Channels

A channel is a connected messaging platform through which your customers can reach you. When a customer sends a message on any connected channel, PingBack routes it into your unified inbox as a conversation. Every conversation carries a channel_type field so you always know which platform a message came from. Each channel has three core properties:

Property	Description
`type`	The channel platform (e.g., `webchat`, `whatsapp`, `telegram`).
`config`	Platform-specific credentials and settings (varies by channel type).
`is_active`	Whether the channel is currently accepting messages.

Supported channels

Web widget

Embed a live chat widget directly on your website. Customers can start a conversation without leaving your site. No external credentials required — just install the widget snippet.

Email

Connect an email address to receive and reply to support emails directly in PingBack. Configure your inbound email settings in the channel config.

Connect your WhatsApp Business account via the Meta platform. Provide your Meta access token and phone number ID in the channel config, then register the callback URL shown in the channel settings.

Connect a Telegram bot. Provide your bot token in the channel config — PingBack automatically registers the webhook with Telegram on your behalf.

Instagram

Connect your Instagram Business account via the Meta platform. Provide your Meta access token and page ID, then register the callback URL shown in the channel settings.

X (Twitter)

Connect your X (formerly Twitter) account. Provide your api_key and access_token in the channel config to enable direct message support.

Channel credentials by type

Different channel types require different configuration values. Here is what each channel expects in its config:

Web widget
WhatsApp
Telegram
Instagram
X (Twitter)

The web widget (webchat) does not require external credentials. Configure it from the Widget section of your dashboard, where you can set your domain, welcome message, brand color, and logo.

{
  "type": "webchat"
}

Provide your Meta access token, phone number ID, and register the provided callback URL in your Meta app settings.

{
  "type": "whatsapp",
  "config": {
    "access_token": "your-meta-access-token",
    "phone_number_id": "your-phone-number-id"
  }
}

After connecting, PingBack adds a _meta_setup_instructions key to your channel config with the exact callback URL and verify token to enter in Meta’s developer console.

Provide your Telegram bot token. PingBack registers the webhook automatically when you save the channel.

{
  "type": "telegram",
  "config": {
    "bot_token": "your-telegram-bot-token"
  }
}

Provide your Meta access token and page ID, then register the provided callback URL in your Meta app settings.

{
  "type": "instagram",
  "config": {
    "access_token": "your-meta-access-token",
    "page_id": "your-page-id"
  }
}

After connecting, PingBack adds a _meta_setup_instructions key to your channel config with the exact callback URL and verify token to enter in Meta’s developer console.

Provide your X API key and access token.

{
  "type": "x",
  "config": {
    "api_key": "your-x-api-key",
    "access_token": "your-x-access-token"
  }
}

Plan limits

The number of channels you can connect depends on your plan.

Plan	Channels allowed	Notes
Free	1	Web widget only. Omnichannel integrations are not available.
Mini	Up to 3	All channel types supported.
Pro	Up to 100	All channel types supported.

On the Free plan, you can only connect the web widget. Attempting to add WhatsApp, Telegram, Email, Instagram, or X requires upgrading to Mini or Pro.

How channels connect to conversations

When a customer sends a message through a channel, PingBack creates or continues a conversation and records the channel_type on it. This lets you:

Filter your inbox by channel to see all WhatsApp conversations, all email threads, etc.
Display the channel icon alongside each conversation so agents always know the context.
Route outbound replies through the correct channel adapter automatically — when an agent replies, PingBack sends the message back through the same channel the customer used.

Deactivating a channel (setting is_active to false) stops PingBack from routing new outbound messages through it, but does not delete existing conversations.

Get Started

Core Concepts

AI Assistant

Realtime & Webhooks

Plans & Billing

Channels

Supported channels

Web widget

Email

WhatsApp

Telegram

Instagram

X (Twitter)

Channel credentials by type

Plan limits

How channels connect to conversations

Get Started

Core Concepts

Channels

AI Assistant

Realtime & Webhooks

Plans & Billing

​Supported channels

Web widget

Email

WhatsApp

Telegram

Instagram

X (Twitter)

​Channel credentials by type

​Plan limits

​How channels connect to conversations

Supported channels

Channel credentials by type

Plan limits

How channels connect to conversations