This article introduces the channel settings — the hub of Engage where you connect, monitor and manage every communication channel your clinic uses. Understanding this screen makes every other Engage setup guide easier to follow, because this is where each setup wizard and settings panel is launched from.
Opening the Channel Settings
Click the Settings cog at the bottom of the icon rail on the far left of Engage. The settings open over the inbox, with a channel list on the left and the All channels overview showing every channel as a card.
Reading a Channel Card
Each card shows the channel's live status:
- Connected (green) — the channel is up and running.
- Not connected — the channel has not been set up yet. Open it to start the setup flow.
- Soon — the channel's management screen is coming to the new settings shortly.
The cards cover: Email (patient email in the unified inbox, with two-way replies), SMS (two-way texting from your clinic's number or sender name), Calls (patient calls with recording, voicemail and IVR), Fax (secure faxes from a clinic number), WhatsApp (WhatsApp Business messaging and templated reminders), Instagram and Facebook, Gmail and Office 365 (sync a staff mailbox into the inbox), AI Chat Assistant, and Conversation routing (auto-assign conversations with a drag-and-drop workflow).
TIP: The Email card is connected out of the box — Engage email works two-way from day one. Connecting Gmail or Office 365, or forwarding an existing inbox, are optional extras with their own cards. We suggest reading our Email in Engage: Sending, Forwarding and Mailboxes Explained article.
What Each Panel Contains
Click a channel in the left-hand list (or its card) to open its settings panel. Each panel starts with a short explainer and quick links to its setup flows — for example the SMS panel offers Buy a number and Use a sender name, the Calls panel offers Buy a number, Port an existing number and Set up call routing, and the WhatsApp panel offers Connect WhatsApp and its message templates. Each setup flow has its own step-by-step guide — see the related articles below.
If a Channel Is Missing from Your Inbox Sidebar
The inbox sidebar only shows channels that are set up — a missing entry is not a bug. As soon as you connect a channel or buy a number here, it appears in the sidebar with its own conversation counts.
Related Articles
We suggest reading our How to Set Up Two-Way SMS in Engage, How to Set Up the Calls Channel in Engage (Buy a Number), How to Set Up Fax in Engage (Buy a Fax Number), How to Connect WhatsApp Business to Engage and How to Connect Gmail or Microsoft 365 (Outlook) to Engage articles to start connecting your channels.
For more guides, refer to related articles below, select additional guides, or use the search bar at the top of the page. These guides will help you get the most out of your Pabau account.
Additionally, to help you fully utilize and understand your Pabau account, we recommend exploring additional guides and resources offered at the Pabau Academy.