Adding Facebook Messenger channels to the Zendesk Agent Workspace

Fastpath: Admin Center > Channels > Messaging and social > Messaging

Tip: You must have the Zendesk Agent Workspace with Social messaging enabled to use this feature. If you're using Social messaging with a Support standard agent interface, refer to Social messaging resources for Support.

This article describes how you can add Facebook Messenger channels to the Zendesk Agent Workspace from Admin Center.

Because Facebook Messenger is used for private messaging with your customers, its implementation in the Agent Workspace is a separate, different process than that used to add Facebook, which can be used for public messaging with your customers.

• Facebook Messenger, along with other private messaging channels such as WhatsApp and Twitter DM, is added directly through Admin Center, which is what we're covering in this article.
• Facebook, along with other public messaging channels such as Twitter, are added through your Zendesk Support admin UI. They require the Social Messaging app if they are to be used in the standard agent interface, or must have Social messaging enabled if they are to be used in the Agent Workspace. See Setting up your Facebook channel for more information.

Important: Zendesk messaging is not the same as social messaging. Zendesk messaging is Zendesk's own native messaging app, not a third-party messaging app like Facebook Messenger. See About Zendesk messaging for information.

This article includes these sections:

• Overview of steps to add Facebook Messenger to the Agent Workspace
• Adding a Facebook Messenger channel to the agent workspace
• Next steps
• Limitations

Related articles:

• Social messaging resources
• About messaging channels for the Zendesk Agent Workspace
• Receiving and sending messages in the Zendesk Agent Workspace
• Using the Message Us button to guide users to your WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger channel

Overview of steps to add Facebook Messenger to the Agent Workspace

If you have a new Zendesk Support Suite account with the Zendesk Agent Workspace enabled, you can add Facebook Messenger channels to the Zendesk Agent Workspace from Admin Center. You must be an administrator to add Facebook Messenger channels.

Note: If you already have an existing Facebook integration that was set up in Support (instead of Admin Center) and private messaging with Facebook Messenger is enabled, follow the steps in Migrating social messaging channels to the Zendesk Agent Workspace (Facebook Messenger, Twitter DM) instead.

You need to do the following, in this order:

1. Add your Facebook Messenger channels to the Zendesk Agent Workspace from Admin Center.
2. Set up auto-responders for your Facebook channels.
3. Set up triggers, automations, and views for your Facebook Messenger channels.
4. Make sure that your agents are set up to use the channels (Getting started for administrators in the Zendesk Agent Workspace).

After you complete these steps, you can then configure public messaging with Facebook, if needed. This is a separate, additional task that you must complete from your Support admin settings (instead of Admin Center). For information about setting up public messaging with Facebook, see Setting up your Facebook channel.

For information about the number of Facebook Messenger channels you are allowed to add, see Facebook limits with Support. For information about using Facebook Messenger channels, see Receiving and sending messages in the Zendesk Agent Workspace.

Adding a Facebook Messenger channel to the agent workspace

Before you add Facebook Messenger channels to the Zendesk Agent Workspace, make sure you have already disabled your current Facebook Messenger integration and closed your Facebook Messenger tickets.

To add a Facebook Messenger channel to the Zendesk Agent Workspace

1. In Admin Center, click the Channels icon () in the sidebar, then select Messaging and social > Messaging.
2. Click Add channel and select Facebook Messenger from the drop-down.
3. From the Add Facebook Messenger screen, click Continue with Facebook.

   

4. When prompted, log into your Facebook account as a user with Admin permissions for all accounts being added. Follow the on-screen instructions to authorize Zendesk Support to use your Facebook account.
5. Select all the Facebook pages you want to manage in Zendesk, and ensure that the page permissions are toggled to Yes.

   

6. On the Add Facebook Messenger screen, choose a Facebook page from the drop-down list and then click Next.

   

7. Click Add channel.

   

   When the channel connects successfully, a Channel added message appears.

8. Enter a channel name. If your account has multiple brands, use the Brand dropdown to select one to associate with the channel.

   

9. Click Save settings.

Next steps

After you add Facebook Messenger channels to the Zendesk Agent Workspace, you may need to complete these additional tasks:

• Adjust your Facebook Messenger business rules and views (see Setting triggers, automations, and views for social messaging).

  When using Facebook Messenger with the Zendesk Agent Workspace, you need condition statements that read Channel + Is + Facebook Messenger and Brand + is + [selected brand].

  

  Do not use Facebook Private Message in your condition statements. Only customers that are using Facebook Messenger with Support and that haven’t enabled the Zendesk Agent Workspace need to use this condition.

• Make sure your agents are set up to use the channel (see Getting started for administrators in the Zendesk Agent Workspace).

• Add your Facebook accounts to your Admin settings in Support, if you want to send and receive public messages from Facebook pages. Follow the steps in Setting up your Facebook channel.

• Make sure you understand what happens if you decide to disable the Zendesk Agent Workspace later on (see Disabling the agent workspace).

Limitations

This section describes some important limitations about using Facebook Messenger in the Zendesk Agent Workspace.

• Facebook Messenger channels that are added to the Zendesk Agent Workspace from Admin Center do not support public messaging. If you want to perform public messaging with a Facebook account, you must also add the account to Support from your Support admin settings. When you do, make sure that the Include private messages setting remains disabled.

• There's a 2000 character limit for messages sent through Facebook Messenger. Messages longer than that will not be delivered.

• If an end user sends you both public and private Facebook messages, duplicate user profiles are created for the same user. For example, there will be profiles from public messages to channels that were configured in your Support admin settings, and others from private messages channels that were configured in Admin Center. You will need to merge these profiles manually (see Merging a user’s duplicate account).

  Profiles associated with private messages do not include the user’s Facebook ID.

• For Facebook Messenger channels in the Zendesk Agent Workspace, do not use the Facebook Private Message condition in your business rules and views. Use the Facebook Messenger condition for these channels instead. For more information, see What's next?.

For additional limitations, see Messaging limitations and Chat limitations.