--- title: "Channels" slug: "agent-one-audiences-channels" description: "Channels in Insider One Agent One connect an AI Agent to Web Messenger on your website or to WhatsApp, with shared statuses, roles, and updates." updated: 2026-11-06T13:37:52Z published: 2026-11-06T13:37:52Z canonical: "academy.insiderone.com/agent-one-audiences-channels" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://academy.insiderone.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Channels Channels are the places where your AI Agents talk to your customers. Connect an agent to Web Messenger on your website or to your WhatsApp Business account, decide how conversations start and end, and launch. Every channel follows the same flow and lives on one page. In this article: - [Choose your channel](/docs/agent-one-audiences-channels#choose-your-channel) - [Before you start](/docs/agent-one-audiences-channels#before-you-start) - [Open the Channels page](/docs/agent-one-audiences-channels#open-the-channels-page) - [Set up a channel](/docs/agent-one-audiences-channels#set-up-a-channel) - [Manage your channels](/docs/agent-one-audiences-channels#manage-your-channels) - [Update an Active channel](/docs/agent-one-audiences-channels#update-an-active-channel) - [User roles](/docs/agent-one-audiences-channels#user-roles) - [Good to know](/docs/agent-one-audiences-channels#good-to-know) - [Next steps](/docs/agent-one-audiences-channels#next-steps) ## Choose your channel | Channel | Where your customers chat | What you set up | | --- | --- | --- | | **Web Messenger** | A chat window on your website. | **Design**, **Conversation Start**, **Conversation End**, and **Launch**. Add the install script to your pages to show the chat window. | | **WhatsApp** | WhatsApp, the app your customers already use. | **Conversation Start**, **Conversation End**, and **Launch**. WhatsApp sets the look of the chat, so there is no **Design** step and no script. Test with a QR code. | > [!NOTE] > Each channel connects to one AI Agent, and the same agent can serve more than one channel. For the full steps, see [Set Up a Web Messenger Channel](https://academy.insiderone.com/docs/set-up-a-web-messenger-channel) and [Set Up a WhatsApp Channel](https://academy.insiderone.com/docs/set-up-a-whatsapp-channel). ## Before you start - You need an AI Agent in **Active** status. Agents in Draft status can't be selected. To create one, navigate to **InOne** > **Agent One** > **Agent One Audiences** > **AI Agents**. For the full setup, see [Create and Configure the Support Agent](https://academy.insiderone.com/docs/create-and-configure-the-support-agent) or [Create and Configure the Shopping Agent](https://academy.insiderone.com/docs/create-and-configure-the-shopping-agent). - You need the **Administrator** or **Editor** role to launch, pause, or delete a channel. Refer to [User roles](/docs/agent-one-audiences-channels#user-roles). - For Web Messenger, you need someone who can add a script to your website. - For WhatsApp, you need WhatsApp in your plan, the Conversational API integrated in your account, at least one integrated WhatsApp Business account, and your customers' phone numbers defined as an identifier in the [Unified Customer Database (UCD)](https://academy.insiderone.com/docs/unified-customer-database-ucd). If something is missing, contact Insider One team. ## Open the Channels page The **Channels** page lists every channel where your AI Agents interact with your customers. 1. Navigate to **InOne** > **Agent One** > **Agent One Audiences** > **Channels**. 2. Review the list, or click **Create** to add your first channel. ## Set up a channel Every new channel opens in **Draft** status. Setup follows the same path for both channel types. 1. Click **Create**. 2. Enter a channel name. The name must be unique and can have up to 128 characters. 3. Under **Channel Type**, select **Web Messenger** or **WhatsApp**. For WhatsApp, also select a **WhatsApp Account**. 4. Click **Create**, then work through the steps. Click **Save and Continue** after each one. - **Design** (Web Messenger only): Match the chat window and launcher to your brand. - **Conversation Start**: Set the welcome message and the consent (GDPR) request. Web Messenger also has input field settings. - **Conversation End**: Set the conversation timeout, the fallback message, and the rating. - **Launch**: Select an Active AI Agent, select **Active** under **Activation Status**, and click **Launch**. 5. Put the channel in front of customers. For Web Messenger, click **Copy Script** and paste the script before the closing `</body>` tag on every page where the chat window needs to appear. For WhatsApp, scan the QR code to test the conversation on your phone. ## Manage your channels The **Channels** page lists your channels with their **Status**, **Name**, **Channel Type**, **Last Updated**, and **Connected Agent**. Use **Select Statuses** and **Search** to narrow the list. | Status | What it means | | --- | --- | | **Draft** | Created but not launched yet. | | **Active** | Launched. Your AI Agent answers customers on the channel. | | **Paused** | Temporarily stopped. Settings are kept, and you can launch the channel again. | | **Updates Pending** | An Active channel with saved changes that are not applied yet. Refer to [Update an Active channel](/docs/agent-one-audiences-channels#update-an-active-channel). | Use the actions menu on a channel row to manage it: - **See Script** (Web Messenger) or **See QR Code** (WhatsApp): Displays the install script or the test QR code for Active and Paused channels. - **Duplicate**: Creates a copy of the channel in Draft status. - **Update Status as Paused** or **Update Status as Active**: Takes you to the **Launch** step, where you pause or relaunch the channel. - **Delete Channel**: Deletes the channel permanently. > [!NOTE] > An AI Agent that is connected to a channel can't be deleted. Replace it in the channel first. The **AI Agents** page displays the channels each agent is connected to. ## Update an Active channel When you edit an Active channel, Insider One saves your changes but doesn't apply them yet. The channel displays the **Updates Pending** status on the **Channels** page. 1. Open the channel and make your changes. 2. In the **Launch** step, click **Update** and confirm in the **Update Channel?** pop-up. > [!NOTE] > Your changes apply to new conversations only. Open conversations continue with the previous settings until they end. ## User roles What you can do on the **Channels** page depends on your Insider One user role. Roles work the same way for Web Messenger and WhatsApp channels. - **Administrator** and **Editor**: View, edit, launch, pause, relaunch, and delete channels. - **Collaborator**: View channels and edit Draft channels. - **Viewer**: View channels only. > [!NOTE] > For the full role table, refer to [Set Up a Web Messenger Channel](https://academy.insiderone.com/docs/set-up-a-web-messenger-channel). ## Good to know - A channel connects to one AI Agent. The same agent can serve more than one channel. - A WhatsApp account can be connected to only one channel. - Handing a conversation over to a live agent isn't available on WhatsApp channels. - Conversation timeouts are set per channel, up to 24 hours. For the full list of limits, see [Agent One Audiences](https://academy.insiderone.com/docs/agent-one-audiences). - Messages can have up to 1,024 characters. ## Next steps Pick the channel your customers use most and launch it first. [Set Up a Web Messenger Channel](https://academy.insiderone.com/docs/set-up-a-web-messenger-channel) puts your AI Agent on your website. [Set Up a WhatsApp Channel](https://academy.insiderone.com/docs/set-up-a-whatsapp-channel) puts it in your customers' pockets. ## Related - [Set Up a Web Messenger Channel](/set-up-a-web-messenger-channel.md) - [Set Up a WhatsApp Channel](/set-up-a-whatsapp-channel.md)