Your genie can only manage the channels you connect, so linking them is a key step - and it's mostly a one-time job we handle on your setup call.
How it works: each channel (email, Facebook page, Instagram, WhatsApp, Google Business) needs you to authorise it once by logging in and granting access. After that, messages from that channel flow into your unified inbox automatically and replies go back out from your business.
The web chat widget is a small snippet that drops onto your website so visitors can message you directly - those chats also land in the same inbox and can trigger your instant-reply automations.
Google Business is worth connecting during setup: it powers your review requests and lets you respond to reviews from the same place.
Tip: connect every channel you actually use, even quiet ones. A lead who DMs you on Instagram at 9pm should get the same instant response as one who calls - and that only happens if the channel is linked.