--- title: "Customer service channels: WhatsApp, email, phone | attendo" description: "Email through Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, portal and forms. WhatsApp, Teams, Slack, Meet, appointments, web chat and phone, each on its document." url: "https://attendo.me/en/modules/channels" lang: "en" --- # Asynchronous or real-time. All on the record. Asynchronous: email with Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, portal and forms. Real-time: WhatsApp, Teams, Slack, Meet, web chat and phone. Each channel, with what it does and what it needs. - Official WhatsApp API - Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace - Teams, Slack and Meet ## Asynchronous and real-time communications: what it does ### Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace Personal, shared and delegated mailboxes: support@ replies as support@. You know whether each email was delivered or bounced, and you sign in with your company account. It is enabled with your organization’s permissions. ### WhatsApp Business With Meta’s official API and your account: several numbers, each with its own team, and approved templates. Whoever accepts a conversation owns it, and the customer gets the signed service report on their phone. WhatsApp voice calls are available too. ### Teams and Slack What people write to the attendo bot in Microsoft Teams, or in the Slack channels where it is present, lands in the unified inbox. It is linked to the document’s record and you reply from attendo. Text only. ### Teams and Meet meetings and appointments Microsoft Teams and Google Meet meetings are linked to the document and the customer, with their recording and transcript. And the appointments you propose are created in Outlook or Google Calendar, with their meeting. ### Web chatbot One per brand, on your website or your portal, with a code snippet or the WordPress plugin. It answers from your documentation, collects the visitor’s details and hands off to a person when needed. ### Calls through your phone system Call from the record and each call becomes an entry on the document. Calls are recorded with a legal notice and logged consent, with a transcript and summary. Extensions per desk, IVR menus and voice bots that answer the call. ## Step by step This is how it is used day to day, on the same document as the rest of the modules. ### Step 1 · Choose your channels Asynchronous for what can wait: email, portal and QR forms. Real-time for what cannot: WhatsApp, Teams, Slack, web chat, phone and meetings. ### Step 2 · Connect your accounts With your organization’s credentials: the Microsoft or Google app registration, the Meta account and the phone system. We tell you in writing what is needed. ### Step 3 · Assign each inbound channel to its team Each mailbox and each WhatsApp number, to its group. In the inbox, whoever accepts a conversation owns it. ### Step 4 · Everything ends up on the record The email, the message and the call stay on the document’s timeline, in order. The big picture is on the [communications](https://attendo.me/en/communications) page. ### marIA in Communications marIA classifies incoming email and suggests the reply in the inbox. On the record it writes the draft, and a person sends it. It transcribes and summarizes calls, and the web chatbot answers from your documentation before handing off to a person. Every operation is logged with who started it, the model and its cost. Spending has the monthly cap you set. ## It fits every area Industry solutions [attendo Ticketing](https://attendo.me/en/ticketing) [attendo After-Sales](https://attendo.me/en/after-sales-service) [attendo Field Service](https://attendo.me/en/field-service) [attendo CRM](https://attendo.me/en/crm) [attendo CMMS](https://attendo.me/en/cmms) [attendo Customer Service](https://attendo.me/en/customer-service) ### Industries that use it - [HVAC and refrigeration](https://attendo.me/en/industries/hvac): Every call in one queue, wherever it comes from - [Repair and after-sales service](https://attendo.me/en/industries/after-sales-repair): Every brand with its contract and SLA - [IT services and MSPs](https://attendo.me/en/industries/it-services): Every channel in one record - [Equipment manufacturers and distributors](https://attendo.me/en/industries/equipment-manufacturers): Every unit sold, with its warranty - [Elevators and escalators](https://attendo.me/en/industries/elevators): Entrapments go to the closest technician - [Consulting and professional services](https://attendo.me/en/industries/professional-services): Projects with dates you can keep - [And any other business](https://attendo.me/en/industries): attendo can be set up for any line of business. See all industries Use cases by department [Internal IT and employee help desk](https://attendo.me/en/use-cases/internal-it) [Customer service](https://attendo.me/en/use-cases/customer-service) [Public sector](https://attendo.me/en/use-cases/public-sector) ## Where it fits (and where it does not) - It does not replace your phone system: attendo’s telephony connects to the one you already have. - It does not post attendo notifications to Teams or Slack: they are conversation channels that come into the inbox. - It does not send campaigns over WhatsApp: it is a one-to-one service channel. ## Modules that go hand in hand ### [Timeline](https://attendo.me/en/modules/timeline) All activity on the document, in order, with its author and channel ### [Satisfaction surveys](https://attendo.me/en/modules/surveys) Ask for feedback on closing and turn a low score into work ### [AI-Chat and DB Assistant](https://attendo.me/en/modules/ai-chat) Ask in plain language. Get answers from your data, with the source. ### [attendo Flows, Business Process Flow (BPF) and AI-Flows](https://attendo.me/en/modules/flows) Flows, phased processes with approvals, and AI inside the flow ## Glossary terms Customer service ### Unified inbox Omnichannel inbox · shared team inbox A unified inbox is the screen where a team receives and answers conversations from all its channels, such as WhatsApp, website chat or Teams, without switching programs. Support and service ### Omnichannel Omnichannel support Omnichannel means that every channel a customer uses to contact you feeds the same record and the same conversation. Support and service ### First response time FRT First response time is how long your team takes to send a meaningful reply after a ticket comes in. Support and service ### SLA Service level agreement An SLA (service level agreement) is the written commitment, usually part of a contract, on how quickly you will respond to and resolve a customer’s tickets. [See all 53 glossary terms](https://attendo.me/en/glossary) ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the difference between an asynchronous and a real-time channel? An asynchronous channel can wait: an email, a portal submission or a form is answered within its deadline. A real-time channel needs an answer on the spot: a WhatsApp message, a chat or a call. ### Can I serve customers from Teams or Slack? Yes. What people write to the attendo bot in Teams, or in the Slack channels where it is present, reaches the unified inbox. You answer it from attendo, as text. ### Are Teams or Meet meetings recorded and transcribed? Yes. The meeting is linked to the document and the customer, with its recording and transcript. ### Which phone system do I need? The Lyria phone system. If you have a different one, we assess it before implementation. ### Do you use the official WhatsApp API? Yes, with your Meta account, and we set it up with you. Meta approves templates before they are used. For small volumes there is a lighter, unofficial channel that only sends text. ## Try it with your processes We will show it to you with your own document types and the way you work. If it is not a fit, we will tell you. - With your operation, not a generic demo - A real person from our team replies - No cold calls afterwards Would you rather talk first? - Phone [+34 910 053 530](tel:+34910053530) - Email [sales@attendo.me](mailto:sales@attendo.me) - Monday to Thursday 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM and Friday 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM (Spain time)