Communication Channels

CogniAgent connects to the channels your users already use. Whether they prefer email, Slack, text messages, or live chat, your workflows can reach them where they are — and conversations can seamlessly move between channels.

Supported channels

Email

Gmail and Microsoft Outlook

Slack

Direct messages and channels

SMS

Text messages via Twilio

WhatsApp Business messaging

Microsoft Teams

Teams messages and channels

Web Widget

Embedded chat on your website

How channels work

Channels connect your workflows to external communication systems:

Inbound — Receive messages from users (triggers workflows)
Outbound — Send messages to users (from workflow actions)
Conversational — Multi-turn dialogues that span multiple messages

Each channel requires a connection configured in your CogniAgent account. See the integration guides for setup instructions.

Email

Gmail

Connect your Gmail account to send and receive emails from workflows. Capabilities:

Receive emails (trigger workflows)
Send emails (plain text and HTML)
Reply to threads
Access attachments
Read email metadata (sender, subject, labels)

Configuration:

{
  "type": "gmail",
  "connection": "gmail_support",
  "settings": {
    "fromName": "Support Team",
    "signature": "Best regards,\nSupport Team"
  }
}

Use labels to organize incoming emails and trigger different workflows based on the label.

Microsoft Outlook

Connect Outlook for enterprise email workflows. Capabilities:

Send and receive emails
Access calendar events
Read email metadata
Manage folders and categories

Configuration:

{
  "type": "outlook",
  "connection": "outlook_main",
  "settings": {
    "folder": "Inbox",
    "categories": ["Support", "Sales"]
  }
}

Messaging platforms

Slack

Integrate with Slack for team and customer communication. Capabilities:

Send messages to channels
Send direct messages to users
Receive messages (trigger workflows)
Post rich messages with buttons and menus
React to messages

Configuration:

{
  "type": "slack",
  "connection": "slack_workspace",
  "settings": {
    "defaultChannel": "#support",
    "allowDM": true,
    "botName": "CogniBot"
  }
}

Use cases:

Internal approval workflows
Team notifications
Customer support (in shared channels)
Automated standup collection

Microsoft Teams

Connect to Teams for enterprise messaging. Capabilities:

Send messages to channels
Send direct messages
Post adaptive cards
Receive messages

Configuration:

{
  "type": "teams",
  "connection": "teams_org",
  "settings": {
    "defaultTeam": "Support Team",
    "defaultChannel": "General"
  }
}

SMS and WhatsApp

SMS (Twilio)

Send text messages to mobile phones. Capabilities:

Send SMS messages
Receive SMS replies
Send MMS (images, media)
Support for short codes

Configuration:

{
  "type": "sms",
  "connection": "twilio_main",
  "settings": {
    "fromNumber": "+1234567890"
  }
}

SMS messaging has carrier fees. Configure rate limits to avoid unexpected costs.

WhatsApp Business

Connect WhatsApp Business for customer conversations. Capabilities:

Send template messages
Send session messages (within 24h window)
Receive messages
Send rich media (images, documents)

Configuration:

{
  "type": "whatsapp",
  "connection": "whatsapp_business",
  "settings": {
    "businessAccountId": "your_account_id",
    "phoneNumberId": "your_phone_number_id"
  }
}

WhatsApp requires pre-approved message templates for initiating conversations. Session messages can be sent freely within 24 hours of customer contact.

Embed a chat widget on your website for real-time conversations. Capabilities:

Live chat interface
Visitor identification
File uploads
Typing indicators
Read receipts

Configuration:

{
  "type": "web_widget",
  "widgetId": "widget_abc123",
  "settings": {
    "position": "bottom-right",
    "primaryColor": "#3B82F6",
    "greeting": "Hi! How can I help you today?"
  }
}

Installation: Add the widget script to your website:

<script src="https://widget.cogniagent.com/loader.js"
        data-widget-id="widget_abc123"></script>

Multi-channel conversations

CogniAgent tracks conversations across channels. Users can:

Start a conversation via web widget
Continue via email when they leave your site
Complete via Slack if they’re in a shared workspace

The conversation context follows the user — no information is lost.

Channel switching

When using the Ask a Person node with multiple channels:

{
  "channels": ["web_widget", "email", "slack"],
  "channelPriority": "user_preference",
  "allowChannelSwitch": true
}

Settings:

channelPriority — How to choose the channel (user_preference, fastest, specified)
allowChannelSwitch — Whether users can respond on a different channel

Include a conversation reference number in messages so users can reference it when switching channels.

Using channels in workflows

Triggers

Start workflows when messages arrive:

App Trigger (Email)

Triggers when an email arrives at a connected inbox.Available data:

from — Sender email address
subject — Email subject line
body — Email content
attachments — List of attached files

App Trigger (Slack)

Triggers when a message is posted to a channel or DM.Available data:

user — Who sent the message
channel — Where it was posted
text — Message content
thread_ts — Thread timestamp (if in a thread)

Webhook

Triggers from web widget messages or custom integrations.Available data:

Custom payload from the sender

Actions

Send messages from workflows:

Send Reply

Send a one-off message to any channel.Use for:

Notifications
Confirmations
Status updates

Ask a Person

Start a multi-turn conversation.Use for:

Collecting information
Support conversations
Approval workflows

App Action

Perform channel-specific actions (add reaction, update message, etc.).Use for:

Complex channel operations
Updating previous messages
Channel-specific features

Best practices

Match channel to urgency. Use SMS for time-sensitive alerts, email for detailed information, and Slack for team collaboration.

Respect user preferences. If a user always responds via email, don’t force them to use the web widget.

Mind the costs. SMS and WhatsApp have per-message costs. Batch notifications when possible and set rate limits.

Test thoroughly. Each channel has quirks (character limits, formatting differences). Test messages on each channel before going live.

Channel comparison

Feature	Email	Slack	SMS	WhatsApp	Teams	Widget
Rich formatting	Yes	Yes	No	Limited	Yes	Yes
File attachments	Yes	Yes	MMS	Yes	Yes	Yes
Real-time	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Read receipts	Limited	Yes	No	Yes	Limited	Yes
Cost per message	Free	Free	Paid	Paid	Free	Free
Setup complexity	Low	Medium	Medium	High	Medium	Low

Next steps

Ask a Person

Build multi-turn conversations across channels.

Send Reply

Send simple messages to any channel.

App Trigger

Trigger workflows from incoming messages.

Skillset Engine

Power your conversations with AI skillsets.

Getting Started

Features

Reference

Communication Channels

Communication Channels

Supported channels

Email

Slack

SMS

WhatsApp

Microsoft Teams

Web Widget

How channels work

Email

Gmail

Microsoft Outlook

Messaging platforms

Slack

Microsoft Teams

SMS and WhatsApp

SMS (Twilio)

WhatsApp Business

Web Widget

Multi-channel conversations

Channel switching

Using channels in workflows

Triggers

Actions

Best practices

Channel comparison

Next steps

Ask a Person

Send Reply

App Trigger

Skillset Engine

Getting Started

Features

Reference

​Communication Channels

​Supported channels

Email

Slack

SMS

WhatsApp

Microsoft Teams

Web Widget

​How channels work

​Email

​Gmail

​Microsoft Outlook

​Messaging platforms

​Slack

​Microsoft Teams

​SMS and WhatsApp

​SMS (Twilio)

​WhatsApp Business

​Web Widget

​Multi-channel conversations

​Channel switching

​Using channels in workflows

​Triggers

​Actions

​Best practices

​Channel comparison

​Next steps

Ask a Person

Send Reply

App Trigger

Skillset Engine

Communication Channels

Supported channels

How channels work

Email

Gmail

Microsoft Outlook

Messaging platforms

Slack

Microsoft Teams

SMS and WhatsApp

SMS (Twilio)

WhatsApp Business

Web Widget

Multi-channel conversations

Channel switching

Using channels in workflows

Triggers

Actions

Best practices

Channel comparison

Next steps