Connect your first channel

Overview

Channels are the customer-facing places where your Interlinked AI agent can receive and respond to messages. During setup, connecting at least one channel is the bridge between your configured AI agent and real customer conversations.

Interlinked AI is designed around messaging channels such as WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger. The exact connection flow depends on the channel and the account permissions required by the underlying platform, but the goal is always the same: authorize Interlinked AI to receive incoming customer messages and send responses through the connected business identity.

Before you begin

Before connecting a channel, make sure you have:

• Access to the business account or page you want to connect
• Permission to authorize third-party tools for that account
• A completed or in-progress onboarding setup
• A clear idea of which channel customers should use first

If you are still choosing the rest of your setup, start with Open the onboarding wizard and Choose a workflow.

Where channel setup happens

You can connect channels in two main places:

1. During onboarding - The setup wizard includes a channel connection step before you publish.
2. After launch - AI Config lets you return to channel setup when you need to add or reconnect a channel.

For the onboarding flow, see Connect channels. For post-launch edits, see Edit your setup from AI Config.

How to choose your first channel

Choose the channel where customer conversations already happen most often. If your customers usually message you on WhatsApp, start there. If they discover you through Instagram or Facebook, connect the social inbox that receives the most serious buying or support conversations.

You can add more channels later, so the first channel does not need to represent your entire customer communication strategy. It should be the safest place to validate that the AI agent understands your business, responds with the right tone, and follows the workflow you selected.

For detailed per-channel setup guides, see Connect Instagram, Connect Facebook Messenger, or Connect WhatsApp Business.

What to check after connecting

After a channel is connected:

• Confirm that the channel shows as connected in the setup flow or AI Config.
• Send a test message from a customer-facing account or device.
• Check the CRM after publishing to confirm the conversation appears.
• Review the AI response and adjust business context if needed.

For what happens after publishing, see What happens after you publish.