> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.orbit.devotel.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Route a first-time channel connect to the right onboarding surface

> Decide between the general channel picker and the four surface-specific onboarding runbooks — web widget, inbound email parse, WhatsApp Business, and push — so your first connect lands in the right guide.

# Route a first-time channel connect to the right onboarding surface

The [first-channel guide](/guides/connect-first-channel) is the general picker: it covers the shared shape every channel follows (Messages hub → Connect → send → verify) and holds SMS and WhatsApp as the worked examples. Four first-channel picks, though, have dedicated single-surface runbooks, and starting from the picker when one of these is your target adds a detour. This page routes you.

## 1. The decision: picker or surface runbook

For each of the four most common first picks, one question decides which door to open:

| Your first connect        | The question to ask                                                                                   | Use                                                                                                                                             |
| ------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Native web widget**     | Is your "channel" actually the chat widget on your site, not a carrier channel?                       | Go straight to the [native chat widget guide](/guides/native-chat-widget-channel-config) — the picker's carrier-oriented flow does not apply    |
| **Inbound email parse**   | Is your first task receiving *inbound* email (parse + route), not sending outbound?                   | Go straight to the [inbound email guide](/guides/inbound-email-parse) — the picker is built around the outbound send path                       |
| **WhatsApp Business API** | Is this a production WhatsApp connect that needs Meta business verification and a multi-day timeline? | Use the [WABA setup runbook](/guides/whatsapp/waba-setup); use the picker only for a sandbox WhatsApp smoke test                                |
| **Push**                  | Are you connecting push tokens (APNs/FCM) via an SDK, with no dashboard "Connect" card?               | Go straight to the [push integration guide](/guides/push-integration) — push has no Messages-hub card, so the picker's first step is a dead end |

If your pick is not one of these four, stay on the picker — SMS, RCS, Telegram, and outbound email all flow through it cleanly.

## 2. Per-surface runbook pointer

Each runbook differs from the picker on one specific scope line:

* [Native chat widget channel config](/guides/native-chat-widget-channel-config) — the **Settings → Channels → Native Chat** surface: brand color, position, agent identity, business hours, GDPR consent, and origin locking, then the install snippet for your site.
* [Inbound email and SMS routing](/guides/inbound-email-parse) — the inbound direction: domain-based email parse, match rules for incoming SMS, keyword auto-replies, and bounce/unsubscribe handling.
* [WhatsApp Business Account setup](/guides/whatsapp/waba-setup) — the full production path: Meta Business Manager, WABA verification, and the \~3–7 business-day document checklist, ending at your first approved template.
* [Push notifications end to end](/guides/push-integration) — the library/SDK connect: token registration, targeting modes, per-device results, scheduling, and `push.delivered` / `push.opened` engagement acks.

## 3. Anchor map

The four runbook pages above are complete onboarding paths; **the [first-channel picker](/guides/connect-first-channel) remains the authoritative guide for overall channel strategy** — which channel to pick, how the connect → send → verify shape holds across channels, and how to hand off between channels. This page is only the router from that strategy decision to the correct surface runbook; it grants no other page authority over the pick.

For sandbox-first validation of any pick, the [sandbox and test mode guide](/guides/sandbox-test-mode) covers the simulated surface both doors feed into.

## Next steps

* [Connect your first channel](/guides/connect-first-channel) — the general picker this page routes from
* [WhatsApp getting started](/guides/whatsapp/getting-started) — broader WhatsApp surface beyond WABA setup
* [Go-live checklist](/guides/go-live-checklist) — production gates after whichever surface you onboarded