Adding and configuring the Instagram Direct channel

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<p id="docs-hc-snippet" style="display: none;">You can add your business Instagram account to Zendesk so incoming Instagram direct messages and story replies become tickets. Tickets are not created for comments or replies on posts, reels, or other Instagram content.</p>
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<p id="docs-ai-summary-content">Add your Instagram Direct channel to manage direct messages and story interactions as tickets. Configure settings to control message responses, including auto-responders and a "Message Us" button for easy customer access. Note that replies must be made within the platform to sync with Instagram, and adhere to Instagram's response windows to ensure message delivery.</p>
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<div class="p">
<div class="note fastpath">
<span class="fastpathtitle">Location: </span> <span class="ph">Admin Center &gt; Channels &gt; Messaging and social &gt;
Messaging</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="p">
<div class="note attention">
<span class="attentiontitle"></span> Customers without Zendesk Suite must have Support and Chat with the Social Messaging add-on to use this feature.</div>
</div>
<p class="p">You can add your business Instagram account to Zendesk so incoming Instagram direct
messages and story replies become tickets. Tickets are not created for comments or
replies on posts, reels, or other Instagram content.</p>
<p class="p">Your agents can see and respond to these tickets in Zendesk like any other ticket. Agents
must reply directly to the ticket in Support for replies to appear on both Zendesk and
Instagram. Agent replies made directly within Instagram are not added to the Support
ticket. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408843683226" target="_blank">Receiving and sending messages in the Zendesk Agent
Workspace</a>.</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">This article contains the following topics:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_hyf_5zl_x4b__ul_px3_hds_x4b">
<li class="li" dir="ltr"><a class="xref" href="#topic_yqd_dds_x4b">Adding the Instagram Direct
channel</a></li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr"><a class="xref" href="#topic_qsm_dds_x4b">Configuring the Instagram
Direct channel</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title2" class="topic nested1" id="topic_yqd_dds_x4b">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title2">Adding the Instagram Direct channel</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">The first step is to add Instagram Direct to your channels. Read on or
watch the video below to learn more about the setup process.</p>
<p class="p"></p>
<div class="non-responsive"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" class="iframe embed-responsive-item" controls="controls" height="225" src="https://fast.wistia.net/embed/iframe/vyisfdgo5b" width="400"></iframe></div>
<p class="p">Instagram setup flow (1:29)</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr"><strong class="ph b">To add an Instagram Direct channel</strong></p>
<ol class="ol" id="topic_yqd_dds_x4b__ol_gj5_jds_x4b">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">In the Instagram app, go to <strong class="ph b">Settings</strong> &gt; <strong class="ph b">Messages and story
replies</strong> &gt; <strong class="ph b">Message requests</strong>.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Under <strong class="ph b">Connected Tools</strong>, toggle on <strong class="ph b">Allow access to
messages</strong>.<div class="p">
<div class="note note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> This step must be performed in the Instagram mobile app. It cannot be
performed via Instagram Web.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Open your Zendesk admin account.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4581766374554#topic_hfg_dyz_1hb" target="_blank">Admin Center</a>, click <img class="image" id="topic_yqd_dds_x4b__d10e905" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/ac_channels_icon.png">
<strong class="ph b">Channels</strong> in the sidebar, then select <strong class="ph b">Messaging and social &gt;
Messaging</strong>.</span></li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Click <strong class="ph b">Add channel</strong> and select <strong class="ph b">Instagram Direct</strong> from
the drop-down.
</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Click <strong class="ph b">Continue with Instagram</strong> to open the Instagram set-up
flow. <div class="p">The set-up flow will ask you for the following information. Follow the
instructions in the flow to add this information.<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" class="simpletable" id="topic_yqd_dds_x4b__simpletable_xdc_cyw_rsb" summary="">
<col style="width:50%">
<col style="width:50%">
<thead>
<tr class="sthead">
<th class="stentry" id="d51e156" style="vertical-align:bottom;text-align:left;">Action</th>
<th class="stentry" id="d51e159" style="vertical-align:bottom;text-align:left;">Description</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="strow">
<td class="stentry" headers="d51e156" style="vertical-align:top;">Authenticate to your Facebook profile</td>
<td class="stentry" headers="d51e159" style="vertical-align:top;">This is the admin profile linked to your company's Facebook
Business Manager. You can <strong class="ph b">Continue</strong> with the existing
profile or sign in to another account.</td>
</tr>
<tr class="strow">
<td class="stentry" headers="d51e156" style="vertical-align:top;">Provide permission to share your Instagram Account with
Zendesk.</td>
<td class="stentry" headers="d51e159" style="vertical-align:top;">Zendesk needs this permission to connect your Instagram
Professional Business Account to the Agent Workspace.</td>
</tr>
<tr class="strow">
<td class="stentry" headers="d51e156" style="vertical-align:top;">Provide permission to share your Facebook Page(s) with
Zendesk.</td>
<td class="stentry" headers="d51e159" style="vertical-align:top;">Zendesk needs this permission to connect your Instagram
Professional Business Account to the Agent Workspace. We
recommend that you select all pages.</td>
</tr>
<tr class="strow">
<td class="stentry" headers="d51e156" style="vertical-align:top;">Accept the selected permissions</td>
<td class="stentry" headers="d51e159" style="vertical-align:top;">These permissions are needed to send and receive messages
from Agent Workspace. </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
</li>
<li class="li">When you've finished the set-up flow, click <strong class="ph b">Done</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Select the Instagram channel you wish to connect from the drop-down, then click
<strong class="ph b">Next</strong>. </li>
<li class="li">Assign a name to the new Instagram channel you are connecting, then click <strong class="ph b">Add
channel</strong>. Note that agents need to add comments to an Instagram message from
within the Zendesk Agent Workspace.<div class="note note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> Replies made directly in Instagram will
not add a comment to the related ticket.</div>
</li>
</ol>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">As with Facebook Messenger, Instagram Direct allows a business only seven
days to respond to the end user before the messaging window closes. To prevent
messages from being sent but not delivered, the composer will be blocked after the
messaging window is closed. The only way to re-open is if the end user sends a new
message.</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Additionally, Instagram requires that you respond to an end user’s initial
message within 24 hours, either by agent engagement, or with an automated message
using the <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408838007578" target="_blank">auto-responder</a> or <a class="xref" href="https://developer.zendesk.com/documentation/custom-data/conversations/building-a-chatbot-integration-with-zendesk/#chatbots-for-messaging" target="_blank">chatbot</a>.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title3" class="topic nested1" id="topic_qsm_dds_x4b">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title3">Configuring the Instagram Direct channel</h2>
<div class="body">
<div class="p">
<div class="div">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">After you’ve added Instagram to your social messaging channels, you
can configure how it appears and functions.</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr"><strong class="ph b">To configure the Instagram Direct channel</strong></p>
<ol class="ol" id="topic_qsm_dds_x4b__ol_n5j_g2s_x4b">
<li class="li" dir="ltr"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4581766374554#topic_hfg_dyz_1hb" target="_blank">Admin Center</a>, click <img class="image" id="topic_qsm_dds_x4b__d10e905" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/ac_channels_icon.png">
<strong class="ph b">Channels</strong> in the sidebar, then select <strong class="ph b">Messaging and social &gt;
Messaging</strong>.</span></li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Click the Instagram channel you want to configure to open its
<strong class="ph b">Edit</strong> page.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Update the information in the <a class="xref" href="#topic_c4b_fds_x4b">Basics</a>, <a class="xref" href="#topic_o4f_fds_x4b">Auto-responder</a>, and <a class="xref" href="#topic_dlk_fds_x4b">Message Us button</a>
tabs, as described in the sections below.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Click <strong class="ph b">Save</strong> after updating the information in each
tab.</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title4" class="topic nested2" id="topic_c4b_fds_x4b">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title4">The Basics tab</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">The Basics tab is populated with the channel and Instagram profile
names. </p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr"><strong class="ph b">To edit the Basics tab</strong></p>
<div class="p" dir="ltr">
<ol class="ol" id="topic_c4b_fds_x4b__ol_shc_23y_5xb">
<li class="li">Click in each text box to edit these names. </li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Save</strong> when you’re done. </li>
</ol>
</div>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">If multiple brands are attached to your Zendesk account, you’ll also
have a dropdown menu to select a brand to connect to the Instagram channel. You
can only attach one brand to the channel. If your account has only one brand,
this option does not appear under the Basics tab.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title5" class="topic nested2" id="topic_o4f_fds_x4b">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title5">The Auto-responder tab</h3>
<div class="body">
<div class="p">
<div class="div">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">The auto-responder sends messages automatically to an end user
when you receive their messages. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408838007578" target="_blank">Sending automatic responses to social
messages</a> for more detailed information on using and
configuring the auto-responder.</p>
If you choose to use the
auto-responder</div>
<div class="div">
<ol class="ol" id="topic_o4f_fds_x4b__ol_y2s_f3y_5xb">
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Enable auto-responder</strong>, then enter a message for your
customers. </li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Save</strong> when you’re done. </li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title6" class="topic nested2" id="topic_dlk_fds_x4b">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title6">The Message Us button tab</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Adding a Message Us button to your website, mobile app, or help center
allows customers to discover and connect to your Instagram account, where they
can request and receive support via Instagram Direct.</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">If you choose to add a Message Us button, you’ll need to configure the
following elements, then add the HTML code snippet to each page on the website
or mobile app where it should be displayed. </p>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title7" class="topic nested3" id="topic_ywv_fds_x4b">
<h4 class="title topictitle4" id="ariaid-title7">Configurable options</h4>
<div class="body">
<div class="p">
<div class="div">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">As you make the selections below, a preview of the button
is updated on the right side of the channel page. </p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_ywv_fds_x4b__ul_fj2_r2s_x4b">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Color</strong>: Choose a gradient style for the button,
<strong class="ph b">Dark gray</strong> or <strong class="ph b">White</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">
<p class="p" dir="ltr"><strong class="ph b">Size</strong>: Select <strong class="ph b">Compact</strong> or
<strong class="ph b">Regular</strong>.</p>
</li>
<li class="li">
<p class="p" dir="ltr"><strong class="ph b">Corner radius</strong>: This number determines how
rounded the button’s corners are. Enter a number from 0
(right angle) to 20 (near quarter-round).</p>
</li>
<li class="li">
<p class="p" dir="ltr"><strong class="ph b">Label</strong>: Enter the text you want displayed on
the button.</p>
</li>
<li class="li">
<p class="p" dir="ltr"><strong class="ph b">Width</strong>: Enter the length you want your button
(up to 400 pixels).</p>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title8" class="topic nested3" id="topic_d3v_gds_x4b">
<h4 class="title topictitle4" id="ariaid-title8">Adding the Message Us button</h4>
<div class="body">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">After you’ve configured the options above, you can add the code
snippet to your website, mobile app, or help center. </p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr"><strong class="ph b">To add the Message Us button to a website or mobile app</strong></p>
<ol class="ol" id="topic_d3v_gds_x4b__ol_rjk_y2s_x4b">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Copy the code snippet to your clipboard.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Paste the snippet into the HTML of every page that should
include the button before the closing tag. </li>
</ol>
<p class="p" dir="ltr"><strong class="ph b">To add the Message Us button to your help center</strong></p>
<ol class="ol" id="topic_d3v_gds_x4b__ol_sjk_y2s_x4b">
<li class="li" dir="ltr"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9041943683354#topic_b5q_nwn_s2c" target="_blank">Knowledge admin</a>, click <strong class="ph b">Customize design</strong>
(<img class="image" id="topic_d3v_gds_x4b__d11e60" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/guide_icon_customize.png">) in the sidebar.</span></li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">On the theme you want to edit, click <strong class="ph b">Customize</strong>, then
click <strong class="ph b">Edit Code</strong>.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">In the <strong class="ph b">Templates</strong> section, click the template you want
to modify, and add the snippet before the template’s closing tag. </li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Click <strong class="ph b">Save</strong>.</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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