"How to Connect Instagram to On-Chat"

Introduction

Instagram is one of the world's largest social media platforms with over 2 billion active users. Businesses use Instagram to engage customers through Direct Messages (DMs) and post comments. Connecting Instagram to On-Chat allows your support team to manage all Instagram conversations in a centralized inbox.

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Prerequisites

• An Instagram Business or Creator account
• A Facebook Page linked to your Instagram account
• On-Chat account with admin access
• Facebook Developer App with Instagram Graph API enabled
• Instagram account must have messaging enabled in settings

Step 1: Enable Instagram Messaging

In your Instagram Business account settings, go to Privacy → Messages and ensure that Connected Tools messaging is enabled. Also enable Allow Access to Messages so third-party tools like On-Chat can read and reply to your DMs.

Step 2: Link Instagram to a Facebook Page

In Facebook Business Manager, navigate to Business Settings → Accounts → Instagram Accounts and connect your Instagram Business account to your Facebook Page. This link is required for the Instagram Graph API to function.

Step 3: Create a Facebook App

Go to developers.facebook.com and create a new app. Select Business as the app type. Add the Instagram Graph API and Webhooks products to your app. Note your App ID and App Secret — you'll need these in On-Chat.

Step 4: Configure Instagram Channel in On-Chat

In your On-Chat dashboard, go to Settings → Inboxes → New Inbox and select Instagram. Enter your Facebook App ID and App Secret. Click Connect with Facebook and authorize On-Chat to access your Instagram Business account and Facebook Page.

Step 5: Set Up Webhooks

In your Facebook App settings, navigate to Webhooks and subscribe to messages, messaging_postbacks, and messaging_optins events for Instagram. Enter your On-Chat webhook URL (provided during setup) as the callback URL and verify with the token shown.

Step 6: Assign Agents to Your Instagram Inbox

In On-Chat, go to Settings → Inboxes → select your Instagram inbox → Collaborators. Assign the agents responsible for handling Instagram DMs and comments. Configure automation rules to route messages based on keywords or time of day.

Step 7: Test the Integration

Send a Direct Message to your Instagram Business account from a test account. The message should appear in your On-Chat inbox within seconds. Reply from On-Chat and confirm the response is delivered back to Instagram. Test comment replies from your page as well.

Best Practices

• Respond to Instagram DMs within 1 hour to maintain your page's response rate badge
• Use On-Chat canned responses for frequently asked Instagram questions
• Set up auto-reply for after-hours Instagram messages to set expectations
• Tag Instagram conversations with labels like 'instagram-dm' for easy filtering and reporting