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Channels connect the Bag of words analyst to the messaging tools your team already uses. Once a channel is integrated, users can ask data questions in plain language — from a Slack DM, a Teams channel, a Google Chat space, a WhatsApp message, or an email — and get answers with real data, without opening the BOW app.

Slack

Socket Mode by default — no public URL needed. Includes the Slack Agent experience.

Microsoft Teams

Azure Bot–based integration for 1:1 chats and channel @mentions.

Google Chat

Pub/Sub-based — outbound-only, enterprise-friendly, no public URL needed.

WhatsApp

Meta WhatsApp Business Cloud API integration.

Email

Give the analyst its own mailbox — send answers and (optionally) receive questions.

MCP

Connect Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client to your data via the BOW MCP server.

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How channels work

All chat channels share the same core model:
  • Account linking — every platform user maps to a BOW account, so all queries run with that user’s permissions. On platforms that vouch for the user’s email (Slack, Teams, Google Chat), accounts are auto-linked by email when it matches an existing BOW user (this can be disabled per integration). Otherwise, the bot sends a one-time verification link on first contact.
  • Thread = conversation — each thread maps to a single BOW report. Replies in a thread continue the same conversation and context; a new message starts a new one. Every conversation is saved as a report in BOW, with a link posted back into the chat.
  • Permission-aware data access — in public channels, only public agents (data sources) are queried, since answers are visible to everyone. In DMs, the user’s private agents are available too.
  • Status feedback — the bot signals progress while it works (for example 👀 → ✅ reactions on Slack, or a “Working on it…” message on Google Chat).
  • Per-agent channel availability — each agent (data source) can be enabled or disabled per channel from its settings, so you control which data is reachable from which surface.

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Connectivity at a glance

Channels differ in how events reach your BOW server — which matters if your deployment sits behind a firewall with no public URL.
All chat channels are configured by an admin under Settings → Integrations in BOW.