> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.introw.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Communication Tools

> How the shared Slack or Teams channel with the vendor - and WhatsApp - bring the Introw agent to the partner, and where the canonical setup lives.

export const Rail = ({children}) => <div className="not-prose" data-overview="rail">
    {children}
  </div>;

## Where it lives

Communication Tools sits under **Settings**, at [Integrations](https://app.introw.io/settings/integrations?category=communication).

<Frame>
  <img src="https://assets.introw.io/docs/features/partner-connect/communication-tools/shots/thread.png" alt="A shared thread on a submission, where a comment reaches the partner in their own channel and their reply lands back on the record." />
</Frame>

## Before you start

| You need                           | Why                                | Fix it                                                                                                                                   |
| ---------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Slack or Teams, mapped per partner | The thread lives in that channel   | [Connect Slack](/features/integrations/chat/guides/connect-slack) or [Teams](/features/integrations/chat/guides/connect-microsoft-teams) |
| The partner support agent enabled  | The in-channel agent depends on it | [Launch the agent](/features/ai/partner-support/guides/launch-the-partner-support-agent)                                                 |
| The contact on your experience     | It scopes what the agent reaches   | [Publish an experience](/features/portal/experiences/guides/build-and-publish-a-portal-experience)                                       |

For a registration to complete in the thread, attach the form to the partner's experience and avoid field types that cannot be filled conversationally.

## How it works

Communication Tools is the partner-side experience of Introw's chat surface: the partner works from a shared channel with the vendor's team - Slack or Microsoft Teams - or from WhatsApp, and the same Introw agent that runs the program is in it. The partner connects nothing themselves: Slack and Teams channels are set up and managed by the vendor, who invites the partner in; WhatsApp is the only channel the partner owns. Everything is configured once on the vendor side and documented in its canonical home - this page ties it together for the partner and points to each guide.

* The vendor connects Slack or Teams and maps a shared channel per partner. See [Slack & Teams](/features/integrations/chat).
* The same agent answers and acts in the channel. See [Partner Support](/features/ai/partner-support).
* The partner registers deals and shares leads from the channel in one sentence, and the agent collects the vendor's required form fields in the thread before submitting. See [Register a deal from chat](../guides/register-a-deal-from-chat), [Ways to register a deal](/features/deal-registration/registration/guides/ways-to-register), and [Ways to refer a deal](/features/referrals/lead-sharing/guides/ways-to-refer).
* WhatsApp is the partner's own channel, for the rep who works from their phone. It is a one-click, paid add-on on the vendor side that provisions a number on Introw's managed messaging. See [Set up WhatsApp](/features/integrations/chat/guides/set-up-whatsapp).

### How the agent knows who it is talking to

This is the difference between the channels, and the cause of most "the agent does not know me" reports:

| Channel      | Partner resolved from                                          | Fails when                                          |
| ------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| Slack, Teams | The channel's per-partner mapping on the vendor side           | The shared channel is not mapped to a partner       |
| WhatsApp     | The sender's phone number, matched to their synced CRM contact | The contact has no phone number, or a different one |

In both cases the individual sender is resolved separately, from their chat profile email or that contact record, which is what scopes the conversation to what that person may see.

```mermaid theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
flowchart LR
  partner["Partner in chat"] --> channel["Shared channel or WhatsApp"]
  channel --> agent["Introw agent"]
  agent --> crm["Synced to vendor CRM"]
```

## Settings & configuration

The channels, the agent, and which notifications post are configured once on the vendor side; the partner just works in the channel. Nothing is set up by the partner on any channel.

Chat setup lives on the vendor's [Integrations](https://app.introw.io/settings/integrations?category=communication) screen. Until a channel is mapped to the partner, there is no shared channel for the agent to work in. WhatsApp is enabled from the same screen, where its block also shows the number to share with partners.

## How-to guides

The channel setup guides live with the [Chat integration](/features/integrations/chat/technical); the how-to below is specific to the partner surface.

<Rail>
  * [**Register a deal from chat**](/features/partner-connect/communication-tools/guides/register-a-deal-from-chat)

    How the Introw agent turns a Slack, Teams, or WhatsApp message into a validated deal registration using your own form, including missing-field prompts.
</Rail>

## Troubleshooting

<Warning>
  Shared Slack and Teams channels are set up on the vendor side, one per partner; the partner is invited into the channel rather than creating their own workspace. WhatsApp is the partner's own channel. The in-channel agent depends on the partner support agent being enabled, and it is scoped to the partner's access.
</Warning>

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="No shared channel exists">
    The vendor has not mapped a channel to the partner. See [Slack & Teams](/features/integrations/chat).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The agent does not respond in the channel">
    The partner support agent is not enabled, or the partner contact lacks experience access.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A message went to the wrong channel">
    Check the per-partner channel mapping on the vendor side.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The agent replies but does not know which partner it is for">
    The channel is not mapped to a partner, so there is no partner context to act in.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A registration never completes in the thread">
    A required field on that form is a file upload, batch upload, CRM object picker, or quote selector, none of which can be filled conversationally. The agent hands over a link to the form instead.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="WhatsApp does not recognize a sender">
    The phone number they messaged from is not on their synced CRM contact record.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>