• Use a password manager

Review Login Activity:

• Monitor for suspicious logins
• Verify team member access is legitimate
• Set up alerts for failed login attempts

Data Access Controls

Limit Admin Roles:

• Only grant Admin to users who truly need it
• Regularly review Admin list
• Document who has Admin access and why

Remove Departed Employees Immediately:

• Disable access on last day of employment
• Transfer ownership of created content if needed
• Revoke API keys and integrations

Use Viewer Role for External Stakeholders:

• Never grant Admin to clients or contractors
• Viewer provides visibility without risk
• Set calendar reminders to review external access

Compliance Considerations

GDPR/CCPA:

• Ensure team members understand data privacy responsibilities
• Limit access to sessions containing sensitive user data
• Document who has access to user data
• Implement data retention policies

Internal Policies:

• Align FullStory access with company data governance policies
• Require NDAs for contractors with data access
• Maintain audit trail of access changes
• Conduct regular privacy training for users

Common User Management Tasks

Adding a New Team Member

See: Add User Access

Quick Steps:

1. Go to Settings > Users
2. Click Invite User
3. Enter email address
4. Assign role
5. Send invitation

Changing User Role

See: Update Access

Quick Steps:

1. Go to Settings > Users
2. Find user in list
3. Click role dropdown
4. Select new role
5. Save changes

Removing a Team Member

See: Remove Access

Quick Steps:

1. Go to Settings > Users
2. Find user in list
3. Click Remove
4. Confirm removal

Troubleshooting Access Issues

User Can't See Data

Possible Causes:

• User has Viewer role (limited search capabilities)
• Privacy settings restrict what user can see
• User not properly added to organization

Solution:

• Verify user's role is appropriate for their needs
• Check privacy settings
• Re-send invitation if needed

User Can't Create Segments

Possible Causes:

• User has Viewer role (read-only)

Solution:

• Upgrade user to User role or higher

Invitation Email Not Received

Possible Causes:

• Email in spam folder
• Typo in email address
• Email server blocking FullStory

Solution:

• Check spam/junk folders
• Verify email address is correct
• Resend invitation
• Contact FullStory support if persistent

Next Steps:

• Add User Access - Invite team members
• Update Access - Change user roles
• Remove Access - Remove team members

Additional Resources:

• FullStory User Roles Documentation
• Organization Settings