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Messaging Channels

Messaging Channels define outbound messaging identities for agents in Thirdlane Connect. Each channel is a named sender identity that determines which phone number an agent sends from when composing or replying to WhatsApp or SMS messages. Channels exist so that agents pick a meaningful label like “Support WhatsApp” rather than a raw phone number, and so administrators control which number, protocol, and templates each team is allowed to use. A channel is strictly about outbound identity - inbound messages are handled by Inbound Messaging Routes.

Create/Edit Messaging Channel

Name. A descriptive name for this channel (e.g., “Support WhatsApp”, “Sales SMS”). This is the label agents see in Connect.

Type. The messaging protocol for this channel:

  • WhatsApp — Sends via a WhatsApp Business phone number mapped to the selected DID
  • SMS — Sends via the SMS gateway configured for the selected DID

DID. The phone number (DID) this channel sends from. For WhatsApp channels, the DID must be mapped to a WhatsApp phone number in the DID settings. For SMS channels, the DID must have an outbound SMS gateway configured.

Status. Whether this channel is currently active or inactive. Inactive channels are not available to agents.

Require Templates. When enabled, agents using this channel can only send pre-approved Message Templates — freeform text messaging is not allowed. This is useful for compliance-sensitive channels where all outbound messages must be pre-approved. When disabled (default), agents can send both templated and freeform messages.

Queues. The queues where this channel is available to agents. Use the shuttle (dual-list) control to assign or unassign queues. A channel can be assigned to multiple queues, and a queue can have multiple channels. When a queue has only one channel of a given type, Connect auto-selects it so agents don’t need to choose.

Channel-queue assignments can be managed from either direction:

  • From the channel form — assign the channel to queues
  • From the queue form (Messaging Channels tab) — assign channels to the queue

WhatsApp Templates (WhatsApp channels only). Select which approved WhatsApp message templates agents can use when sending messages through this channel. Only templates with “Approved” status from your tenant’s WhatsApp accounts are shown. If no templates are assigned, agents will not see any templates for this channel.

This gives administrators fine-grained control over which templates are available on each channel — for example, a “Support WhatsApp” channel may have different templates than a “Sales WhatsApp” channel, even if both use the same WhatsApp Business account.

How Channels Work

Outbound Messaging

When an agent in Connect wants to send a message:

  1. The agent selects a channel (e.g., “Support WhatsApp”) or the system auto-selects it if there’s only one option for the queue
  2. The system resolves the channel’s DID to the appropriate provider resource — a WhatsApp phone number (via the DID-WhatsApp mapping) or an SMS gateway
  3. The message is sent from that number

Inbound Routing

Inbound message routing is handled separately by Inbound Messaging Routes. Messaging Channels are not involved in inbound routing — they are strictly for outbound sender identity.

Interactions

Each interaction in the Interactions grid is linked to the messaging channel it was conducted through, providing visibility into which channel was used for each conversation.

Worked example: give the sales team its own WhatsApp sender

Support already replies on the main WhatsApp number. Sales needs to send from a different number, using only their own approved templates, without seeing Support’s.

  1. Confirm the DID plumbing. The sales number is DID +14155550111. On the DID form, make sure it is mapped to the sales WhatsApp phone number (a WhatsApp channel cannot resolve a DID with no mapping).
  2. Create the channel. Click Add. Name Sales WhatsApp, Type WhatsApp, DID +14155550111, Status Active.
  3. Scope the templates. Enable Require Templates, then in WhatsApp Templates select only the approved sales templates (for example sales_followup, quote_ready). Support’s templates are intentionally left off, so sales agents never pick the wrong one.
  4. Assign to the queue. In Queues, shuttle the sales queue over. Because sales now has exactly one WhatsApp channel, Connect auto-selects it - agents in that queue send from the sales number with no channel picker.
  5. Verify. As a sales agent in Connect, start a WhatsApp message: the sender is the sales number and only the sales templates are offered. Support agents, on their own queue and channel, are unaffected.

Inbound messages to the sales number are a separate concern - set those up under Inbound Messaging Routes; a channel only governs the outbound identity.

Best practices

  • Name channels by team and purpose. “Sales SMS” and “Support WhatsApp” are self-explanatory to agents; a bare DID is not.
  • One channel per queue per protocol is the smoothest experience. When a queue has a single SMS (or WhatsApp) channel, Connect auto-selects it so agents never have to choose.
  • Deactivate rather than delete. Setting a channel to inactive removes it from agents immediately while preserving its history and assignments.
  • Enable Require Templates for regulated messaging. For channels where every message must be pre-approved, this prevents freeform sends and enforces the assigned template list.
  • Verify the DID plumbing first. A WhatsApp channel needs its DID mapped to a WhatsApp phone number, and an SMS channel needs an outbound SMS gateway on the DID - set these up before creating the channel.