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Version: 0.7.0

Channel

Definition​

A channel is a persistent way for an actor to interact with the company to receive a service or participate in a process.

Boundaries​

A channel answers “how does the actor interact?”. A website, mobile application, branch, telephone, and partner network may be channels. An API is a channel only in the business sense of partner interaction; its technical contract is an interface.

Minimum characteristics​

  • channel kind;
  • target audience;
  • digital, physical, or mixed mode;
  • availability or operating window when significant.

Relationships​

An actor uses a channel; a channel provides access to a service and may participate in a process. Supporting systems are traced through capabilities and processes, not through an undefined direct connection.

Example​

CH-WEB is the customer portal through which a customer creates a support case.

Common mistakes​

  • confusing a channel with a particular screen;
  • treating every frontend as a separate channel without a user-experience distinction;
  • replacing the channel with the system that implements it.