# How to Connect Your First AI Front Desk Channel

Source: https://insertchat.com/blog/connect-your-first-channel

> Connect your first InsertChat channel: phone, website chat, email, SMS, or WhatsApp. What each needs, which to start with, and a test checklist before launch.

Author: Zakaria Mehbi

Published: 2026-09-14

Updated: 2026-10-13

Connect one customer channel first, test the complete conversation, then add the next. Start with the channel where your team misses the most questions today, usually the phone. Each channel answers from the same knowledge and lands in the same shared inbox, so the work you do for the first one carries over to the rest.

This guide covers which channel to start with, what each one needs in InsertChat, and the checks to run before customers reach the assistant.

## Which channel should you connect first?

Start where questions go unanswered today. For most local businesses that is the phone, especially calls after hours or while the team is busy. If most questions arrive while people browse your website, start with website chat. Add email and messaging once the first channel works.

| Channel | Start here if | What you need | Learn more |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Phone | Calls go to voicemail after hours or at busy times | A forwarded US or Canadian number, or an InsertChat number | [AI receptionist](https://insertchat.com/product/phone) |
| Website chat | Visitors ask questions before they book or buy | Access to add the installation code to your site | [Website chat](https://insertchat.com/product/website) |
| Email | Your inbox fills with routine questions | A Gmail or Outlook account you can authorize | [Email](https://insertchat.com/product/email) |
| SMS | Customers text your business number | A supported number and region | [SMS](https://insertchat.com/product/sms) |
| WhatsApp | Your customers prefer WhatsApp | A WhatsApp Business Account | [WhatsApp](https://insertchat.com/integration/whatsapp) |

Provider accounts and connected services may have their own charges. Review the [channel costs](https://insertchat.com/pricing#channel-costs) before enabling a connection.

## Prepare the assistant before connecting customers

Add your opening hours, service area, service descriptions, published prices, and common questions to the [knowledge base](https://insertchat.com/product/knowledge). Wait for sources to finish processing, then test the assistant’s answers in a test conversation.

Configure its name, tone, and handoff behavior. Decide which requests it can handle and which should reach your team. Use the [knowledge preparation guide](https://insertchat.com/blog/prepare-your-assistants-knowledge) if your sources need work.

## How do you connect the phone?

Connect the phone by forwarding your existing number or choosing an InsertChat number, then deciding when the AI answers. In the US and Canada, forward your number to the private routing number InsertChat gives you and confirm it with the verification call. Elsewhere, use a local or toll-free InsertChat number where one is available.

1. **Choose the number.** Forward your existing line, or pick a local or toll-free InsertChat number. Each paid plan includes one number; additional numbers are $10 per month. Number porting is not offered.
2. **Set up forwarding.** Use your provider’s dial code or portal setting. The [call forwarding guides](https://insertchat.com/call-forwarding) cover [AT&T](https://insertchat.com/call-forwarding/att), [Verizon](https://insertchat.com/call-forwarding/verizon), [T-Mobile](https://insertchat.com/call-forwarding/t-mobile), [RingCentral](https://insertchat.com/call-forwarding/ringcentral), [Rogers](https://insertchat.com/call-forwarding/rogers), [Bell](https://insertchat.com/call-forwarding/bell), and [Telus](https://insertchat.com/call-forwarding/telus).
3. **Pick a voice and greeting.** Choose one of 10 voices and write a greeting of up to 200 characters that names your business and says an AI assistant is answering.
4. **Choose when the AI answers.** Always, after hours, when your team doesn’t pick up within 5 to 60 seconds, or never. The [after-hours answering](https://insertchat.com/product/after-hours) page explains each mode.
5. **Place a test call.** Call the number yourself and confirm the call appears in the inbox with a transcript and summary.

## How do you connect website chat?

Add the installation code from your assistant’s website settings to your site, then match the chat to your brand. The widget answers from the same knowledge as every other channel, and each chat lands in the shared inbox with the visitor’s details.

- **Any website:** add the installation code to each page where you want chat, then publish your site. The install guide in your workspace has instructions for common platforms.
- **WordPress:** install the [InsertChat WordPress plugin](https://insertchat.com/integration/wordpress) and enter your assistant’s ID, or add the install code with a header and footer code tool.
- **Shopify:** follow the [storefront installation guide](https://insertchat.com/integration/shopify).

Set the assistant’s name, logo, and colors, use Verify on your website in InsertChat with a public page URL, then open your site in a private window and ask a question as a visitor would.

## How do you connect email, SMS, and WhatsApp?

Authorize the account or number for each written channel, then decide how much the assistant may send on its own. Email replies start as drafts for your team, text replies follow your number’s rules, and WhatsApp needs a business account.

- **Email:** authorize your [Gmail](https://insertchat.com/integration/gmail) or [Outlook](https://insertchat.com/integration/outlook) account and complete the mailbox setup. Automatic replies are off by default. When you turn them on, you can add a sending delay of up to 10 minutes, send only during business hours, and hold back replies that are uncertain, involve an upset customer or a complaint, or touch payment or legal matters.
- **SMS:** the assistant replies to texts in two-way conversations and honors STOP and START keywords. Picture messages go to a person. Check your number’s region: UK numbers are voice-only.
- **WhatsApp:** connect a WhatsApp Business Account and check its number and regional requirements before going live.

## Connect the tools behind the conversation

A customer channel receives the conversation. A connected tool lets your assistant act on it. For example, a phone call can lead to an appointment when you connect [Google Calendar](https://insertchat.com/integration/google-calendar) and enable the relevant [scheduling](https://insertchat.com/product/scheduling) actions.

Authorize the required account, choose the actions, and decide which need approval. Test those permissions with the specific workflow your customers will use. [Actions and approvals](https://insertchat.com/product/automations) explains how review works.

## Test the complete customer journey

Before going live, work through this checklist:

1. Open the website widget, place a test call, or send a message through your configured channel.
2. Ask a routine question and compare the answer with your business information.
3. Ask a question your knowledge doesn’t answer and check that the assistant says so instead of guessing.
4. Confirm the conversation appears in the [shared inbox](https://insertchat.com/product/inbox), with the details your team needs.
5. Ask a question that should trigger [human handoff](https://insertchat.com/blog/set-up-human-handoff). Check that a teammate can find and continue the request.
6. If tools are connected, check the proposed action, any required approval, and the result.

Resolve missing information or connection issues before opening the channel to customers. Once the flow works, add another channel and repeat these checks. To see a finished setup first, [explore the demo](https://insertchat.com/demo) with a fictional business and sample data.

## Which channel should I connect first?

Start where your team already loses the most customer questions. For most local businesses that is the phone, especially after-hours and missed calls. If most questions arrive on your website, start with website chat. Connect one channel, test the full conversation, then add the next.

## Can I keep my business phone number?

In the US and Canada, yes. Forward your existing number to the private routing number InsertChat gives you, and a verification call confirms it works. Elsewhere, use a local or toll-free InsertChat number where one is available. Number porting is not offered.

## Will the AI send emails without my review?

Not unless you turn it on. Automatic email replies are off by default. When you enable them, you can add a sending delay, limit sending to business hours, and hold back replies that are uncertain, involve an upset customer or a complaint, or touch payment or legal matters.