Feature overview and guide

Channels

A channel groups the ways customers reach one part of your team. Each channel has its own email address and can also have live chat, routing, customer satisfaction, and AI settings.

Create a channel

Start with one channel for each distinct customer-facing function. You can connect both live chat and email to the same channel.

Path: Channels → Add channel → New channel

Open Channels

Select Channels in the sidebar, then select Add channel. Owners and admins can create and change channels.

Channel details

On the New channel page, enter a clear Name such as “Customer Support” or “Sales.” Add an optional Description to help teammates understand what belongs there.

Connect a Website (optional)

Under Connect a Website (optional), turn on “Connect a website to enable the chat widget” and enter the Domain. Leave it off when this channel only needs email.

Check the Preview and create

Sonny previews the Email address generated from the channel name. Select Create. You can forward an existing mailbox to this address later from the Email tab.

Understand the four tabs

Select a channel or its Manage button, then use these tabs.

General

Change Channel details, upload a Logo, choose Assignment Behavior and a Default Team, manage customer satisfaction, or delete the channel.

Live Chat

Connect a website, copy the installation code, and choose how the chat widget looks and behaves.

Email

Find the channel address, set up forwarding, and configure the name, domain, and signature used for email.

AI

Add Knowledge, set Rules & Memory, choose the AI personality, and control AI Copilot and Auto-Responder for this channel.

Configure the General tab

Channel details

Update the Name or Description. Under Logo, select Upload or Change to choose the image shown in visitor-facing emails. A square image of at least 128×128 pixels works best; the maximum file size is 2 MB.

Assignment Behavior

Set the Default Assignment Strategy to Use workspace default, Unassigned, or Round-robin. Choose a Default Team when every new conversation from this channel should be routed to that team, or leave it as No team.

Select Save changes after editing the General tab. Discard restores the last saved values.

Common channel setups

One support channel for chat and email

Create “Customer Support,” connect your help website, and forward support@yourcompany.com to the generated address. Both live chat and email arrive under one channel in the Inbox.

Separate sales and support

Create “Sales” and “Customer Support” as separate channels. Set a Default Team on each so new conversations reach the right group while reporting keeps the work separated.

Email-only billing questions

Create “Billing,” leave Connect a Website (optional) off, and forward the billing mailbox to its generated address. The channel works without a chat widget.

Delete a channel

Open the channel's General tab and select Delete channel. Confirm only when you are certain. This permanently removes its website and email connection, channel settings and signature overrides, verified domains, and channel-specific AI knowledge, rules, and memories. Existing conversations and messages stay in your inbox, but no longer show the deleted channel. This cannot be undone.

Related docs

Widget setup

Install the Sonny live chat widget on your website with a single script tag.

Email setup

Forward your support email into Sonny and manage email alongside live chat.

Customer satisfaction

Collect CSAT ratings when conversations close and invite happy customers to leave a review.

Team & roles

Invite users, create teams, and understand owner, admin, agent, and viewer access.

See how Sonny helps

Customer support software

Customer support software combining live chat, email ticketing, teamwork, reporting, and optional AI. Unlimited agents for one flat monthly price.

Shared inbox software

Shared inbox software for email and live chat, with assignments, notes, tags, statuses, and reporting. Give every agent the full customer context.