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

# Set up your first channel

> Create your first Ravenna channel and connect it to a Slack request channel to start receiving and managing tickets where your team already works.

export const ArcadeEmbed = ({code, title = 'Demo', aspect = 56.25}) => {
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Every ticket in Ravenna belongs to a channel. A channel has its own ticket prefix, settings, integrations, and routing rules, and it is what you connect a Slack channel to.

**Time:** about 10 minutes.

## Before you start

Create a public Slack channel for requests if you do not have one. This example uses the IT Operations team's request channel, the place employees go to ask for help.

<Tip>
  Most organizations prefix request channels so their purpose is obvious: `#ask-it`, `#support-it`, `#help-people`.
</Tip>

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Interactive walkthrough">
    <ArcadeEmbed code="EEiimDx3Sj7yCATkmXaG" title="Setting up your first request channel" aspect={62.55} />
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Step-by-step">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Set up your Slack channel">
        <Frame>
          ![A public Slack channel named ask-it, ready for requests](https://d1kzozfjh72w00.cloudfront.net/documentation/screenshots/guides/getting-started/queue-setup/1.png)
        </Frame>
      </Step>

      <Step title="Invite Ravenna to the Slack channel">
        Send `/invite @Ravenna` in the channel.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Connect it as a request channel">
        Ravenna replies with a message only you can see. Select the workspace you created in the previous step and click **Save**.

        <Frame>
          ![The Slack confirmation message prompting you to pick a Ravenna workspace](https://d1kzozfjh72w00.cloudfront.net/documentation/screenshots/guides/getting-started/queue-setup/2.png)
        </Frame>

        This links the Slack channel to your workspace as a Ravenna channel, and you get a confirmation in Slack.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Configure the channel settings">
        The new channel appears in Ravenna, named after your Slack channel. Open it and click **Settings** in the top right.

        <Frame>
          ![The channel settings panel with toggles for ticket creation and actions](https://d1kzozfjh72w00.cloudfront.net/documentation/screenshots/guides/getting-started/queue-setup/3.png)
        </Frame>

        For a typical IT Operations request channel, enable:

        * **Auto-create tickets**, so every new message becomes a ticket without anyone reacting to it
        * **Public ticket actions**, so responders can act on tickets from the Slack thread
        * **Public emoji actions**, so reactions like ✅ change ticket state
        * **CSAT**, so requesters get a satisfaction prompt when a ticket resolves
        * **System emojis**, so Ravenna signals status changes with reactions

        <Callout icon="link" color="#6B7280">Learn more about every [channel setting](/documentation/tickets/channels#channel-settings)</Callout>
      </Step>

      <Step title="Test it in Slack">
        Send a message in the channel. Ravenna creates a ticket and threads a **ticket mirror** underneath it.

        <Frame>
          ![A Ravenna ticket mirror threaded under a Slack message](https://d1kzozfjh72w00.cloudfront.net/documentation/screenshots/guides/getting-started/queue-setup/4.png)
        </Frame>

        In Ravenna, the ticket stays in sync with the Slack thread.

        <Frame>
          ![The same ticket open in Ravenna, showing the synced Slack conversation](https://d1kzozfjh72w00.cloudfront.net/documentation/screenshots/guides/getting-started/queue-setup/5.png)
        </Frame>

        Try each of these to see the two-way sync:

        * Reply to the ticket in Ravenna and watch the reply land in Slack under your own profile
        * Reply in Slack and watch it appear on the ticket
        * Assign the ticket to yourself in Ravenna and watch Ravenna add a 👀 reaction in Slack
        * React with ✅ in Slack and watch the ticket move to resolved
        * Check your DMs for the CSAT prompt from the Ravenna bot
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## How many channels do you need?

Start with one. Channels are intake surfaces, not work streams. A team with one request channel and a handful of saved views is easier to run than a team with eight channels, because every extra channel is another place a ticket can go unnoticed.

<Callout icon="link" color="#6B7280">Learn more about [choosing between channels, views, and categories](/guides/best-practices/channels-views-categories)</Callout>

## Other ways requests can arrive

A channel is not limited to one Slack channel. The same Ravenna channel can also accept:

* **Email**, using the channel's unique inbound address. See [email support](/guides/playbooks/email-support).
* **Direct messages** to the Ravenna bot, for requests people would rather not ask in public. See [public vs private support](/guides/best-practices/public-vs-private-channels).
* **The Portal**, for employees and guests who do not live in Slack. See [launch the Portal](/guides/playbooks/launch-the-portal).
* **Microsoft Teams**, for organizations on Teams instead of Slack.

## Next

Give your team one place to see and act on everything arriving in this channel.

<Card title="Set up a triage channel" icon="arrow-right" href="/guides/day-one/set-up-triage-channel">
  Mirror every new request into a private Slack channel your team can work from.
</Card>


## Related topics

- [Set up your first workspace](/guides/day-one/set-up-workspace.md)
- [Day one](/guides/day-one/overview.md)
- [Public vs private support](/guides/best-practices/public-vs-private-channels.md)
- [Set up your first workflow](/guides/day-one/set-up-first-workflow.md)
- [Set up a triage channel](/guides/day-one/set-up-triage-channel.md)


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