---
title: "Create your first channel"
description: "Build your first channel as a website widget: name it, list the domains allowed to embed it, pick the display options, then collect the embed snippet."
updated: "2026-08-28"
audience: [administrator]
source: "https://helpdesk-docs.svr1.feedapp.click/en/bat-dau/tao-kenh-dau-tien"
---

The website widget is the one channel you can finish in a single sitting
without waiting for anybody's approval. This page takes it from an empty screen
to a snippet you can paste into your own site.

## Goal [#goal]

The workspace owns a working channel, and you hold the embed snippet that puts
the chat panel on your website.

## Before you begin [#before-you-begin]

* Write access to channels. The administrator role carries it; any other account needs a permission group that grants it.
* The domain where the chat panel will be embedded, written without `https://`.
* Somewhere to paste a few lines of HTML into that site, or a colleague who will paste them for you.
* If the difference between a channel and an inbox is not clear yet, read [Shared inboxes and channels](/en/khai-niem/inbox-va-kenh) first.

## Steps [#steps]

1. In the left column press **Channels**, then press **Add Channel**. The
   **Choose a channel** screen opens with six channel tiles.

   ![The Choose a channel card with six tiles in two rows: Website Widget, WhatsApp, Facebook, Zalo OA, Telegram and API Hook](https://helpdesk-docs.svr1.feedapp.click/images/docs/bat-dau/tao-kenh-dau-tien/01-chon-loai-kenh.en.webp)

   *The six channel types offered at step one of the wizard.*
2. Press the **Website Widget** tile. The wizard moves to its second step, headed
   **Core Profile**.
3. Fill in **Channel Name**. It rides along every row in the queue, so name it
   after the place customers write from, for example `Website Demo`.
4. Type the domain into **Target Domain Whitelist** and press **Add**. The domain
   turns into a chip under the input.

   ![The Core Profile card with Website Demo in the Channel Name box, example.com added as a chip under Target Domain Whitelist, and the Enable Channel Greeting switch turned off](https://helpdesk-docs.svr1.feedapp.click/images/docs/bat-dau/tao-kenh-dau-tien/02-thong-tin-kenh.en.webp)

   *Step two once a domain has been added.*
5. Turn on **Enable Channel Greeting** if the panel should greet visitors by
   itself, write the greeting, then press **Next**.
6. On **Visual Styling & Advanced**, set **Widget Position** and **Brand Color**
   to match the site the widget will live on.
7. Decide the two remaining switches, **Pre-Chat Form** and **CSAT Surveys**. The
   two callouts below say what each one really does.
8. Press **Create Widget**. The **Success!** screen shows the embed snippet with a
   **Copy Code** button; paste that snippet before the closing `</body>` tag of
   your site.
9. Press **Go to Channels** to return to the channel list.

> **Warning:** **Pre-Chat Form** asks a visitor for a name, an email address and a phone
> number before the chat starts. It **collects, it does not authenticate**: a
> visitor can type any address at all and nothing verifies it. For an identity
> you can trust, sign the visitor in on your own site and mint the session
> through `POST /internal/widget-sessions` once your backend has authenticated
> them.

> **Note:** **CSAT Surveys** shows a satisfaction screen inside the chat panel, but the
> system stores **no score** today and there is no CSAT report. Turning the
> switch on still shows the survey to customers; do not lean on it to measure
> support quality.

## Verify [#verify]

The **Channels** list shows a row carrying the name you typed. Open it, and the
domain you entered is listed among the channel's domains.

After the snippet is in place, reload your website and look for the chat button
in the corner named by **Widget Position**. Press it and send a test line: that
line has to appear in the **Conversations** queue within seconds.

## Troubleshooting [#troubleshooting]

| Symptom                                            | Cause                                                               | What to do                                                         |
| -------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| The **Next** button stays dim                      | **Channel Name** is still empty                                     | Fill the name in and press it again                                |
| The snippet is in place but no chat button appears | The page's domain is missing from the whitelist                     | Open the channel, add the domain actually serving the page, reload |
| The panel opens and stays blank                    | The embedding page runs on a different domain from the one declared | Declare that domain too, including its `www` form                  |
| The test line never reaches the queue              | The queue is filtered to another channel                            | Switch to the **All** tab at the top of the queue                  |

## Next steps [#next-steps]

* [Handle your first conversation](/en/bat-dau/xu-ly-hoi-thoai-dau-tien)
* [Invite a colleague into the workspace](/en/bat-dau/moi-dong-nghiep)
* [Shared inboxes and channels](/en/khai-niem/inbox-va-kenh)