Use the checklist below to check who can see, post, or access chat history in your coaching sessions.
Verify chat access for sales coaching calls
This post provides a checklist of vendor-specific settings to control who can see, post, or access chat history in your coaching sessions. The nine rules cover Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Slack, Mattermost, and Webex. Each rule is tied to the publisher that states it, so you can verify settings without assuming one vendor’s behavior applies to another.
When naming recurring coaching calls, keep the title format consistent. For example, "Sales Team Weekly - Nov 8" and "Sales Team Weekly - Nov 15." The date in the title uses the format and language of your current language settings in your account, according to Google. This helps new reps recognize their scheduled 1:1s in a calendar view without confusion.
Your primary next step is to log into your primary coaching platform and verify the default chat access settings for external guests before your next 1:1. Do not assume guest permissions match internal user permissions.
For more on structuring your coaching conversations, see our guide on the Sales One-on-One Agenda for Coaching Software Sellers. That resource helps you plan the content of the call once you have confirmed the technical access controls.
Key takeaways for how to verify chat access and posting permissions for sales coaching calls
- Teams temporary chat: If an attendee has temporary meeting chat access, they can access the meeting chat from the time they join the meeting until the meeting ends, according to Microsoft.
- Meet guest history: Internal guests who aren't on the Calendar invite and guests from outside the host's organization lose their chat history when the meeting ends, according to Google.
- Slack mention limits: Owners and admins with permission can choose to restrict who can use @everyone, @channel, and @here, according to Slack.
- Mattermost channel visibility: Public channels are open to everyone on a team and are identified with a Globe icon, according to Mattermost.
Verify these four settings before your next session. Check the Teams temporary access window for new reps. Confirm that external guests in Google Meet understand their history disappears. Review Slack admin permissions to limit broad mentions. Ensure Mattermost channels use the correct visibility type for your coaching group.
Microsoft Teams: Managing attendee chat access
When you schedule recurring 1:1s for new reps, the chat window in your meeting tool becomes a shared space where notes, links, and feedback accumulate. If you use Microsoft Teams, you must understand how attendee status dictates who sees that history.
According to Microsoft, people in contact lists exceeding 150 people only have access to the meeting chat during the meeting. This rule applies to the "Access meeting chat in Microsoft Teams" feature. They cannot review the conversation later.
For attendees who do not fall into that large contact list category, the access model depends on their specific permission level. According to Microsoft, if an attendee has temporary meeting chat access, they can access the meeting chat from the time they join the meeting until the meeting ends. This defines the window of visibility for users granted this specific temporary status. They see the chat while present and lose access when the session concludes. When configuring your coaching calls, check whether your new reps or external partners are assigned temporary access. If they are, they will not have a record of the chat after the call finishes.
Google Meet: Controlling chat history retention
Guest status in Google Meet determines whether chat messages persist after a session concludes. According to Google, internal guests who aren't on the Calendar invite and guests from outside the host's organization experience a specific limitation. For these participants, chat history disappears when the meeting ends, and you can only access messages while you're in the meeting.
The documentation further clarifies the timing of message access for these guests. According to Google, internal guests who aren't on the Calendar invite and guests from outside the host's organization can only access messages that are sent during the time you're in the meeting. Once the session terminates, the history is no longer available to them. This distinction matters for coaching calls where external consultants or new reps join from different domains.
If continuous chat features are unavailable in your specific environment, the in-meeting chat remains accessible. According to Google, if you can't use continuous chat in Meet, you still have access to Meet's in-meeting chat.
To manage this, verify the guest status of every participant before a coaching session. This limitation is specific to the guest status defined by Google.
Slack: Restricting mentions and posting rights
Slack allows workspace owners and admins to control who can use broad mention tags. According to Slack, owners and admins with permission can choose to restrict who can use @everyone, @channel, and @here. This setting prevents specific users from triggering notifications to the entire channel or workspace, which is useful for keeping coaching channels quiet for non-participants. When configuring a private 1:1 channel, verify that the restriction setting is active if you want to limit who can broadcast messages to all members.
According to Slack, if you are choosing specific people, you can select up to 100. In a small coaching group, this limit rarely applies, but it is a documented boundary for larger team updates.
You can also control who is allowed to post messages in a channel entirely. According to Slack, you can adjust who is allowed to post to channels or use mentions that notify all channel members. This permission setting lets you designate specific users as the only ones who can contribute to the conversation. For a coaching session where only the manager and the rep should speak, you can restrict posting rights to just those two individuals.
When you restrict posting permissions, the channel behavior changes for users without that right. According to Slack, this channel will be read-only for anyone without permission to post. This means that if a new rep is added to the channel but not granted posting rights, they can view the history but cannot send messages. To ensure a rep can participate in their 1:1, you must explicitly grant them posting access in the channel settings.
Check the channel’s posting permissions before the next coaching call. Verify that the rep has the right to post and that broad mentions are restricted if you want to limit notifications.
Mattermost: Setting channel visibility and archives
Mattermost defines distinct channel types that determine who can see and post messages, which is critical for isolating coaching conversations. According to Mattermost, public channels are open to everyone on a team and are identified with a Globe icon. This visibility rule means that any conversation held in a public channel is accessible to the entire team, not just the participants in a specific 1:1 session. If your coaching calls involve sensitive feedback or private strategy discussions, using a public channel exposes that content to all team members. You should verify that your coaching sessions occur in private or direct message channels rather than public ones to maintain the intended privacy scope.
For enterprise environments, Mattermost offers additional configuration options for controlling information flow. According to Mattermost, Enterprise customers can additionally configure read-only broadcast channels. While this feature is useful for general team communications, it is not suitable for interactive coaching sessions where dialogue is required. However, understanding this distinction helps you choose the right channel type for different types of interactions.
When a team member leaves or is deactivated, the status of their direct message channels changes automatically. According to Mattermost, when a Mattermost user is deactivated in the system, your direct message channel with that user are archived and marked as read-only. This automatic archiving prevents new messages from being sent to the deactivated user. It also preserves the existing conversation history for reference. This behavior is important for compliance and record-keeping, as it ensures that past coaching interactions remain accessible even after the participant is no longer active. You do not need to manually archive these channels; the system handles the transition when the user status changes.
Webex: Join methods and password prompts
When a colleague invites you to a coaching session, the access process begins with the email invitation itself. According to Webex, if someone invites you to a meeting, you receive an invite with instructions on how to join in an email invitation. This email serves as the primary entry point for external guests and new reps, containing the specific steps required to connect to the call.
Before joining, be aware that additional credentials may be required. According to Webex, you might be asked to enter a meeting password. This prompt can appear during the join process, so ensure your team has the correct password stored in a secure location before the 1:1 begins.
| Publisher | Setting | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Webex | Invite instructions | Receive an invite with instructions on how to join in an email invitation |
| Webex | Meeting password | You might be asked to enter a meeting password |
Log into your primary coaching platform and verify the default chat access settings for external guests before your next 1:1.
FAQ: How to verify chat access and posting permissions for sales coaching calls
Who can access a Teams meeting recording if they didn't have chat access?
Microsoft documentation does not specify recording access rules in the provided chat access context. For chat access specifically, if an attendee has temporary meeting chat access, they can access the meeting chat from the time they join the meeting until the meeting ends, according to Microsoft. Verify your specific recording permissions in your organization's admin settings.
Does Google Meet chat history disappear for external guests?
Yes, for guests outside the host's organization, history disappears when the meeting ends. Internal guests who aren't on the Calendar invite and guests from outside the host's organization lose their chat history when the meeting ends and can only access messages while they're in the meeting, according to Google.
How many people can you mention in a Slack message?
If you're choosing specific people, you can select up to 100, according to Slack.
What happens to a Mattermost channel when a user is deactivated?
Direct message channels with that user are archived and marked as read-only. When a Mattermost user is deactivated in the system, your direct message channel with that user are archived and marked as read-only, according to Mattermost. This preserves the conversation history without allowing new messages.
Can you change who posts in a Slack channel?
Yes, you can adjust who is allowed to post to channels or use mentions. You can adjust who's allowed to post to channels or use mentions that notify all channel members, according to Slack. Review these permissions before starting a new coaching cycle to maintain focus.