Installing and setting up social messaging channels (Social Messaging add-on)

Fastpath: Channels > Channel integrations > Social Messaging

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The Social Messaging add-on is available for purchase with certain Zendesk Support plans (see About Zendesk product add-ons). The Zendesk Support Suite also includes the Social Messaging add-on at no additional cost.

With the Social Messaging add-on, if you are an administrator, you can add your company’s social messaging channels such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, LINE, and WeChat, to Zendesk Support. When customers send messages to these channels, the messages become tickets. When your agents reply to the tickets from Support, your customers receive the reply from the social messaging account. If you don’t have the Social Messaging add-on, you can still add certain social messaging channels to Support, but your options are more limited (see Available social messaging channels).

For information about how to use the Social Messaging add-on once it is installed and set up, see Using social messaging channels (Social Messaging add-on).

This article includes these sections:

• About the Social Messaging add-on
• About the installation and setup process
• Available social messaging channels
• Understanding how to add social messaging channels to Support
• Installing the Social Messaging add-on
• Adding social messaging accounts to Support

Related articles:

• Social messaging resources
• Using social messaging channels (Social Messaging add-on)
• Setting up your LINE or WeChat channels (Social Messaging add-on)

About the Social Messaging add-on

The Social Messaging add-on adds social messaging functions that are otherwise not available with Support. With it, you can add social messaging channels that are more widely used in certain regions such as WhatsApp, LINE, and WeChat. These may be more popular with your customers, or customers you want to attract and retain.

Even if you only use Facebook and Twitter for social messaging needs, you may want to consider getting the add-on. It gives you the ability to add multiple Facebook and multiple Twitter accounts to Support, instead of just one. The default in Support is that you are allowed to add one Facebook account and one Twitter account, and that these will be used for public messaging. That means you can use the accounts to send and receive Facebook wall posts, public mentions in tweets, public replies to your tweets, public likes to tweets.

With the add-on, you can send and receive private messages from Facebook Messenger and Twitter (meaning “direct messages”).

For more information about how the add-on work after it has been installed and set up, see Using social messaging channels (Social Messaging add-on).

About the installation and setup process

There are several main steps involved in setting up the Social Messaging add-on. Before you download the add-on from the Zendesk Marketplace, finish reading this article, and review Using social messaging channels (Social Messaging add-on).

These are the main things you will need to do:

1. Purchase the Social Messaging add-on.
2. (If needed) Purchase the WhatsApp Phone Number add-on.

   You only need the WhatsApp Phone Number add-on if you plan to use WhatsApp with Support. You must have the Social Messaging add-on in order to purchase the WhatsApp Phone Number add-on.

3. Install the Social Messaging add-on.

   Most Zendesk customers will download the Social Messaging add-on directly from the Zendesk Marketplace, but some will download it using an installation link from Zendesk. For complete details, and to determine what you process will be, see Installing the Social Messaging add-on.

4. Add your social messaging accounts to Support.

   The exact process for adding social messaging channels to Support depends on the type of social messaging account and whether the Zendesk Agent Workspace is enabled. For more information, see Adding social messaging accounts to Support and About social messaging channels for the Zendesk Agent Workspace.

5. Set up your social messaging channels in Support for private and public messaging.

   You will perform additional customization to your social messaging channels in Support, if needed. You will need to do this for each social messaging account, one-by-one.

Available social messaging channels

All Zendesk Support plans include a basic level of support for social messaging by default. However, accounts with the Social Messaging add-on include additional options for integrating social messaging channels. This table provides an overview of what social messaging support your account includes, depending on whether you have the Social Messaging add-on.

If you don't have the Social Messaging add-on, you can still add one Facebook and one Twitter account to Support. However, you can only send and receive public messages from these accounts. If you want to send and receive private messages such as Facebook Messenger messages or Twitter direct messages, or you want to add multiple Facebook and Twitter accounts, you must have the Social Messaging add-on.

	Support and Suite plans with the add-on	Support plans without the add-on
Social messaging channels	You can add these channels: Facebook (up to 15 accounts) Twitter (up to 5 accounts) WhatsApp (limited to the number of phone numbers purchased) Line (unlimited number of accounts) WeChat (unlimited number of accounts)	You can add these channels: Facebook (1 account) Twitter (1 account)
Public and private messaging	Both public and private messaging are supported. Public messages are: Facebook wall posts Twitter public mentions, public replies to your Tweets, public likes to Tweets Private messages are messages sent through Facebook Messenger and Twitter direct messages.	Public messaging is supported. Private messaging is not supported. Public messages are: Facebook wall posts Twitter public mentions, public replies to your Tweets, public likes to Tweets

Installing the Social Messaging add-on

Most Zendesk customers will download the Social Messaging add-on directly from the Zendesk Marketplace. However, customers that purchase the WhatsApp Phone Number add-on will receive an email from Zendesk that includes an installation link, and they will use that to download the Social Messaging add-on instead.

Note: The Social Messaging add-on does not include the WhatsApp Phone Number add-on. If you plan to use WhatsApp with Support, you need to purchase both the Social Messaging add-on and the WhatsApp Phone Number add-on (see About Zendesk product add-ons).

For more information about installing apps from the Marketplace, see Using the Zendesk Marketplace.

To install the Social Messaging add-on

1. Log into Support as an administrator.
2. If you are adding a WhatsApp account, click the link in the email you received from Zendesk, and then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

   You will need to purchase the WhatsApp Phone Number add-on first (see Setting up your WhatsApp channel (Social Messaging add-on)).

3. If you aren't adding a WhatsApp account, you will get the add-on directly from the Zendesk Marketplace instead. .

   Click the Admin icon () in the sidebar and go to App > Marketplace. The Marketplace opens. Search for Social Messaging and then click Install. You will be redirected to Support. Follow the on-screen instructions and then click Install to complete the installation.

   If you attempt to download the Social Messaging app, but haven’t purchased the add-on you will be prompted to purchase the add-on first.

4. To verify that the integration is installed, click the Admin icon () in the sidebar and click Manage.

   The My apps page displays. A list of the integrations installed on your Support account appears on the Currently installed tab.

   You are now ready to add your social messaging accounts to Support.

Note: If needed, you can uninstall the integration by right-clicking the icon and choosing Uninstall from the shortcut menu.

Understanding how to add social messaging channels to Support

The exact process for adding social messaging channels to Support depends on the type of social messaging account and whether the Zendesk Agent Workspace is enabled. For example:

• If Agent Workspace is disabled, you will add and edit social messaging accounts (WhatsApp, LINE, WeChat, Facebook, and Twitter) from your Admin settings in Support as described below in this article.

• If Agent Workspace is enabled, you will add and edit certain social messaging accounts (WhatsApp, LINE, and WeChat) from Admin Center instead. However, you will still add Facebook and Twitter accounts from your Admin settings in Support. For more information, see About social messaging channels for the Zendesk Agent Workspace.

All Support customers add Facebook and Twitter accounts to Support from the Admin settings section of Support, regardless of whether Agent Workspace is enabled or disabled. For more information, see Setting up your Facebook channel and Setting up your Twitter channel.

Adding social messaging accounts to Support

After you install the social messaging add-on, you will add your social messaging accounts to your Admin settings in Support. You will need to add your social messaging accounts one-by-one. For example, if you have multiple Twitter accounts, you have to add them one at a time. 

To add social messaging accounts to Support

1. From Support, click the Admin icon () in the sidebar and then click Channels > Channel Integrations.
2. On the Channel integrations page, click Social Messaging.
   Note: This only appears if the Social Messaging add-on is installed.
3. On the Accounts tab, click the Add account button to add a social messaging account.

   The Add account wizard displays. Follow the on-screen instructions to add your account.

4. From the Channel drop-down list, select a social messaging channel, and then click Continue.

   

5. Follow the on-screen instructions.

The process is different for each channel. For complete directions, refer to the setup articles mentioned below.

• WhatsApp, LINE, and WeChat

  If you choose the WhatApp, LINE, or WeChat option from the drop-down list, additional channel-specific screens will appear in the wizard. You will finish setup from inside the wizard. For more information, see Setting up your WhatsApp channel (Social Messaging add-on) and Setting up your LINE and WeChat channels (Social Messaging add-on).

• Facebook Messenger & Twitter

  If you choose the Facebook Messenger or Twitter option from the drop-down list, you will be redirected to a channel-specific admin settings page in Support. You will finish setup from there. For more information, see Setting up your Facebook channel and Setting up your Twitter channel.