Channels

Channels is a messaging function in the Dialpad left sidebar that allows you to create topic-based conversations with internal team members.

While Dialpad group messaging is limited to the number of participants, there is no limit to the number of members in a channel. 

Creating a Channel

All users are able to create channels, which can be done via the “+” sign next to the channels system in the left bar.

Channels can be given a name, a description, and can be made either public or private. Public channels may be found and joined by anyone in the company. Only users who are expressly added to them can access Private channels. 

Public channels may be made private at any time, but private channels may never be made public.

Adding users to a channel

There are three ways to add users to a channel:

1. Via the “add users” dialogue when creating a channel
2. Via the “add members” option in the top right of the participants list of a channel
3. By @mentioning a user who is not yet part of the channel

Finding Channels 

Users are able to browse channels within their company by clicking “All Channels” in the left bar. 

Channels with the “#” symbol are public and may be joined by anyone. Channels with the “lock” icon are private, and will only display to members of the channel. Channels the user is a member of will also have the “joined” label.

Note that company admins will be able to see rows for private channels but will be unable to join them. They may delete channels only from the browser row.

Voice Channels

Joining a voice channel

1. Select the channel you wish to engage with
2. Click the button in the upper right-hand corner that says “Start Voice Chat”
3. A new section will appear in the upper right corner of Dialpad where you can see who is in the voice channel, mute yourself, or leave the voice channel. 
4. To leave the voice channel, click either of the buttons in the upper right or upper left-hand corners that say “Leave Voice Chat.”

Notifications

Looking to configure your notification preferences for a specific channel? Look no further! You can do so by doing the following:

1. Click on the channel name along the lefthand side of the Dialpad app.
2. Click the information icon ⓘ in the upper right hand corner.
3. Click the gear icon after that.
4. From there, you'll see the following push notification options:
   • "Mute Channel/Thread" - this makes it so the user does not receive notifications or badges for any message in the channel/thread
   • "@mentions only" - this makes it so the user receives a notification and badge only when they are @mentioned in the channel or thread. 
   • "All messages" - this makes it so the user receives notifications and badges for all messages (including @mentions). 
5. Simply select the option you'd like and hit save changes, and the notification settings will adjust for that channel! 

When new channel members are added or removed from a channel in close succession, they are combined into a single feed update to reduce your channel noise. 

  

Tip:

The default experience is for users to only receive push notifications for @ mentions. If you'd like to receive notifications for every new message, or none at all, you'll need to adjust your notification settings for each channel using the steps above. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a public #channel and a private #channel?

When creating a #channel, you can select whether you want it to be public or private. Public channels may be found and joined by anyone in the company. Only users who are expressly added to them can access private channels. A public channel can also be converted to a private channel at any time by the channel owner, but a private channel can never be made public. 

Can company admins control all #channels?

Company admins can view, edit and add members to public channels. They can also view the existence of all private channels, but cannot read, post in, edit, or remove private channels.  

Does #channels on the Dialpad mobile app offer full-feature functionality?

No, you can send and receive #channels messages on mobile, but can’t browse, join or create #channels via mobile.

Can I use #channels to talk to people outside the company?

No, #channels are internal-only.