Channels

Telegram, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, email

By Super Admin

• 8 articles

Connecting a channel

Connecting a channel An inbox is a connected channel. Until you connect one, no conversations reach the platform. Available channels - Website — the live chat widget, free on every plan; - Telegram — through a bot; - WhatsApp — via WhatsApp Business, WhatsApp Cloud, Gupshup, Twilio or 360Dialog; - Instagram — direct messages and comments; - Facebook — Messenger; - Email — your support mailbox; - SMS; - API — for your own integrations; - Voice — a phone line. Which channels you can use depends on your plan: the number of connected inboxes is capped by the plan you picked. Adding an inbox 1. Open Settings → Inboxes. 2. Click to add an inbox. 3. Choose the channel type. 4. Follow the setup steps — they differ per channel. 5. Tick the agents who should work in this inbox. Step-by-step guides for each channel are in the other articles of this section. After connecting Open the inbox under Settings → Inboxes and review its settings: greeting, business hours, auto-assignment, the CSAT survey and the list of members. See "Inbox settings". If messages do not arrive - Check whether the connection expired: a reauthorisation warning appears next to the inbox in the sidebar. - Make sure you are a member of the inbox. - For Instagram and Facebook, reauthorise the connection — access tokens expire periodically.

Last updated on August 23, 2026

Connecting Telegram

Connecting Telegram Telegram connects through a bot. It is the fastest channel to get running. Step 1. Create a bot 1. Open a chat with @BotFather in Telegram. 2. Send /newbot. 3. Enter the display name your customers will see. 4. Enter the bot username — it has to end in bot. 5. BotFather returns an auth token, a string like 123456789:AA.... The token grants full control over the bot, so keep it private. Step 2. Connect the bot to Kulpunai 1. Open Settings → Inboxes and add an inbox. 2. Choose Telegram. 3. Paste the token into the auth token field. 4. Create the Telegram channel. 5. Add the agents who will reply in this inbox. Step 3. Test it Find the bot in Telegram by its username, press Start and send a message. It should show up under Conversations. What the channel supports - Text, photos, files, voice messages and stickers; - Canned responses and macros; - AI Agent replies, if an assistant is connected to this inbox. Common questions Can I connect a personal Telegram account No, only bots are supported. That is a Telegram restriction. Customers cannot find the bot in search Check the username and make sure the bot was not deleted in BotFather. Messages stopped arriving The token may have been revoked with /revoke in BotFather. Generate a new one and update it in the inbox settings.

Last updated on August 23, 2026

Connecting WhatsApp

Connecting WhatsApp WhatsApp runs through the official API. Kulpunai supports several providers — pick whichever suits you. Providers WhatsApp Business (quick setup with Meta) Embedded Signup: you authorise with Meta and the number and webhooks are configured automatically. No manual setup. WhatsApp Cloud A direct connection to Meta's Cloud API. You will need the phone number ID, business account ID, API key and webhook verify token from the Facebook developer console. Gupshup Connects without a bank card on file — handy when setting up billing with Meta is awkward. Message costs are drawn from your WhatsApp credit balance inside Kulpunai. Twilio and 360Dialog Use these if you already have an account and a number with either provider. How to connect 1. Open Settings → Inboxes and add an inbox. 2. Choose WhatsApp. 3. On the provider screen, pick your API provider. 4. Fill in the fields that provider asks for. 5. Create the WhatsApp channel and add agents. For WhatsApp Cloud, copy the webhook URL and verify token from the inbox settings into the Facebook developer console after the inbox is created. Requirements - A phone number that is not tied to the regular WhatsApp app; - A verified business profile in Meta (for Cloud API and Embedded Signup). Next WhatsApp only lets you send free-form messages within 24 hours of the customer's last message. See "WhatsApp templates and the 24-hour rule". If messages will not send - Check your WhatsApp credit balance if you use Gupshup: sending is blocked when it runs low; - Make sure the 24-hour window has not closed — otherwise you need a template; - Confirm the number is not restricted in Meta Business Manager.

Last updated on August 23, 2026

WhatsApp templates and the 24-hour rule

WhatsApp templates and the 24-hour rule The 24-hour rule Meta allows free-form conversation only for 24 hours after the customer's last message. Inside that window you reply with ordinary text. Once the window closes you cannot send an arbitrary message — only a pre-approved template. When the customer replies to the template, the window opens again. What a template is A template is prepared text reviewed and approved by Meta. It can carry variables: customer name, order number, date. Templates come in categories: - Utility — order status, appointment reminders, confirmations; - Marketing — offers and promotions; - Authentication — one-time codes. Creating a template Templates are created and approved on the provider's side: - for WhatsApp Business and WhatsApp Cloud — in Meta Business Manager, under WhatsApp Manager → Message Templates; - for Gupshup, Twilio and 360Dialog — in that provider's console. Approval usually takes anywhere from minutes to a day. The most common rejection reasons are promotional wording inside a utility template and mistakes in the variables. Sending a template 1. Open a conversation whose 24-hour window has closed. 2. Choose to send a template from the message box. 3. Pick the template and fill in its variables. 4. Send. To send templates to a list of contacts at once, use Campaigns → WhatsApp. Cost WhatsApp messages are billed separately from your platform plan. On Gupshup they are drawn from your WhatsApp credits — see Settings → Billing. Tips - Get your utility templates approved in advance — you will need them exactly when the window has already closed. - Never use marketing templates for service notifications: that is what gets numbers restricted. - Watch your credit balance so a broadcast does not stop halfway.

Last updated on August 23, 2026

Connecting Instagram: direct messages and comments

Connecting Instagram: direct messages and comments Kulpunai receives both direct messages and comments under your posts. Requirements - The profile has to be a business or creator account; - You need admin rights on the profile. How to connect 1. Open Settings → Inboxes and add an inbox. 2. Choose Instagram. 3. Click to continue with Instagram. 4. Authorise with the Instagram profile and grant the requested permissions. 5. Add agents to the inbox. Direct messages Direct messages arrive in the shared conversation list and behave like any other channel: replies, canned responses, labels, assignment and automation all work. Comments under posts Comments create their own conversations, and the conversation shows which post the comment was left under. There are two ways to respond: Public reply Your answer is published under the post for everyone to see. Private message to the commenter Instagram lets you send the author of a comment a private message, which is a neat way to move pricing or personal details into direct messages. Instagram only allows one such invitation per account per week. The AI Agent can reply to comments and move the discussion into direct messages automatically, if an assistant is connected to this inbox. If messages stop arriving Instagram access tokens expire periodically. When that happens, a reauthorisation warning appears next to the inbox in the sidebar. Open the inbox and authorise again — your conversation history is preserved. Instagram limitations - You can reply in direct messages for 7 days after the customer's message; - Comments on ad posts are not always delivered; - Stories are only available as mentions in direct messages.

Last updated on August 23, 2026

Connecting Facebook Messenger

Connecting Facebook Messenger Requirements - A Facebook page, not a personal profile; - Admin rights on that page. How to connect 1. Open Settings → Inboxes and add an inbox. 2. Choose Facebook. 3. Sign in with Facebook. 4. Grant permission to manage the page's messages. 5. Pick your page from the list. 6. Add agents to the inbox. What works once connected - Receiving and sending Messenger messages; - Canned responses, labels and macros; - Automation rules; - AI Agent replies, if an assistant is connected to the inbox. The 24-hour limit Like WhatsApp, Messenger allows free-form conversation for 24 hours after the customer's message. Outside that window only certain service message types are permitted. If messages do not arrive - Confirm you are still an admin of the page; - Reauthorise the connection: the page token may have expired; - Make sure the page is not under publishing restrictions.

Last updated on August 23, 2026

Connecting email

Connecting email Customer emails land in the shared conversation list, and your replies go out from your support address. How to connect 1. Open Settings → Inboxes and add an inbox. 2. Choose Email. 3. Name the inbox and enter the support address. 4. Fill in the IMAP settings used to receive mail: - server address and port; - username and password. 5. Fill in the SMTP settings used to send mail: - server address and port; - username and password. Settings for common providers Gmail - IMAP: imap.gmail.com, port 993 - SMTP: smtp.gmail.com, port 587 - Enable IMAP in Gmail settings and create an app password if two-factor authentication is on. Your normal account password will not work. Yandex Mail - IMAP: imap.yandex.ru, port 993 - SMTP: smtp.yandex.ru, port 465 - Allow IMAP access in the mail settings and use an app password. Mail.ru - IMAP: imap.mail.ru, port 993 - SMTP: smtp.mail.ru, port 465 - A separate password for external applications is required. Microsoft 365 Sign in with your Microsoft account and grant the requested permissions — no passwords to enter by hand. What is supported - Messages grouped into threads by subject; - HTML emails and attachments; - CC recipients; - The signature configured in the agent's profile. If mail does not arrive - Check that you used an app password rather than the account password; - Confirm IMAP access is enabled on the mail provider's side; - Check the ports: some providers block outgoing SMTP.

Last updated on August 23, 2026

Inbox settings

Inbox settings Open Settings → Inboxes and pick an inbox. Its settings are grouped into tabs. General - Name — how the inbox is labelled inside the platform; - Greeting — an automatic message at the start of a conversation; - Signature — text appended to agent replies. Members The agents who work in this inbox. An agent who is not a member will not see its conversations and will not receive them through auto-assignment. Business hours 1. Turn business hours on. 2. Pick the time zone. 3. Set working times per weekday. 4. Write the message customers see outside working hours. Conversations still arrive outside business hours — the customer simply sees when to expect a reply. Auto-assignment With auto-assignment on, new conversations are distributed among Online agents who are members of the inbox. See "Conversation assignment". CSAT The satisfaction survey is sent to the customer once a conversation is resolved. Results appear under Reports → CSAT. AI Agent An assistant can be attached to the inbox either here or from AI Agent → Inboxes. Deleting an inbox Deleting an inbox also deletes every conversation in it. The action cannot be undone — export anything you need first.

Last updated on August 23, 2026