Channels overview

A channel is a place your customers can message you. OrbitBase supports six: your own website widget, Telegram, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and Slack. Every channel is answered by the same agent, with the same knowledge, actions and settings, and every conversation lands in the same inbox.

You manage all of them from Channels in the sidebar.

The six channels

Direct messages only

Every channel handles direct messages only. Your agent answers one-to-one chats. It doesn't reply to comments, posts, stories, group chats or Slack channels. For example, if someone adds your Telegram bot to a group, the agent ignores the group's messages.

How connecting works

There are three ways to connect a channel:

• Built in. The website widget is ready from day one. You customise it and paste one line of HTML into your site. See Website widget.
• Paste a token. For Telegram, you create a bot with BotFather and paste its token. See Connect Telegram.
• Sign in. For Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and Slack, you click Connect, sign in to the platform in a popup and grant access. OrbitBase then asks which account to connect. If only one is available, you just confirm it.

To connect a channel:

1. 1

   Open the Channels page

   In the sidebar, click Channels. Your website widget is listed first, then your Connected accounts, then Available platforms.

2. 2

   Choose a platform

   Click Connect on the platform you want. If you already have an account on that platform, the button reads Add account.

3. 3

   Check the requirements

   The connect dialog lists what you need under Requirements. Have it ready before you continue.

4. 4

   Finish connecting

   Paste your token, or click Continue with… and sign in to the platform in the popup. The dialog updates by itself when you're done.

Several accounts per platform

A platform can hold more than one account. For example, you can connect two Facebook Pages or three WhatsApp numbers, and each one becomes its own channel. In the inbox, you can filter conversations by the account they arrived on.

One account, one workspace

Each social account can be connected to only one OrbitBase workspace at a time. If you try to connect a Page, number, bot or Slack workspace that's already connected elsewhere, the account picker marks it Connected to another workspace and you can't select it. Disconnect it in the other workspace first, then connect it here.

If you connect an account that's already connected to this workspace, OrbitBase doesn't create a duplicate. It refreshes that account's access instead.

Channels and your plan

Your plan sets how many messaging channels you can connect. The count covers your whole organisation, not just one workspace. The Channels page shows how many you've used.

The website widget is included on every plan and never counts toward this limit. If you've used all your messaging channels, upgrade your plan or disconnect a channel you no longer use. See Plans and limits.

What customers see on each channel

Your agent writes one reply, and OrbitBase adapts it to each platform:

• Tappable buttons work on every channel. When the agent offers choices, such as meeting times or "That's everything, thanks", customers can tap one instead of typing. A tap reaches the agent as an ordinary message, so typing the answer works too.
• Cards (a titled block with its own buttons, such as a product) show as cards on the website widget, Messenger and Instagram. On Telegram, WhatsApp and Slack, the card's details go into the message text.
• Forms only appear on the website widget. On other channels, an action that needs a form asks its questions in the chat instead.
• Typing indicators show on Telegram, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. Slack has no typing indicator for bots. The website widget shows its own while the agent is answering.
• Files. Customers can send photos, voice notes and documents on any channel, and your team can attach images and files to replies from the inbox.

Next steps