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Tenant management

A tenant is the parent company account that owns one or more MessageDesk workspaces. Tenant admins can update tenant-level company details and spin up new workspaces for different teams, brands, or business units, all from a single account.
Tenant vs. Workspace: A tenant is your company (organization-level). A workspace is an inbox under that company (per-workspace configuration lives in Workspace Settings). Most users only need one workspace, but larger organizations can run multiple workspaces under the same tenant.
Where tenant management lives: Tenant management is not inside a workspace’s Settings menu. It lives on the workspace switcher / workspace selection screen, and the Manage tenant option is only visible to tenant admins.

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Do I need a separate workspace, or just user permissions?

Most teams don’t need a second workspace. Before creating one, decide whether the goal is separating data (different teams and contact lists) or separating access (limiting which users see which lines, labels, or inboxes).
Use a separate workspace when…Use User Access Control (UAC) when…
You have distinct teams or locations with separate contact lists that should be managed independently.All users belong to the same team and share one contact list.
Each team needs its own phone lines, labels, templates, and reporting, but you still want centralized admin oversight.You want certain users to only see specific phone lines, labels, or teammate inboxes.
Data, conversations, and history should not be visible across teams.You want everyone in one workspace, with permissions controlling visibility.
You’re operating multiple brands or business units under one company.You’re a single team that needs role-based access (Admin, Manager, Operator, or custom).
Setting up access control inside your existing workspace is usually faster and cheaper than adding a workspace. See Roles & permissions for how to scope users to specific phone lines, labels, or inboxes.
Billing scales per user, per workspace. A user who needs access to two workspaces is billed in each one. If your goal is “User A only sees Line A and User B only sees Line B,” UAC inside a single workspace is almost always the better fit.

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Who can manage a tenant

Only users with the tenant admin role see the Manage tenant option and the ability to create new workspaces from the workspace switcher / workspace selection screen. Tenant admins can:
  • Edit the tenant company profile.
  • Create new workspaces under the tenant.
Workspace-level admins (without tenant admin) can manage their own workspace from Settings but cannot edit tenant details or add new workspaces from the workspace switcher.

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Update tenant company details

  1. Click your profile icon (top-right) and open the workspace switcher.
  2. Select Manage tenant (visible to tenant admins only).
  3. Click Edit on the Tenant profile.
  4. Update your company name, address, website, or logo.
  5. Click Save.
Changes apply at the tenant level and are reflected across all workspaces under the tenant.

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Create a new workspace under a tenant

Tenant admins can create additional workspaces directly from the workspace selection screen. No need to sign up for a separate account.
  1. From the workspace switcher or workspace selection screen, click Create workspace.
  2. Enter a workspace name (e.g., “Sales”, “Support”, “West Coast Team”).
  3. Click Create.
When the workspace is created:
  • You’re automatically added as the workspace admin.
  • A new membership is created linking your user to the workspace.
  • The workspace appears under your tenant in the workspace selection screen.
After creating a workspace, follow the standard onboarding steps to connect phone numbers, import contacts, and invite teammates.

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Workspace selection screen

When you sign in, the workspace selection screen groups your memberships by tenant. If you belong to multiple tenants or multiple workspaces under the same tenant, you’ll see them organized accordingly:
  • Tenant header: company name and logo.
  • Workspaces list: every workspace under that tenant where you’re a member.
  • Create workspace: visible only if you’re a tenant admin for that tenant.
Click any workspace to enter it, or use the workspace switcher inside the app to move between workspaces without signing out.

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Frequently asked questions

Can a single user belong to multiple tenants?
Yes. If you’ve been invited to workspaces across different companies, each tenant appears as its own group on the workspace selection screen. Who becomes the tenant admin?
The user who originally created the MessageDesk account is the default tenant admin. An existing tenant admin can assign additional tenant admins. Can I delete a workspace under a tenant?
You can’t delete workspaces from the UI. Contact support to request workspace deletion. Tenant deletion follows the same process. Does creating a new workspace require a separate subscription?
Billing for additional workspaces under the same tenant depends on your plan. See Billing and Subscriptions or contact support for details. Does a user who’s in two workspaces get billed twice?
Yes. Workspace seats are billed per user, per workspace. If the same teammate needs access to two workspaces under your tenant, they’re billed in each. If your goal is just to limit what a user sees, use User Access Control inside a single workspace instead. Can I move a phone number from one workspace to another?
Yes. MessageDesk first removes the number from the source workspace, which also removes the conversation history tied to that number there. See Move a phone number between workspaces.