"How to Connect Kannel SMS Gateway to On-Chat"

Introduction

Kannel is a free, open-source WAP and SMS gateway widely used by telecom operators and enterprises for high-throughput SMS messaging. It supports SMPP, HTTP, and other protocols for connecting to SMS centers (SMSCs). By integrating Kannel with On-Chat, your team can receive inbound customer SMS messages directly in On-Chat's shared inbox, enabling collaborative support with routing, automation, and conversation management.

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Prerequisites

• A running Kannel instance with bearerbox and smsbox services active
• Kannel admin credentials and HTTP API URL
• A shortcode or long number configured in Kannel for receiving inbound SMS
• On-Chat account with admin access
• Access to Kannel configuration to set MO (inbound) message URL

Step 1: Confirm Kannel Is Running

Verify that your Kannel bearerbox and smsbox services are running. Check the Kannel admin interface (usually accessible at http://yourserver:13000) to confirm active SMSC connections and that your sender number or shortcode is online and receiving messages.

Step 2: Note the Kannel HTTP API URL and Credentials

Identify your Kannel smsbox HTTP API URL (e.g., http://yourserver:13013/cgi-bin/sendsms). Note the sendsms-username and sendsms-password configured in your kannel.conf. These are used by On-Chat to send outbound SMS replies.

Step 3: Create an SMS Inbox in On-Chat

In On-Chat, go to Settings → Inboxes → New Inbox and select SMS. Choose Kannel as the provider. Enter the Kannel HTTP API URL, sendsms credentials, and your sender number or shortcode. Save to generate the On-Chat inbound webhook URL.

Step 4: Configure Inbound SMS Delivery in Kannel

In your Kannel configuration (kannel.conf), set the sendsms-url or smsbox-route for your shortcode to the On-Chat webhook URL. This ensures that when customers send SMS messages to your Kannel number, they are forwarded to On-Chat as new conversations.

Step 5: Add Agents and Set Up Routing

In On-Chat, navigate to Settings → Inboxes → select your Kannel inbox → Collaborators. Add the support agents responsible for SMS conversations. Enable auto-assignment so new inbound conversations are distributed among available agents.

Step 6: Test the Integration

Send a test SMS to your Kannel shortcode or long number. Verify the message appears in On-Chat as a new conversation. Reply from an agent and confirm the reply is delivered to the customer via Kannel. Check Kannel admin logs for delivery confirmation.

Best Practices

• Configure Kannel with multiple SMSC connections for redundancy and high availability
• Monitor Kannel admin dashboard for queue depths and delivery failures that could affect customer response times
• Use On-Chat canned responses for common SMS support queries to increase agent efficiency
• Set up On-Chat business hour automations so customers receive out-of-hours acknowledgment messages