Outsourced Philippines guide
Control Shared Mailbox Delegation for a Client Support Team
Map every client inbox, set delegation levels by task, and review membership on a fixed date so shared access stays intentional.
A shared client inbox is convenient until everyone on the team can read, delete, or send from it. The account often grows one delegation request at a time, each reasonable on its own day, until the access list no longer matches the work. A short mailbox map and a review date turn that accumulated access into a controlled decision. The goal is not to remove convenience but to know who holds which permission and why.
On this page
Start from the mailbox map
List every client mailbox the team touches, including aliases, distribution groups, and shared calendars that carry email. For each one, write the purpose, the owner at the client, and the people who currently have access. Do not rely on memory or a chat thread from onboarding, because permissions change quietly when someone covers a shift. Export the delegation list from the mail platform and compare it with the work the team actually performs.
Mark the mailboxes that receive confidential material such as invoices, identity documents, or legal notices. A general support inbox and a finance inbox should not share the same membership by default. Note where a distribution group hides several recipients behind one address, since that pattern can send client mail to people outside the intended lane. The map becomes the reference for every later change, and it is easier to defend than a verbal account of who was added.
Set delegation levels by task
Replace a single has-access label with the levels the work requires: read, send as, send on behalf, and full management. A coordinator who only triages incoming requests may need read and assign rights, while a team lead who answers as the client needs send-as permission. Write the minimum level beside each role. The distinction prevents a temporary coverage request from becoming permanent ownership of the mailbox.
Ask the client to approve the level, not just the person, because the client owns the mailbox and the risk. Record the approval with a date and the name of the client contact. If the client cannot decide, default to the lowest level that still lets the work proceed and note the open question. A permission that exceeds the task is a finding, even when the person is trusted and the request sounded routine.
Separate personal and shared credentials
A shared mailbox should never be accessed through one person's password or a password stored in a team document. Use the mail platform's delegation features and named accounts so the audit trail shows who read or sent a message. Shared credentials erase accountability and make removal difficult when a person leaves. If the client's plan does not support named delegation, raise it as a platform gap rather than working around it.
Turn on multi-factor authentication for every named account that reaches the mailbox, and keep the recovery method with the client. Do not let a single recovery phone number sit with one coordinator who may be on leave. Document the fallback path and test it before an urgent message arrives. The access design should survive an absence without exposing the inbox to people who no longer hold the role.
Review membership on a fixed date
Put a quarterly review on the calendar and tie it to the client's own access cycle when one exists. At the review, compare the current delegation list with the mailbox map and the active roster. Remove people who changed roles, left the account, or no longer need the level they hold. Ask the client to confirm the remaining list in writing.
Treat a coverage arrangement as temporary by default and give it an end date. If a coordinator is covering for a colleague, record the start, the end, and the person who will confirm the removal. A coverage grant without an end date becomes the next review's cleanup item. The review stays short when the map and the approval record are already current.
Record the change in the client's record
Keep the approved membership, the permission level, and the review date in one client-facing record. Store it where the account team and the client can both find it, such as the shared account folder or the client's project workspace. Link the record to the ticket or change request that granted access. A reviewer should be able to reconstruct the current state without opening the mail admin console.
When a person is removed, record the date and the confirmation that access ended. A removal that is requested but not verified leaves a gap that the next review will discover. Ask the platform owner to export the delegation list after the change and attach it as evidence. The same record supports a client question and an internal audit without another round of messages.
Test the removal before an incident
Run a small test after each significant change: have the removed account try to open the mailbox and confirm the denial. Ask a current delegate to send a test message and verify the sent item appears under the named account. A permission that appears removed in a list but still works in the client is a serious failure. Document the test result with the date and the tester.
Repeat the test when the client changes mail platforms or adds a new domain. Migrations often carry old delegation rules forward without anyone noticing the inherited access. Put the test steps in the account runbook so a new lead can repeat them. The final check is simple: the people who need the inbox can use it, and everyone else cannot.
Sources and next steps
Continue with operations support, then confirm scope, authority, and review ownership before expanding the role.