Direct message
Plain messages, plain thread
A regular DM shows up as a normal conversation, with the customer's Instagram handle beside it.
Instagram messages, in your shared Inbox.
Direct messages, story replies and story mentions arrive in the same Inbox as WhatsApp, email and live chat. We set Instagram up with you, and availability depends on Meta's approval.
Illustrative demo with fictional data.
Message types
Direct messages, story replies and story mentions.
Each kind of Instagram message looks like what it is, so your team never has to guess what the customer was responding to.
Story reply
See the story that started it
When a customer replies to your story, the story appears in the thread with their message, so the question arrives with its context.
Story mention
Mentions arrive as the story itself
When someone mentions your account in their story, it lands in the Inbox so your team can respond.
Expired story
Stories don't last. The thread says so.
If a story is no longer available, the bubble tells your team instead of showing a broken image.
What you need
Four things on the Instagram side.
Most of this takes minutes in the Instagram and Meta apps. We guide you through it.
- A Professional account
- Your Instagram account needs to be a Professional account (Business or Creator). You can switch in the Instagram app.
- Access to messages turned on
- In Instagram's settings, turn on Allow access to messages so connected tools can receive your DMs.
- Possibly a linked Facebook Page
- Depending on how the account is connected, Meta may also need it linked to a Facebook Page in your Meta Business Portfolio. We'll tell you which applies.
- Our team to connect it
- We set Instagram up with you using the in-app Meta setup guide, in English and Arabic.
Availability
What depends on Meta.
Instagram messaging runs through Meta's platform, and Meta limits what an app can do for the public until it passes App Review. We'd rather say that plainly than let you find out after launch.
- What we can do
- Connect your Professional account and test it with your own team.
- What depends on Meta
- Replying to every customer at scale depends on Meta's approval for the permissions involved. Until that's in place, we can't promise replies reach everyone.
- What we'll do
- Tell you where your account stands before you plan around Instagram, and keep it separate from channels that don't need Meta's review.
Live chat and email don't involve Meta's review at all.
In the Inbox
Context your team can act on.
An Instagram thread works like any other conversation in BlendDesk.
- Assign in one step
- Hand the conversation to a person or a team from the context panel.
- Notes customers never see
- Private notes and @mentions keep internal discussion beside the thread.
- Tags and filters
- Tag conversations, then filter the Inbox by channel, Tag, assignee and more.
- Scout, when it fits
- Scout can be assigned to an Instagram inbox once it's connected. It answers only from knowledge you approve and hands over to your team otherwise.
Instagram questions
Which Instagram accounts can I connect?
Professional accounts: Business or Creator. You can switch a personal account to Professional in the Instagram app.
Will Instagram work for all my customers straight away?
That depends on Meta. Until Meta approves the permissions involved, we can't promise replies reach every customer. We'll tell you where your account stands before you plan around it.
Do story replies and mentions show up?
Yes. Story replies show the story beside the customer's message, and story mentions arrive as the story. If a story is no longer available, the thread says so.
Who owns the connection?
You do. The Instagram account, Facebook Page and Meta business assets stay in your name, and our team works with the access you grant.
Can Scout answer Instagram messages?
Scout can be assigned to an Instagram inbox once it's connected. It answers only from knowledge you approve and hands over to your team otherwise. It needs an AI provider configured for your installation.
Bring your customer conversations together.
Tell us a little about your team. We'll show you how BlendDesk could fit the way you already talk to customers.