Overview
Talkdesk Retail Workspace integrates with the Talkdesk Roles & Permissions system to give administrators granular control over which agents can perform financial and logistical operations. Two distinct permissions govern post-purchase actions: Create Refund and Process Return & Refund. By managing these independently, administrators can enforce least-privilege access, reduce financial risk, and maintain a clean audit trail for every refund and return action performed in Retail Workspace.
Permissions Overview
Retail Workspace registers as an application in the Talkdesk Roles & Permissions dashboard. Two permissions are available under the Agent workspace area:
| Permission | What It Controls |
|---|---|
| Create Refund | Grants agents the ability to issue a standalone refund directly against an order, without an associated return. Covers billing disputes, price adjustments, goodwill credits, and damaged goods in transit. |
| Process Return & Refund | Grants agents the ability to finalize an open return, restock inventory, and issue the associated refund in a single step. |
Note: New agents are safe by default. The Agent role includes Process Return & Refund access but not Create Refund access, following the principle of least privilege.
Configuring Permissions for Retail Workspace
Prerequisites
- Retail Workspace must be enabled for your account via a Shopify or supported custom integration.
- You must have Administrator access to configure Roles & Permissions.
Steps to Configure
- Navigate to Admin > Roles and Permissions.
- Select the role you want to configure (for example, Agent).
- Click Edit.
- In the Talkdesk apps panel, locate Retail workspace.
- Under the Agent workspace area, you will see two permissions:
- Create Refund — issue standalone refunds without a return.
- Process Return & Refund — complete returns and issue the associated refund.
- Toggle each permission on or off as needed.
- Click Save. Changes take effect immediately for all agents in the role.
Note: The Retail Workspace permissions are available in Roles & Permissions for all accounts. Availability of specific actions in the workspace is determined by your integration configuration. If refund capabilities are not appearing as expected, contact your Professional Services or Customer Success Manager.
Default Permission Assignments by Role
The following table shows out-of-the-box permission assignments:
| Role | Create Refund | Process Return & Refund |
|---|---|---|
| Administrator | Granted | Granted |
| Supervisor | Granted | Granted |
| Agent | Not granted | Granted |
| Custom roles | Not granted | Not granted |
Agents with the standard Agent role can process returns and issue the associated refund by default. They cannot create standalone refunds until an administrator explicitly grants the Create Refund permission.
How Permissions Work
UI Behavior: Button hidden on the Workspace
Action buttons are completely hidden for agents who do not hold the relevant permission. Buttons are not greyed out or shown as inactive — they do not appear at all. This keeps each agent's workspace clean and relevant to their role.
| UI Element | Where It Appears | Required Permission | If Permission Is Missing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refund button | 1. Order Details panel 2. Recent Orders action bar 3. Customer Details tab |
“Create Refund” | Button is hidden. Agent cannot initiate a standalone refund. |
| Process and refund button | 1. Returns tab, next to open return items | “Process Return & Refund” | Button is hidden. Agent can still view return details but cannot complete the return. |
Backend Enforcement
The UI hides buttons as a convenience. The backend independently validates permissions on every request. If an agent attempts to call a refund or return endpoint without the required permission, the API returns HTTP 403 and the operation is not executed.
Audit Logging and Accountability
Every refund and return action performed in Retail Workspace is logged. Each record includes:
- The agent who performed the action.
- The date and time of the action.
- The order and refund details.
Refund history is accessible in the Refund details tab within the order details panel, providing full auditability for operations and compliance teams.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Create Refund and Process Return & Refund?
- Create Refund lets an agent issue a refund directly on an order without an associated return — for example, for a pricing error, a goodwill credit, or a damaged item that the customer is keeping. Process Return & Refund lets an agent complete an open return request and issue the associated refund in a single step. The two permissions are independent and can be assigned separately.
Can an agent see the Refund button if they do not have the Create Refund permission?
- No. The Refund button is completely hidden for agents who do not hold the Create Refund permission. It does not appear as disabled or greyed out.
What happens if a role is updated while an agent is active in a session?
- Permission changes take effect on the agent's next page load or session refresh.
Can an agent create a return without any Refund management permissions configured?
- Yes. Creating a return request does not require a specific permission. The Create return button remains visible to all agents regardless of refund permissions. Only the Process and refund button (which finalizes the return and issues the refund) requires the Process Return & Refund permission.
What integrations support Retail Workspace permissions?
- Roles & Permissions for Retail Workspace are available for retailers using a Shopify integration or a supported custom integration with Talkdesk Retail Experience Cloud.
Does enabling a permission also enable the refund feature on my account?
- No. Roles and Permissions control which agents can see and use refund and return actions they do not control whether the underlying feature is active on your account. Feature availability is managed separately through your integration setup and account configuration. If refund or return actions are not appearing in the Retail Workspace after permissions are configured, contact your Customer Success Manager to confirm the feature is enabled for your account.