Overview

It's common to want people to reach your agent from the apps they already use. For instance, Anya texts DentalCo's number "Can I move my cleaning to Friday?", and the agent answers her by SMS from the same number.

A channel does this. A connector gives the agent tools to call. A channel works the other way round: people reach the agent through it.

flowchart LR
    person[A person] --> slack[Slack]
    person --> whatsapp[WhatsApp]
    person --> imessage[iMessage]
    person --> sms[SMS]
    slack --> agent[Your agent]
    whatsapp --> agent
    imessage --> agent
    sms --> agent

Pick a channel

Each channel answers on an account of your own at the provider: your Slack app, your Meta app, your Linq line or your Telnyx number.

slack_bot answers people in Slack, and gives the agent no tools. The slack connector is the other way round: it gives the agent Slack tools, such as searching the workspace.

We recommend starting with Slack: you need only a Slack app in a workspace you already use, and you can test the agent there with your team. For customers, pick the app they already text you on. A reply by SMS to a US phone needs your number in an approved 10DLC campaign.

Set one up

Every channel takes the same two things on Stream's side:

• Your provider app, saved once per app with getstream agents connectors client set.
• An app connection for your line or workspace, named in the agent with connection.

name: dentalco-support
mode: text
llm: llm-fast
connectors:
  - name: telnyx
    connection: dentalco-sms # the label of your Telnyx connection

One agent answers per connection. Each channel's page has the steps at the provider and at Stream.

Remember across channels

Anya can chat in your app on Monday and text on Tuesday. To make the agent remember the app chat in her texts, see Omni-channel.

Going further