Channels
Connect WhatsApp, SMS and email accounts to the shared inbox.
By the end of this page your practice's messaging accounts will be connected, tested, and receiving patient replies into the shared inbox.
What a channel connection is
A channel connection is a send/receive account the inbox uses: a WhatsApp Business number, an SMS number or an email address. Connect them under Settings → Channels.
Only owners and admins can connect, test or disconnect channels. Members see the page read-only.
Connect a channel
Click the button for the channel you want — Connect WhatsApp, Connect SMS or Connect Email — and fill in the dialog. Every connection takes a Name (how it appears in the inbox composer, e.g. "Front-desk WhatsApp") plus provider-specific details:
WhatsApp connects through the WhatsApp Cloud API (a Meta app):
- Display number — the number patients see
- Phone number ID — from the Meta app dashboard
- Access token — a system-user token from the same dashboard
After connecting, point the Meta app's webhook at the Webhook URL shown on the connection card.
SMS connects through Twilio:
- Sending number — the number texts go out from
- Account SID (optional) and Auth token (optional) — leave both empty to send through the SmileLine platform account; fill them to use your own Twilio account
After connecting, set the number's incoming-message webhook (in the Twilio console) to the Webhook URL shown on the connection card.
Email needs just one field:
- From address — the address your messages are sent from
After connecting, the card shows a Reply-to inbound address. Patient replies to your emails route through it back into the inbox automatically.
The webhook URL and inbound address
Some providers need to know where to deliver incoming messages — that's what the copyable fields on each connection card are for:
- Webhook — the URL the provider must POST inbound events to (WhatsApp and SMS). Paste it into the Meta app or Twilio number configuration.
- Reply-to — the inbound email address patient replies route through (email connections).
Both are derived from a routing token minted when you connect, unique to the connection.
Credentials are write-only
Tokens and secrets you enter are encrypted at rest and never shown again — not in the app, not through the API. If a credential rotates on the provider's side, enter the new value; there is nothing to "reveal" or copy back out.
Test a connection
Click Test on a connection card. SmileLine pings the provider with the stored credentials and reports back:
- Success — "Connection is healthy." and the status badge turns active.
- Failure — the provider's error appears on the card and the badge turns error.
Run a test right after connecting, and again whenever messages stop flowing.
The status badge reflects the last known health: active, pending, error or disconnected.
Disconnect
Click Disconnect on the card. Inbound messages to that connection are dropped and sends through it are rejected — but conversation history is kept in the inbox. Connecting the same account again later creates a fresh connection.