Connect Facebook and Instagram to your support
Whatever people send through Messenger to your Facebook page, or as a direct message to your Instagram, lands in the inbox as a ticket and is answered from the same screen as email or WhatsApp. The reply goes back the way the person wrote.
One channel, two doors
In Meta, a Facebook page and the Instagram account linked to it share the same connection. That is why in CALADESK they are a single channel, called “Facebook and Instagram”. Each ticket shows which of the two it came through, and you can filter the inbox by either one.
Before you start: what Meta asks for
- A Facebook page for your business.
- For Instagram, a professional account (business or creator) linked to that page. A personal account does not receive messages through the API.
- A Business-type app in the Meta developer dashboard, with the Messenger product added and the page connected.
The three pieces of data you need
All three come from the Meta dashboard. It helps to have them at hand before you start:
| What | Where it is | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| App Secret | App settings → Basic | Meta signs every notification with it. It is what proves that what comes in really comes from them. |
| Page ID | Your page → About → Page transparency | Identifies the page that replies are sent from. |
| Page token | Business settings → System users → Generate token | Authorizes replies. Treat it like a password. |
When you generate the token, select the pages_messaging and instagram_manage_messages permissions. Without the second one, Instagram will not work.
1. Create the channel in CALADESK
Go to Settings → Inbound channels. Under “Create a channel”, choose Facebook and Instagram and click Create channel. An address will appear: copy it, because that is what you paste into Meta in the next step.
2. Paste that address into Meta
In the Meta dashboard, go to Messenger → Settings → Webhooks. Paste the address you copied as the Callback URL, and for the Verify token use the token inside that same address. Meta will call it right away to check that it responds.
Then subscribe to the messages field on the Page object. If you will handle Instagram, subscribe to it on the Instagram object too: it is the step people forget most, and without it Instagram messages never arrive.
3. Come back and paste the three credentials
Back in CALADESK, on the channel card, paste the App Secret, the Page ID and the page token, then click Save credentials.
The token is stored encrypted and never shown again, just like a password.
4. Test it with your own account
Message your page from your Facebook profile, or your Instagram from your personal account. Within seconds the ticket shows up in the inbox; reply from there and check that the answer reaches you.
Serving the public: Meta’s review
While your Meta app is in development mode, only people with a role on the app (admins, developers or testers) can message it. That is more than enough for the test in step 4.
For any customer to be able to message you, Meta has to approve both permissions in its app review (App Review). You request it from the Meta dashboard, and it includes a short video showing how the messages are used. The decision is Meta’s and it is not instant.
It is the hardest step the first time. If you get stuck, write to us and we will go through it with you.
While a credential is still missing
Messages still come in and become tickets, but your agents’ replies are not sent: they stay saved on the ticket. That is on purpose: better to receive without being able to answer yet than to lose what people send while you finish setting up. The channels screen flags what is missing in yellow.
The 24-hour window
It is the same rule as WhatsApp, and it is Meta’s, not CALADESK’s: you can only message a person during the 24 hours after their last message.
After that window your reply is not lost: it stays saved on the ticket and goes out on its own as soon as the person writes again. Unlike WhatsApp, there are no templates here to let them know sooner.
Good to know
- Photos, videos and files reach the ticket as attachments. If someone sends several in one message, the first is saved and the ticket notes how many there were.
- We ask Meta for the person’s name when their first message arrives. If Meta does not provide it, you can add it yourself from the inbox.
- The signature is what counts, not the address. Every notification is signed with your App Secret and checked before it is accepted, so nobody can slip in fake messages even if they find out the channel address.
- Facebook and Instagram are two separate contacts. If the same person writes to you on both, they show up as two contacts until an agent merges them, just as with their phone number and their Telegram.
- What does not come through yet: reactions, replies to your Instagram stories, and buttons or quick replies.
Not using CALADESK yet?
Facebook and Instagram come with the Team plan, along with WhatsApp, Telegram and your website chat, at no extra cost. Everything ends up in the same inbox as email.
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