> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.spara.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.spara.com/build/channels.md).
# Channels
The channels an Agent engages buyers through, and the anatomy shared by all of them.
A **channel** is one way an [Agents](/build/agents.md) engages buyers. Spara offers five:
* [Chat](/build/channels/chat.md): website chat that qualifies visitors, surfaces content, and books meetings in real time.
* [Email](/build/channels/email.md): automated reply handling and outreach cadences.
* [Phone](/build/channels/phone.md): incoming and outgoing AI phone calls.
* [SMS](/build/channels/sms.md): text-message conversations.
* [Product Demo](/build/channels/product-demo.md): a live, voice-narrated product walkthrough with synchronized visuals.
An Agent can have several channels (even several of the same type), each activated by its own trigger. Together they let one Agent meet a buyer wherever they are.
A channel's Overview tab summarizes what makes it up.
## How channels are built
However different the channels look to a buyer, every channel is configured and run the same way: the same editor, the same draft-and-publish lifecycle, the same testing and optimization tools. Those shared building blocks are covered under [Configuring Channels](/build/channels/configuring.md):
* [AI Instructions](/build/channels/configuring/ai-instructions.md): the prompt that defines how a channel behaves.
* [Abilities](/build/channels/configuring/abilities.md): tools it can use mid-conversation.
* [Testing](/build/channels/configuring/testing.md): validate a draft before going live.
* [Ask Spara](/platform/ask-spara.md): draft, analyze, and rewrite instructions from the editor.
* [Saving & Publishing](/build/channels/configuring/saving-and-publishing.md): drafts and the single live version.
* [A/B Testing](/build/channels/configuring/a-b-testing.md): split traffic across variants to optimize conversion.
## Starting criteria
Every channel has a **trigger** that determines when it activates: a Chat channel might appear only on certain pages, a Phone channel answers a specific phone number, an Email channel replies from a connected inbox. Triggers are also how Spara groups channels for [A/B Testing](/build/channels/configuring/a-b-testing.md): variants that share a trigger split its traffic.
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