Social Intents connects your team with customers across three communication channels: website live chat, WhatsApp, and SMS text messaging. Each channel reaches visitors where they already are, and all three converge into a single agent experience - whether your team responds through Microsoft Teams, Slack, Google Chat, or the Social Intents web dashboard. Below we explain how each channel works, how to set them up, and how they fit together into a single customer communication setup.
Channel Overview
Every conversation in Social Intents, regardless of its source, arrives in the same place for your agents. Your team does not need to switch between different tools or dashboards to handle website chats, WhatsApp messages, and SMS texts. The system routes each conversation through your existing platform integration and tracks the source so agents know where the visitor is contacting from.
| Channel | How Visitors Reach You | How Agents Respond | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website Chat | Chat widget embedded on your website | Slack, Teams, Google Chat, or web dashboard | Real-time support for website visitors |
| WhatsApp app on phone, tablet, or desktop | Slack, Teams, Google Chat, or web dashboard | Global messaging, mobile-first audiences | |
| SMS | Standard text messaging from any phone | Slack, Teams, Google Chat, or web dashboard | Customers who prefer texting over apps |
Website Live Chat
Website live chat is the core channel of Social Intents. A chat widget embedded on your website allows visitors to start conversations in real time while browsing your pages. This is the most common channel and the one most teams start with.
How It Works
When you add the Social Intents JavaScript snippet to your website, a chat button appears on every page where the snippet is installed. Visitors click the button, type a message, and a real-time connection is established between their browser and your agents using the Atmosphere WebSocket framework. Messages are delivered instantly in both directions.
Key Features
- Real-time messaging - Messages are delivered instantly via WebSocket connections. No page refreshes needed.
- Pre-chat forms - Collect the visitor's name, email, and department selection before the chat begins.
- File sharing - Visitors can upload files directly in the chat widget.
- AI chatbot - An AI chatbot powered by ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini can handle conversations automatically, 24/7.
- Customizable appearance - Control colors, text, position, and branding to match your website design.
- Multiple widgets - Create separate chat widgets for different websites, departments, or use cases.
- Visitor information - See the visitor's location, browser, current page, referrer, and custom variables during the chat.
Setting Up Website Chat
Website chat is set up during your initial Social Intents onboarding. The process involves creating a chat widget, customizing its appearance, and adding the JavaScript snippet to your website. See the Setting Up Your First Widget guide for detailed instructions.
</body> tag:
<script src="https://www.socialintents.com/api/chat/socialintents.1.4.js#YOUR_KEY" async="async"></script>YOUR_KEY with your actual widget key from the widget settings page.
WhatsApp Channel
The WhatsApp channel lets your customers reach your team through the WhatsApp messaging app. With over 2 billion users worldwide, WhatsApp is the preferred communication channel for many customers, especially in international markets. Social Intents integrates directly with the Meta WhatsApp Business API to route WhatsApp conversations to your team.
How WhatsApp Integration Works
When a customer sends a message to your WhatsApp Business number, Meta's webhook system delivers the message to Social Intents. The system identifies which account and widget the message belongs to, creates a conversation record, and routes it to your agents through their platform (Slack, Teams, Google Chat, or web dashboard). When agents reply, the response is sent back through Meta's Graph API to the customer's WhatsApp app.
The experience for your agents is identical to handling a website chat - the only difference is a label indicating the conversation came from WhatsApp. Agents do not need a separate WhatsApp account or phone to respond.
Setting Up WhatsApp
WhatsApp Features
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Rich Media | Customers can send images, audio, video, documents, and stickers. Media is downloaded, validated, and stored securely on S3. |
| AI Chatbot | Your AI chatbot can handle WhatsApp conversations automatically, just like website chat. |
| Session Expiry | Configurable session timeout for inactive conversations. After expiry, a new message creates a fresh session. |
| Message Templates | Re-engage customers after the 24-hour WhatsApp session window using Meta-approved message templates. |
| Outbound Compose | When enabled, agents can initiate WhatsApp conversations by sending the first message to a customer's phone number. |
| Multi-Number Routing | Route multiple WhatsApp numbers to different widgets and teams using the multi-config JSON setting. |
| Coexistence Mode | Keep using your WhatsApp Business App alongside the API integration - you do not have to give up your existing WhatsApp setup. |
SMS Channel
The SMS channel allows customers to reach your team by sending a standard text message to your business phone number. Social Intents integrates with Twilio to receive and send SMS messages, routing them to your agents through the same platform they already use for website chats and WhatsApp conversations.
How SMS Integration Works
When a customer sends a text message to your Twilio phone number, Twilio forwards the message to Social Intents via a webhook. Social Intents creates a conversation record, identifies the sending widget and account, and routes the message to your agents. When agents reply, Social Intents uses the Twilio API to send the response as an SMS text back to the customer's phone.
Setting Up SMS
https://www.socialintents.com/v1/api/twilio/chat/{YOUR_WIDGET_ID}. Replace {YOUR_WIDGET_ID} with your Social Intents widget ID.
SMS Features
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| MMS Support | Customers can send images via MMS. Up to 5 media attachments per message are supported. Media is downloaded, validated, and stored on S3. |
| AI Chatbot | Your AI chatbot handles SMS conversations automatically, same as website chat and WhatsApp. |
| Session Expiry | Configurable timeout for inactive SMS sessions. |
| Outbound Compose | When enabled, agents can initiate outbound SMS conversations by texting a customer's phone number first. |
| Messaging Service | Supports Twilio Messaging Service SIDs for high-volume or multi-number SMS sending. |
| Deduplication | Built-in message deduplication prevents duplicate messages from being processed in multi-instance environments. |
Unified Agent Experience
The most important aspect of Social Intents' multi-channel support is that all three channels converge into a single agent experience. Regardless of whether a conversation started from a website chat widget, a WhatsApp message, or an SMS text, your agents handle it in the same way through the same tool.
How Agents Know the Source
Each conversation is tagged with its source channel. When a message arrives in Slack, Teams, or Google Chat, agents can see whether it originated from website chat, WhatsApp, or SMS. This context helps agents tailor their responses - for example, knowing that an SMS user cannot see rich formatting, or that a WhatsApp user can receive images.
Cross-Channel Consistency
Your AI chatbot, canned responses, and team workflows apply consistently across all channels. An AI chatbot trained on your knowledge base answers questions the same way whether the visitor contacts you through your website, WhatsApp, or SMS. Canned responses are available regardless of channel. This consistency means you set up your workflows once and they work everywhere.
Choosing the Right Channels
You do not need to enable all three channels at once. Start with website chat, which requires no external accounts or phone numbers. Add WhatsApp if you serve an international audience or your customers prefer messaging apps. Add SMS if your customers prefer texting and you want to provide a phone number they can reach you at.
| Consider This Channel | When |
|---|---|
| Website Chat Only | You primarily want to engage visitors while they browse your website. No external setup required beyond adding the JavaScript snippet. |
| Website Chat + WhatsApp | You serve an international audience, your customers already use WhatsApp, or you want to offer messaging beyond your website. |
| Website Chat + SMS | Your customers prefer texting, you have a business phone number, or you serve a US-focused audience that texts more than uses messaging apps. |
| All Three Channels | You want maximum reach across every communication method. Ideal for businesses with diverse customer bases spanning different communication preferences. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need separate agents for each channel?
No. The same agents handle all channels through their existing platform (Slack, Teams, Google Chat, or web dashboard). There is no need for dedicated per-channel staffing.
Can my AI chatbot work across all channels?
Yes. Your AI chatbot powered by ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini works identically across website chat, WhatsApp, and SMS. Train it once and it handles conversations on every channel.
What does WhatsApp cost?
The Social Intents WhatsApp integration is included in your plan. However, Meta charges per-conversation fees for WhatsApp Business API usage. Check Meta's current pricing for WhatsApp Business conversations.
What does SMS cost?
You need a Twilio account with a phone number. Twilio charges per SMS message sent and received. Pricing varies by country. Check Twilio's current pricing for details. Social Intents does not charge additional fees for the SMS integration.
Can I use multiple WhatsApp numbers?
Yes. The multi-config JSON setting allows you to route multiple WhatsApp numbers to different widgets and teams. Each number can have its own routing rules.
What happens if a customer texts outside business hours?
If your agents are offline and no AI chatbot is configured, the message waits until an agent comes online. If you have an AI chatbot enabled, it responds immediately regardless of the time. Unlike website chat, there is no offline form for WhatsApp and SMS - messages simply queue until handled.
Can agents initiate conversations on WhatsApp and SMS?
Yes, when the Outbound Compose feature is enabled for each channel. Agents can start a conversation by entering a customer's phone number and sending the first message. For WhatsApp, outbound messages must use an approved message template.
Do I need a separate WhatsApp Business app?
No. Social Intents connects directly to the WhatsApp Business API. You do not need the WhatsApp Business app installed. The coexistence mode also allows you to keep using your existing WhatsApp Business app alongside the Social Intents API integration.