> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://aitextura.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Channels
> A channel is a messenger, CRM, or other platform where your customers write to you. This is where you connect channels to an AI Employee and configure them.
Until you connect a channel, your AI Employee only replies in the test chat, and real customers can't see it. A **channel** is a messenger, CRM, or other platform where customers write to you. Connect your AI Employee to it, and it starts replying there on its own.
## Connect a channel
Open the AI Employee → **Channel** tab → **Connect**.
In the **Connect More** list, click the one you need: Telegram, amoCRM, Wazzup, or any other.
Each platform has its own fields: some ask you to sign in to the service, others ask for an API key or a webhook URL. Follow the on-screen prompts.
Settings differ by platform: Telegram has channel type, inline buttons, and message buffer; Planfix has handoff to an operator and note mode. You can change them later on the **Connected** tab.
The channel appears on the **Connected** tab and starts receiving messages.
One channel, one AI Employee. One AI Employee can have as many channels as you like.
## Section tabs
At the top of the section are two tabs: **Connect** and **Connected**. The second one lists the channels already linked to the AI Employee you're configuring.
The **Connect** tab has four filter buttons:
| Button | What it shows |
| - | - |
| **Connect New** | The platform catalog, where you set up a new connection |
| **Available** | Channels already set up in your organization but not linked to any AI Employee |
| **Other Agents** | Channels used by other AI Employees. You can reconnect a channel from here to the current one |
| **All** | All of your organization's channels at once |
## Platforms
Only **Telegram** connects directly, with a bot token and free of charge. WhatsApp, Avito, Instagram, VK, email, and website widgets reach your AI Employee through an intermediary:
* **CRM**: amoCRM, Bitrix24, Kommo.
* **Channel manager**: Wazzup, Umnico, Salebot, SendAPI, Jivo. It gathers your messengers in one account and gives you a single key.
* **Ticket system**: HelpDeskEddy, Planfix.
If you already use one of these systems, connect it, and the channels set up in it will reach your AI Employee automatically. If you don't, there's no need to set up a CRM just for WhatsApp: use a channel manager, it's cheaper and faster.
You pay the channel manager directly; it isn't included in your AI TEXTURA subscription. The price depends on how many channels and phone numbers you connect, so check their pricing before you sign up.
| Platform | Type |
| - | - |
| [Telegram](/en/channels/telegram) | Messenger |
| [amoCRM](/en/channels/amocrm) | CRM system |
| [Bitrix24](/en/channels/bittrix24) | CRM system |
| [Kommo](/en/channels/kommo) | CRM system |
| [WhatsApp, VK, Instagram, Avito, and other messengers](/en/channels/messengers) | Channel managers |
| [Planfix](/en/channels/planfix) | Ticket system |
| [HelpDeskEddy](/en/channels/helpdeskeddy) | Ticket system |
## FAQ
Check in order: is at least one channel connected; is the **Active** toggle on for that channel; is the AI Employee itself active; does the current time fall within [Working Hours](/en/guides/working-hours). The AI Employee may still reply normally in the test chat, because the test chat doesn't depend on channels.
Open the AI Employee you want → **Channel** tab → **Other Agents** → select the channel and reconnect it. You don't need to disconnect it from the previous AI Employee first: the channel leaves it automatically, because it only works with one.
If you need to reply manually for a while, turn off the AI Employee. Messages keep arriving in Chats; the AI just won't reply to them. A disabled channel stops receiving incoming messages entirely, and conversations from that period won't reach the platform.
Voice messages only work in Telegram: there, the AI Employee transcribes the recording, replies in text, and can reply by voice if text-to-speech is enabled in its settings. In other channels, voice messages don't reach it.
A channel only passes the conversation through; it doesn't create anything in the CRM. Actions are handled by a [talent](/en/guides/connect-talents) for the same CRM.
Two common causes: a failure on the channel manager's side, in which case contact [Support](/en/guides/support) and we'll check what arrived and when; or the customer replies using "reply to message," and the quote arrives as a separate incoming message.
Automated messages from another bot reach the channel, and the AI Employee mistakes them for a customer. Add these messages to the spam filter, or add a rule to the [Persona](/en/guides/persona) not to reply to messages that start with a specific phrase.
Turn on **Message Buffer** in the channel settings and set the buffer time to 8–16 seconds: the AI Employee waits until the customer finishes and replies with a single message. For website chat, keep the buffer minimal, since visitors expect an instant reply.
Most often it's calling [talents](/en/guides/talents), such as a PMS or CRM, and waiting for them to respond. Check that nothing unnecessary is connected and that the instructions aren't too long; also check the platform status at `status.aitextura.com`. If replies are consistently slow, contact [Support](/en/guides/support) with example conversations and response times.
## What's next
Actions in external systems: deals, bookings, tasks
Telegram messages when something important happens in a conversation
Where to view conversations from all connected channels
When the AI Employee replies across all its channels
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