How to create a custom channel in Front

Front custom channels can be used to integrate practically any message source into Front, from SMS providers to live chat to to phone call logs. As long as the source you are trying to connect with has an API, you can connect it to Front. Custom channels support two-way sync, so you can both send and receive messages from/to a third party service.

Once a custom channel is connected, it operates just like any other channel in Front would. Conversations created through custom channels can be tagged, routed with rules, assigned to teammates etc.. Currently, custom channels support plain-text and emoji messages, as well as all sorts of attachments (images, video, pdfs etc.). Rich-text and inline images are not currently supported.

Before building a custom channel, it's worth checking to see if the provider you are looking to connect already has an integration with Front.

Building a custom channel requires some development work, although most integrations are fairly straightforward.

Detailed instructions on how to build custom channels can be found in our developer documentation.

This feature is available on the Growth plan or above.