This guide explains the 3 building blocks of MuseRelay (channels, chatbots and AI agents) and how they fit together so you can serve your customers: with people, with AI, or both.
In one sentence: a channel or a chatbot is where your customers write to you. Messages land in your inbox. If you want the AI to reply on its own, you assign it an AI agent (the "brain"), and you can pause it whenever you want to reply yourself.
The 3 building blocks
1. Channels: WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Email and Telegram
A channel is a connection to an external messaging service. You receive messages from it and reply through it.
- WhatsApp: with the credentials of your Meta account (from the Basic plan).
- Instagram and Messenger: with the credentials of your Meta account.
- Email: your own mailbox via IMAP/SMTP (from the Basic plan).
- Telegram: your bot's token, which you create for free with @BotFather.
You create them from Management → Channels and the platform guides you step by step. Details for each one: Channels: what's available and how each one connects.
2. Chatbots: the chat bubble on your website
A chatbot is the chat bubble you add to your website. Visitors click it and write from their browser, without installing anything.
You create them from Management → Chatbots. Copy a short snippet into your website and you're done. You can change colours, position, logo and welcome message. Guide: Website chatbot: create, customise and install.
Key difference: a channel connects to an external service (Meta, your mailbox, Telegram). A chatbot lives on your own website.
3. AI agents: the "brain" that replies
An AI agent tells the AI how to behave: what tone to use, what it knows about your business, what it can and cannot do, and which tools it can use (for example, booking appointments in your calendar).
You create them from Management → AI Agents. Each agent has:
- A name and a description.
- Instructions (the prompt) that define its behaviour, with variables such as today's date or the customer's name.
- The AI model is chosen by the system; you only see the data centre (Europe).
- Optional tools, such as booking appointments in your calendar.
Each AI reply uses AI credits from your plan: AI credits: alerts and what happens if they run out.
How they connect
Channel (WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Email, Telegram) ──► Inbox Channels
Chatbot (bubble on your website) ──► Inbox Chatbots
│
│ (optional)
▼
Assigned AI agent ──► replies on its own
│
│ (pause it whenever you want)
▼
You or your team ──► reply manually
- Channels and chatbots are where messages come in.
- If the channel or chatbot has an AI agent assigned, the agent replies.
- If it has no agent, or you have paused it in that conversation, you or your team reply from the panel.
People, AI or both?
People only
You don't assign any AI agent. Messages reach the inbox and you reply manually. No AI credits are used.
AI only
You assign an AI agent and leave it on 24 hours a day. Useful for FAQs, simple bookings and capturing contacts.
Mixed (the most common)
The AI replies by default and anyone on your team can click Pause AI in a conversation to handle it. When done, click Resume AI.
Where conversations are handled
| In the menu | What you see |
|---|---|
| Inbox Channels | Conversations from WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Email and Telegram. |
| Inbox Chatbots | Conversations from your website chatbot. |
When a conversation needs a person, we alert you with the bell in the panel (and by email if you turn it on): Notifications.
Steps to get started
- Create an AI agent in Management → AI Agents → Create. Give it a name, write its instructions and try it in the test chat on the same page.
- Create a chatbot or a channel: for your website, Management → Chatbots → Create and copy the snippet; for WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Email or Telegram, Management → Channels and follow the wizard.
- Assign the AI agent to the chatbot or channel from its settings page.
- Test it by sending a message from your website or the channel.
- To step in, open the conversation, click Pause AI and reply yourself.
Good to know
- One AI agent can serve several channels and chatbots. If your business speaks the same way everywhere, you don't need one per channel.
- History is kept even if you pause the AI.
- You can have channels without AI: just don't assign them an agent.
- The variables in the instructions (date, customer name, etc.) are filled in automatically. See Prompt variables.
Frequently asked questions
Can I have a chatbot on my website without AI?
Yes. Create the chatbot and don't assign it an AI agent. Messages reach the Inbox Chatbots and you reply.
Does the AI keep replying if I pause it in a conversation?
No. While it is paused, messages in that conversation wait for a person to reply. When you resume it, it replies again.
Can I use different AI agents for different channels?
Yes. For example, a customer service agent on WhatsApp and a sales agent on your website chatbot.
What happens if I run out of AI credits?
The AI stops replying until you have credits again, but messages keep arriving and you can reply yourself. More in AI credits.