Chat channels
Set up a phone number (Twilio SMS / WhatsApp)
A phone number people text — plain SMS through Twilio, and WhatsApp too when the number is WhatsApp-enabled in Twilio. The admin-friendliest channel: a phone number is a person's identity, so enter each teammate's number and they're recognised from their first text.
Before you start
- A Twilio account (twilio.com — buying a number takes minutes) with a phone number on it: Console → Phone numbers. For WhatsApp, use the WhatsApp-enabled number.
- The Account SID (it starts with AC) and the Auth token, both on the Console's front page under Account Info — press to reveal the token. The Auth token also lets the assistant check that incoming texts really come from Twilio; it is write-only here, never shown again after saving.
- Chat channels → Phone number: enter the Account SID, the Twilio number in international form (+30…, +1…) and the Auth token. Create, then Test — the result names the Twilio account.
- The checklist's “Point the platform here” step shows the webhook URL. In the Twilio Console open the phone number → Messaging → “A message comes in” → Webhook and paste it (HTTP POST). For WhatsApp-via-Twilio: Messaging → Senders → WhatsApp senders → the same webhook.
- Manage people: choose a person, enter their mobile number with its country code (+30 691 234 5678), Add person — recognised from their first text.
How people use it
People text the number like any other contact — no command for a plain question; /new starts a fresh conversation, /help lists the commands. A message arriving with a “whatsapp:” prefix (WhatsApp-via-Twilio) is answered the same way and the reply mirrors the prefix — no separate Meta developer app needed, and the same number is recognised whether it texts or writes on WhatsApp. Replies are kept text-sized: the answer's short form with its inline [n] markers, no sources footnote, cut at 1,200 characters (about eight SMS segments) — quick questions suit this channel, long ones don't.
Access
A recognised number asks with its account's own document access. Unrecognised numbers get silence, never a link prompt — every outbound text costs money, so this channel never turns itself into a paid autoresponder. Open it deliberately with guest access groups if strangers should be answered; they then read from those groups only. A teammate you haven't entered can still link themselves: “Link messaging apps” in the web chat gives a one-time code, valid ten minutes, to text to the number.
Twilio signs each delivery against the exact webhook URL, so the public base URL in Settings must match what Twilio calls — on a mismatch deliveries are dropped. A number without a country code is refused when you add it. Test fails when Twilio rejects the SID and token pair. Disabling the channel stops answers at once and keeps its setup and history.
Last updated 20 Sep 2026