Channels

Channels bring organization and clarity to your work — when you have a channel for everything, you can concentrate on the conversations and tasks that truly matter to you and not get lost in group chats and endless email chains.

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

Channel types

Dialpad offers two types of channels:

1. Public Channel - Available for anyone to join
2. Private Channel - Users must be invited to the channel

Easily tell the difference between channel types from the channel icon on the left-hand sidebar. 

If the channel is private, you'll see a lock icon. If the channel is public,  you'll see our standard channel icon.

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

Create a channel

Creating channels is a piece of cake and can be done by anyone.

To create a channel:

1. Select All channels 
2. Select Create new channel
3. Name your channel
4. Write a channel description (optional)
   
5. Choose to make your channel private or public
6. Select Create channel
7. Search users by name to add them to the channel

That's it! Your new channel will appear in the channel section of your sidebar and is now searchable in the channel list. 

You can also create a new channel from the left-hand sidebar of the app by selecting 'Create new channel' from the channel options menu (that's the 3 vertical dots).

Add users to a channel

There are three ways to add users to a channel:

1. During channel creation
2. From the Add members button in the channel
3. By @mentioning a user who is not in the channel
   Once you've @mentinoned them, you can choose if you'd like to add them to the channel instantly, or sent a channel invite via Dialbot. 

Find a channel

Easily discover new channels by browsing your company's channel directory. 

To find a channel, head to the All Channels section of your Dialpad app.

1. If you know the name of the channel, enter it in the search bar
2. Hover over a channel name to preview, join, delete, or leave the channel
   

Company admins can see private channels but will be unable to join them.

Delete a channel

Want to delete an old channel? No problem! However, only Company Admins or channel creators can delete channels.

To delete a channel, head to the All Channels section of your Dialpad app.

1. Search for the channel you want to delete
2. Hover over the channel
3. Select Delete channel
   
4. Select Yes, delete channel to confirm
   1. Be careful, once a channel is deleted, it can't be recovered.
      

Tip

You can also delete a channel by from the Channel Profile, accessible via the information icon on the Skinny Bar.
From the Channel Profile, select Channel Settings (that's the 3 vertical dots), then Delete channel. 

Voice channels

Voice channels are always-on audio rooms that channel members can enter or leave at any time. When a Dialpad channel is created, it is automatically assigned a Voice Channel. 

To join a Voice Channel:

1. Open the channel you wish to engage with
2. Select Start voice chat
   That's it! Your Voice Channel indicator will appear on the left sidebar.
   In the Voice Channel pop-up, you can view participant lists, identify active speakers, and manage your own audio settings.
   To leave the voice chat, select the red phone icon.

Channel notifications

Channel notifications are configured individually for each channel.

To edit your channel notification preferences:

1. Select the channel name
   1. You can also access channel details from the information icon on the Skinny Bar
2. Select Settings (that's the 3 vertical dots)
3. Select Manage notifications
4. Choose the desired notification frequency:
   • All messages - you will receive notifications for all messages (including @mentions) in the channel
   • @mentions only - you will only receive a notification when you are @mentioned in the channel
   • Mute channel - you will not receive any badge or push notifications for this channel
     

      6. Select Save Changes 

Reply in thread

Keep related conversations together by replying directly to a message.

To reply in the thread

1. Hover over the desired message
2. Select the Reply in thread icon
   
3. Navigate to the right-sidebar to reply to the conversation
4. Press the Enter key to send your message

You can check your Threads folder to view and respond to any related threads you've replied to.

Frequently asked questions

Can Company Admins control all #channels?

Company Admins can view, edit and add members to public channels. They can view all private channels, but cannot read, post in, edit, or remove private channels.  

What happens if I tag someone in a channel that they are not a part of?

If you tag someone in a channel that they are not a member of, you'll be asked if you want to invite them or add them to the channel, or do nothing at all.

If you invite the user to the channel, they'll receive a channel invitation Dialbot message, whereas if you choose to add them to the channel, they'll instantly join. 

If you select Do nothing, the user will not be notified of your message, but it will remain in the channel. 

Do #channels work the same on the Dialpad mobile apps?

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.

Can I transfer channel ownership?

You can't currently transfer channel ownership to another person, but stay tuned, we're working on it.