I have enabled the chat widget on my site but require admin access to be able to view chats between site members.
Logged in as an admin I see the chatbox method getChannelList only returns channels involving business chat.
We’re contemplating creating a new database/collection to store each message sent by member to member. This solution would clunkily involve complete duplication of data but can’t currently see an alternative.
Any guidance or better ideas much appreciated.
If you are talking about the Wix Chat app then you can’t get admin access for chats between site members if they decide to chat privately to each other.
If they are just simply chatting in the Members chat section, then all Site Members will get to see it anyway.
https://support.wix.com/en/article/about-members-chat
The Wix Chat app has their own Wix Support pages that you can read.
https://support.wix.com/en/article/about-wix-chat
Plus, as this isn’t really a code related issue, you would be better suited going through Wix Support for more help with this particular issue.
https://support.wix.com/en/article/contacting-wix-support
You can look at adding the Wix Chatbox API to your site.
https://www.wix.com/corvid/reference/$w.Chatbox.html
Corvid Chat example that you can open up in your own Wix Editor with all the page and code setup.
https://www.wix.com/corvid/forum/corvid-tips-and-updates/example-corvid-chat/p-1/dl-5e1b2dc807c1a200179327fa
Actually re-reading your post you are already using the API 
If you are using the Business option, then in theory you would be chatting to the Admin if that Admin is also the Site Owner and using the Wix Chat Backend.
You could look at using for the Social side in Wix Chat API, the onMessageSent or onMessageReceived function and write your own code that checks the return message value for anything.
https://www.wix.com/corvid/reference/$w.Chatbox.html#onMessageSent
https://www.wix.com/corvid/reference/$w.Chatbox.html#onMessageReceived
Or you can look at using the functions of messageInfo or messagePayload to grab that info and add it to a dataset for later checking, although this would be more of a workaround.
https://www.wix.com/corvid/reference/$w.Chatbox.html#MessageInfo
https://www.wix.com/corvid/reference/$w.Chatbox.html#MessagePayload
If you want to use the Business side of it, then you can simply use one of the Wix Chat Backend events to grab the message etc.
https://www.wix.com/corvid/reference/wix-chat-backend.Events.html
If you want to go down your own route and build your own, then you can look at this example here from a previous forum post.
https://www.wix.com/corvid/forum/community-discussion/user-chat-messenger
@givemeawhisky Thank you GOS… and I’m looking at exactly what you were suggesting re the Social Side of Wix Chat API and using the onMessageSent event handler. I was just hoping there was a better way than creating an entirely new database table with duplicates the same data that must be in the database used by the widget. It seems an unfortunate omission to hide text messages between site users from the site’s admin or moderators.