Velaro Channels Guide
6 min read
Velaro Channels Guide
What channels does Velaro support?
Velaro supports messaging across multiple channels from a single admin. Agents handle all channels in one unified inbox.
| Channel | What it is |
|---|---|
| Web Chat | Embeddable chat widget on your website |
| SMS | Two-way text messaging via phone number |
| WhatsApp Business API messaging | |
| Facebook Messenger | Facebook page messaging |
| Instagram DM | Instagram direct messages |
| TikTok DM | TikTok direct messages |
| RCS | Rich Communication Services — branded SMS with read receipts, rich cards, and carousels |
| Inbound and outbound email |
Enabling a channel
Channel access depends on your subscription. To check which channels are enabled for your account, go to Settings > Channels. If a channel shows as disabled, contact your account manager at support@velaro.com to add it to your plan.
Web Chat setup
1. Go to Deployments in the sidebar.
2. Click New Deployment and choose Web Chat.
3. Customize the widget appearance (colors, position, greeting).
4. Copy the embed code and paste it into your website's <head> or just before </body>.
5. The chat widget will appear on your site within minutes.
SMS setup
1. Go to Settings > SMS.
2. Provision a phone number (US/Canada/international available).
3. Customers can text that number and it routes to your agent inbox.
4. Outbound SMS is available via workflows and campaigns.
WhatsApp setup
1. Go to Integrations > WhatsApp.
2. Connect your WhatsApp Business Account via Facebook Business Manager.
3. A phone number must be approved by Meta before going live.
4. Response templates must be pre-approved for outbound messages.
Facebook Messenger setup
1. Go to Integrations > Facebook.
2. Click Connect Facebook Page and authenticate with your Facebook admin account.
3. Select which page(s) to connect.
4. Messages sent to your page's Messenger will appear in the agent inbox.
Instagram DM setup
1. Go to Integrations > Instagram.
2. Connect via the Facebook Business account linked to your Instagram Professional account.
3. Instagram requires the account to be a Business or Creator account (not personal).
RCS setup
1. Go to Channels > RCS in the sidebar.
2. Set up your RCS Business Profile (brand name, logo, accent color, description).
3. Submit your profile for Google verification (3-5 business days).
4. Once verified, enable RCS on your existing SMS phone numbers from the Phone Numbers tab.
5. Outbound messages will automatically try RCS first and fall back to SMS if the recipient doesn't support RCS.
Channel routing
Use Rules to route conversations from different channels to different teams. Example:
- SMS conversations → SMS Support Team
- WhatsApp → WhatsApp Team
- Web Chat (after hours) → Bot workflow
Deployments
A Deployment is a specific instance of a channel with its own settings. You can have multiple web chat deployments for different pages or brands. Your subscription controls how many deployments are allowed.
Testing a channel
- Web Chat: open the deployment preview link or install the widget on a test page.
- SMS: text the provisioned number from your phone.
- WhatsApp/Facebook/Instagram: send a test message from a personal account.
Channel-Specific Bot Behavior
Each channel has different capabilities and constraints. Velaro lets you configure per-channel AI behavior so your bot communicates appropriately on every surface.
What are channel overrides?
A channel override lets you customize the AI prompt your bot uses on a specific channel — without changing the bot's global behavior. You can add channel-specific instructions on top of the global prompt (additive), replace the prompt entirely for that channel (replace), or silence the AI on that channel (suppress).
To configure: Go to AI Chatbot in the sidebar → select your bot → open the Channel Overrides tab → choose a channel → write your override text and select a mode (Additive, Replace, or Suppress).
IVR / Voice
When a bot is connected to a voice call (IVR), the backend automatically enforces Short reply length (~25 words per response) regardless of your bot's reply length setting. This is because responses are read aloud by text-to-speech — long responses make callers wait and are hard to follow.
Best practices for IVR overrides:
- Use additive mode to add: "You are speaking on a voice call. Never include URLs, markdown, bullet points, or lists. Keep all answers to one or two short sentences."
- Avoid sending links — use the Link Delivery skill to text URLs to the caller instead.
- Use simple yes/no confirmation language rather than numbered options.
SMS
SMS messages have a 160-character per-segment limit and no support for rich formatting. Responses that exceed one segment are split into multiple texts, which can feel fragmented.
Best practices for SMS overrides:
- Keep responses under 300 characters when possible.
- Avoid markdown (bold, bullets, headers) — it renders as literal asterisks and hyphens.
- Avoid embedding long URLs; use a URL shortener or the Link Delivery skill.
- Add an instruction like: "You are replying by SMS. Keep responses brief and plain-text only."
Apple Messages for Business
Apple Messages supports rich interactive controls when configured in workflows: list pickers, time pickers, and payment requests. These are triggered by workflow nodes, not by the AI prompt.
Best practices:
- Use channel overrides to set a friendly, concise tone appropriate for mobile.
- Use workflow nodes (not AI free-form) to trigger pickers and forms — the AI cannot generate Apple Messages-specific UI controls.
Web Chat
Web Chat supports the full range of response formatting: markdown, bold, bullet lists, code blocks, embedded links, quick-reply buttons, and rich cards. Bots on web chat can take full advantage of these.
Best practices:
- No special override is required unless you want to change tone or restrict topics.
- Use additive mode to promote your brand voice: "You are chatting on our website. Use a friendly, professional tone."
WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger
Both channels support basic markdown (bold via asterisks, line breaks) but not full HTML or cards. Links render as clickable text. Attachments are supported.
Best practices:
- Keep replies conversational and avoid long walls of text.
- Add an override such as: "You are chatting via WhatsApp. Use short paragraphs and avoid complex formatting."
Testing per-channel behavior
To preview how your bot responds on a specific channel before going live:
1. Go to AI Chatbot → your bot → Test Your Bot.
2. Open the Simulate Channel dropdown.
3. Select the channel you want to test (e.g., TwilioIvr, WhatsApp, Web).
4. Send a message — the bot will apply the corresponding channel override and constraints.
This lets you verify IVR length limits, check SMS formatting, and confirm override text is applied correctly without needing a live channel connection.
Email
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