Dashboard Team vs Service Team Members (The Difference)

Speako has two distinct concepts of "team member" that serve different purposes. Understanding the difference helps you know where to go for each one.

Dashboard Team Members

Dashboard team members are people who have access to the Speako dashboard — your business management interface. They are colleagues, managers, or business owners who need to log in to view bookings, configure settings, or manage the AI.

Dashboard team members are managed in Settings → Team Members (sometimes shown as a Settings section).

Dashboard team members can:

  • Log into the Speako dashboard.
  • View and manage bookings, depending on their role.
  • Access AI settings, services, hours, and other configuration.
  • Receive booking notification emails (if that preference is enabled for them).

Dashboard team members have one of three roles: Owner, Admin, or Member (explained in Owner, Admin, and Member Roles).

Service Team Members (Staff)

Service team members are the staff who actually perform services — for example, a hairdresser, massage therapist, or personal trainer. They are managed in the Team section of the dashboard (not in Settings).

Service team members:

  • Are listed in the Team section.
  • Have their own availability schedules.
  • Are linked to the services they can perform.
  • Show up to customers as "who they'd like to book with."

They do not automatically get dashboard access. A service team member is a scheduling resource, not a dashboard login.

Can someone be both?

Yes. A staff member who also manages bookings or the dashboard would need to be added in both places:

  1. As a service team member (in Team) — so they appear in the scheduling system.
  2. As a dashboard team member (in Settings → Team Members) — so they can log in and manage things.

💡 Tip: Most front-of-house staff who just need to view the booking calendar only need a dashboard team member account. You don't need to create them as a service team member unless they also take bookings themselves.

⚠️ Important: For restaurant businesses, the Team section may not apply in the same way as service businesses (restaurants manage tables, not individual staff availability for bookings). Dashboard team access applies to all business types.