# Omnichannel Messaging Overview

Omnichannel messaging connects the channels your customers already use, such as SMS (Short Message Service, the standard text messaging on mobile phones) and social media apps, directly to your Cloud Voice phone system. Customers reach out however they prefer, and your agents read and reply to all of it from a single place in the Cloud Voice App, instead of jumping between a separate app for each channel.

## Requirements

Check both of these before you plan a rollout. The feature is only offered when your system meets them.

- **Firmware**: Version 84.12.0.32 or later.
- **Plan**: Enterprise Plan (EP) or Ultimate Plan (UP).

:::caution
Omnichannel messaging is only available on the Enterprise or Ultimate plan and on firmware 84.12.0.32 or newer. On a lower plan or older firmware the feature will not be available to enable, so confirm the plan and update the firmware first rather than promising a customer a go-live date you cannot meet.
:::

## What you get

**One inbox for every channel**

Agents receive and answer customer messages from all connected channels right inside the Cloud Voice App, so there is no need to switch tools to keep track of conversations. Every message is kept on the server, giving you a single, durable record of each messaging session.

:::note
Messages live on the Cloud Voice server (the PBX, short for Private Branch Exchange, the phone system itself), not only on an agent's device. That means the conversation history stays intact and searchable even if an agent changes devices or leaves the team.
:::

**Reach customers from a business number**

Agents message customers using a business number rather than exposing their personal mobile number. When a chat needs a faster resolution, an agent can turn the conversation into a phone call to the customer and sort the issue out by voice.

:::tip
Coach agents to escalate a stalled text conversation into a voice call from the same window. The customer still only sees the business number, and a complex issue is usually quicker to resolve by talking than by typing back and forth.
:::

**Smooth handoffs between agents**

An agent can pass a customer's issue to a colleague by transferring the conversation. The receiving agent sees the full chat history and picks up right where things left off, with no back-and-forth to get up to speed.

**Automatic chat assignment**

Incoming messages from your channels can be routed to a group of agents who share the load across the team, shortening response times. The system hands each chat to the first agent who takes it from the queue.

:::note
Assignment is first-come. A chat leaves the shared queue the moment one agent opens it, so two agents do not end up replying to the same customer at once.
:::

## Set it up

For the detailed steps to connect each channel and configure routing, see the [Omnichannel Messaging Administrator Guide](/pbx/contact-center-guide/omnichannel-messaging-administrator-guide/).