Installing and setting up social messaging channels (standard agent interface)

Important: Zendesk is removing the legacy Social Messaging App on April 15, 2023.

If you are using the legacy Social Messaging App, you will need to migrate to Zendesk Agent Workspace and use the improved social messaging experience, as outlined in this announcement.

If you are a Zendesk Suite customer using the standard Support agent interface, and not Agent Workspace, you need to install social messaging before you can set up individual social messaging channels.

With social messaging, you can add your company’s social messaging channels to Zendesk. 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.

You must be an administrator to install social messaging.

This article includes these sections:

• Available social messaging channels
• Installing the Social Messaging add-on
• Adding your social messaging accounts to Support

Related articles:

• Social messaging resources

Available social messaging channels

With social messaging, you can add your company’s social messaging channels to Zendesk. The following channels are supported:

• Facebook up to 15 accounts, public and private messaging
• Twitter up to 5 accounts, public and private messaging
• WhatsApp limited to the number of phone numbers purchased
• Line unlimited number of accounts

Note: WeChat can no longer be added to Zendesk through the Social Messaging add-on. You must have the Zendesk Agent Workspace enabled. Customers who added WeChat using the Social Messaging add-on prior to October 18, 2021, can continue using that setup, but should consider migrating to the Zendesk Agent Workspace.

Installing the Social Messaging add-on

You can download social messaging directly from the Zendesk Marketplace to install it.

To install the Social Messaging add-on

1. In Admin Center, click Apps and integrations in the sidebar, then select Apps > Zendesk Support apps.
2. Click Marketplace at the top of the page and search for Social Messaging, then click Install.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions, then click Install to complete the installation.
4. In Admin Center, click Apps and integrations in the sidebar, then select Apps > Zendesk Support apps.

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

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

Adding your social messaging accounts to Support

After you install the social messaging add-on, you can add your social messaging accounts. 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. In Admin Center, click Apps and integrations in the sidebar, then select Apps > Channel apps.
2. On the Channel integrations page, click Social Messaging.

   This only appears if social messaging 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:

   • WhatsApp and LINE If you choose WhatApp or LINE, additional channel-specific screens will appear in the wizard. You will finish setup from inside the wizard. See Setting up your WhatsApp channel and Setting up your LINE channel.
   • Facebook Messenger & Twitter If you choose Facebook or Twitter, you will be redirected to a channel-specific settings page in Support. You will finish setup from there. See Setting up your Facebook channel and Setting up your Twitter channel.
     Note: After you complete the steps in this procedure, you manage Facebook and Twitter accounts in the Admin Center, from Channels > Messaging and social > Facebook Pages and Channels > Messaging and social > Twitter Accounts.