diff --git a/channels/backends/redis_py.py b/channels/backends/redis_py.py
index 6af662f..315c026 100644
--- a/channels/backends/redis_py.py
+++ b/channels/backends/redis_py.py
@@ -27,6 +27,10 @@ class RedisChannelBackend(BaseChannelBackend):
         return redis.Redis(host=self.host, port=self.port)
 
     def send(self, channel, message):
+        # if channel is no str (=> bytes) convert it
+        if not isinstance(channel, str):
+            channel = channel.decode('utf-8')
+
         # Write out message into expiring key (avoids big items in list)
         key = self.prefix + uuid.uuid4().get_hex()
         self.connection.set(
@@ -59,7 +63,7 @@ class RedisChannelBackend(BaseChannelBackend):
                 content = self.connection.get(result[1])
                 if content is None:
                     continue
-                return result[0][len(self.prefix):], json.loads(content)
+                return result[0][len(self.prefix):].decode("utf-8"), json.loads(content.decode("utf-8"))
             else:
                 return None, None
 
diff --git a/docs/backends.rst b/docs/backends.rst
index e79dda9..b80911a 100644
--- a/docs/backends.rst
+++ b/docs/backends.rst
@@ -21,6 +21,20 @@ Database
 Redis
 -----
 
+To use the Redis backend you have to install the redis package::
+
+    pip install -U redis
+
+Also you need to set the following in the ``CHANNEL_BACKENDS`` setting::
+
+    CHANNEL_BACKENDS = {
+        "default": {
+            "BACKEND": "channels.backends.redis_py.RedisChannelBackend",
+            "HOST": "redis-hostname",
+        },
+    }
+
+
 Writing Custom Backends
 -----------------------
 
diff --git a/docs/deploying.rst b/docs/deploying.rst
index 5a47e36..49433b7 100644
--- a/docs/deploying.rst
+++ b/docs/deploying.rst
@@ -36,11 +36,16 @@ here's an example for a remote Redis server::
 
     CHANNEL_BACKENDS = {
         "default": {
-            "BACKEND": "channels.backends.redis.RedisChannelBackend",
+            "BACKEND": "channels.backends.redis_py.RedisChannelBackend",
             "HOST": "redis-channel",
         },
     }
 
+To use the Redis backend you have to install the redis package::
+
+    pip install -U redis
+
+
 Make sure the same setting file is used across all your workers, interfaces
 and WSGI apps; without it, they won't be able to talk to each other and things
 will just fail to work.