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

# How it all connects

> Channel, inbox, queue and agent: the ApyConnect model on one page.

Four pieces explain how a message travels from your customer to the right person on your team:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Channel" icon="comment">
    It's the path people write to you through: a WhatsApp number, an Instagram account, a Facebook page, a Telegram bot, an email address or a web chat. You connect each channel once.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Inbox" icon="inbox">
    It's where the conversations from one or more channels land. Each channel is **assigned to an inbox**. You can have several inboxes to separate teams or brands (for example, “Sales” and “Support”).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Queue" icon="list-ol">
    It's an inbox's waiting line. When a conversation comes in, the queue offers it to the **available agent** based on their load and rules.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Agent" icon="user">
    It's you or a teammate. When you're **On Queue**, you receive conversations, accept them and handle them.
  </Step>
</Steps>

In one sentence: **the channel delivers into an inbox, the inbox uses a queue to distribute, and the queue offers the conversation to you.**

<Note>
  A freshly connected channel **has no inbox** yet: its messages are held until you assign one. This is on purpose, so you decide where each channel enters. See [Channels](/en/canales/canales).
</Note>

## How the rest fits in

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Contacts (CRM)" icon="users" href="/en/crm/contactos">
    Every person who writes to you has a profile. If the same customer talks to you on WhatsApp and on Instagram, **it's a single contact** with their two channels unified.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Campaigns" icon="megaphone" href="/en/guias/campanas">
    To write to many contacts first yourself (via WhatsApp), using approved templates and lists.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Artificial intelligence" icon="sparkles" href="/en/ia/mia">
    Mia assists you while you handle conversations; and you can set an **AI agent** to respond on its own in an inbox.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Analytics" icon="chart-line" href="/en/analisis/reportes">
    Everything that happens in inboxes and queues is measured: volume, times, satisfaction and performance.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Quick glossary

| Term                     | What it is                                                          |
| ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Workspace**            | Your account: channels, contacts, team and data, all inside.        |
| **Channel**              | The path people write to you through (WhatsApp, Instagram, email…). |
| **Inbox**                | Where the conversations from one or more channels land.             |
| **Queue**                | The line that distributes an inbox's conversations among agents.    |
| **On Queue / Off Queue** | Your status: whether you're receiving conversations or not.         |
| **Conversation**         | The thread of messages with a contact over a channel.               |
| **Contact**              | The person you talk to, with all their channels unified.            |