---
title: "Add and Configure Chat Entry Points"
slug: "add-and-configure-chat-entry-points"
description: "You must configure Sidekick first in order to set up the Channel Entry Point for chat. Learn more in Gladly Help Docs."
updated: 2025-10-02T22:14:01Z
published: 2025-10-02T22:14:01Z
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.gladly.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Add and Configure Chat Entry Points

| **REQUIRED USER ROLE** Administrator | **PERMISSION OVERVIEW** [View permissions by role](https://help.gladly.com/docs/managing-users-and-roles#roles-and-responsibilities) |
| --- | --- |

## Before you start

- You must [configure](https://help.gladly.com/docs/create-and-configure-glad-app/) Chat first to set up the Channel Entry Point for Chat. Once configured, the name you used when creating a Chat is the Entry Point name that appears on the [Entry Points settings](https://help.gladly.com/docs/set-up-channels-and-entry-points/) page.
- See [Set Up Channels and Entry Points](https://help.gladly.com/docs/set-up-channels-and-entry-points/) for a general overview of setting up Channel Entry Points.

> [!CAUTION]
> **Watch Out: We recommend not adding an Entry Point(s) until you're ready to receive incoming requests**
> 
> Upon adding a new [Entry Point](https://help.gladly.com/docs/what-are-channels-and-entry-points#what-entry-points-are), incoming requests from that Entry Point automatically route to the corresponding Channel's primary Inbox. For example, upon adding Instagram Messaging as an Entry Point, direct messages from your Instagram account will automatically create a Conversation in Instagram Channel's default inbox.
> 
> - **Voice/SMS –** Phone numbers can be purchased and held onto until you can complete the setup by connecting them as Entry Points.
> - **Chat (Chat) –** Upon configuring Chat, it's available to receive incoming chat requests as soon as it's embedded on your website. Chats are routed to the Chat Channel's default Inbox.
> - **Social Channels –** Upon adding a social Channel Entry Point (e.g., , Instagram, or WhatsApp), messages automatically route to the social Channel's default Inbox.
> - **Email –**Once an email address is added, it's ready to receive inbound emails in the email Channels' default Inbox as long as email forwarding is activated.
> 
> Use [Exceptions](https://help.gladly.com/docs/entry-points-settings-overview#entry-point-exceptions) to link an Entry Point to a different Inbox if you don't want to use the Channel's default Inbox.

## Configure and edit Chat Entry Points

1. Click ![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/7047b671-c4f2-4df0-bb0a-b9b511fd2452/Images/Documentation/hamburger-menu-icon(2).svg) on the top left corner of the screen.
2. Click **Settings**.
3. Under the **Orchestration** category, click **Entry Points**.
4. Hover over **Chat** and click![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/7047b671-c4f2-4df0-bb0a-b9b511fd2452/Images/Documentation/kebab-icon-vertical.svg)to open the Chat Channel's Entry Point settings.
  - **Note –** Newly added Chats automatically use the Chat Channel's [default Inbox](https://help.gladly.com/docs/entry-points-settings-overview#channel-default-inbox) unless [exceptions](https://help.gladly.com/docs/entry-points-settings-overview#entry-point-exceptions) are added.
5. Confirm if you want the Entry Point to use the Chat Channel's default Inbox and SLA. If so, you can stop here. If not, you'll need to add an [exception](https://help.gladly.com/docs/entry-points-settings-overview#entry-point-exceptions).
6. Click **+ Add exception**if the Chat Entry Point in question won't use the Chat Channel's default Inbox or Entry Point SLA.
  - **Tip**– Exceptions allow you to specify which Inbox calls from a particular Chat Entry Point route to. For example, suppose you have a Chat only seen by Platinum Members on their web account. Use [exceptions](https://help.gladly.com/docs/entry-points-settings-overview#entry-point-exceptions) to configure incoming chats from Platinum Members to route to the VIP Inbox instead of going to the Chat Channel's default Inbox.
7. Select the following details:
  - **Entry Point –**Select the Entry Point you want to exclude from using the Chat Channel's default Inbox.
  - **Inbox –** Select the Inbox you want incoming chat requests from the Entry Point to queue in instead of using the Chat Channel's default Inbox.
  - **Entry Point SLA (minutes) –** Leave this field blank if you want to use the selected Inbox's SLA. Otherwise, entering an SLA here [trumps the Inbox SLA](https://help.gladly.com/docs/difference-between-channel-entry-point-slas-and-inbox-slas).
    - You can use fractional minutes. For example, 0.66 is 40 seconds.
    - You can't enter "0" or use the "-" (minus) symbols.
8. Click **Save**.