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Extend Your AI to Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp Messages

Updated

Introduction

Your Rep AI assistant can now respond directly to customer messages on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp—providing the same intelligent, personalized support you offer on your website chat. Handle full conversations, answer questions, and even perform actions like canceling orders right within the messaging platform where your customers already are.

AI Answering runs on your Omnichannel AI ticket package. One AI-resolved conversation uses one ticket, the same as email.

What AI Answering Can Do

Answer Customer Questions

  • Product information and recommendations

  • Shipping and delivery inquiries

  • Return and exchange policies

  • Order status updates

  • Store hours and contact information

  • Any question covered by your knowledge base

Show Products as Cards

  • Send matching products as swipeable cards with image, name, and price

  • Give shoppers a button that opens the product on your store

  • Offer narrowing questions as tappable options

  • Available on Instagram and Facebook Messenger

Learn more in Show Shoppers Real Product Cards in Instagram & Facebook Messenger.

Perform Actions (Based on Your Configuration)

  • Cancel orders

  • Change address

  • Update customer information

  • And other support skills you've enabled

Follow Your Instructions

  • Use your brand voice and tone

  • Apply custom AI instructions specific to each platform

  • Follow the same training and guidelines as your other channels

Your AI uses the same powerful engine that handles your website chat and email support—including all your configured skills like order cancellation, shipping inquiries, return policies, and more.

AI Answering vs. Classic Mode

AI Answering is the recommended experience for most merchants. However, if you prefer to keep conversations on your website, you can use Classic Mode instead—which sends customers a friendly message with a link to continue chatting on your site.

 
 
 

AI Answering (Recommended)

 

Classic Mode (Optional)

 

Answers questions directly in the chat

Redirects customers to your website

Customer stays in their preferred app

Customer continues on your site

Full AI capabilities available

Website chat experience

Can cancel orders, check status, and more

All actions happen on website

Shows product cards on Instagram and Facebook

Full product carousels on website
 
 
 

You can switch between modes anytime using the toggle in each platform's settings.

Current Limitations

Product Cards on WhatsApp

On Instagram and Facebook, your AI sends product recommendations as native product cards with an image, name, price, and a button that opens the item on your store. On WhatsApp, product recommendations arrive as text with links.

Human Agent Detection

When a human agent from your team responds to a conversation, AI Answering automatically pauses to avoid confusion. This intelligent handoff is currently available on Instagram and Facebook. WhatsApp support for human agent detection is coming soon—until then, be mindful of potential overlap on WhatsApp conversations.

Getting Started

For New Accounts

If you're connecting Instagram, Facebook, or WhatsApp to Rep AI for the first time, AI Answering will be enabled automatically. You don't need to do anything extra—just connect your account and your AI will start responding to messages right away.

For Existing Accounts

If you already have Meta integrations connected, you'll need to manually enable AI Answering for each platform from its integration settings — the steps are below.

How to Connect and Enable AI Answering

Connecting Instagram

  1. Navigate to Integrations

    1. Go to Settings → Integrations in your Rep AI Console

    2. Select the Social tab

    3. Find and click the Instagram card

  2. Authorize with Meta

    1. Click "Connect" to start the authorization process

    2. You'll be redirected to Meta's login page

    3. Log in with your Meta account that manages your Instagram business profile

    4. Grant Rep AI the requested permissions for messaging

  3. Select Your Accounts

    1. After authorization, you'll see a list of your Instagram business accounts

    2. Toggle ON the accounts you want Rep AI to manage

    3. Each account shows its name and ID for reference

  4. Enable AI Answering

    1. Scroll to the "What's next?" section

    2. Find the toggle: "Enable AI answering directly on Instagram"

    3. Turn it ON to activate full AI responses

    4. Leave it OFF if you prefer Classic Mode (redirect to website)

  5. Add Custom Instructions (Optional)

    1. Toggle "Use specific AI instructions for Instagram messages" if you want platform-specific guidance

    2. Enter your instructions in the text field (e.g., "Use a friendly but professional tone, keep responses conversational...")

    3. Use the "Polish prompt" button to improve your instructions

  6. Test It Out

    1. Send a test DM to your Instagram business account

    2. Verify that Rep AI responds appropriately

Connecting Facebook

  1. Navigate to Integrations

    1. Go to Settings → Integrations → Social

    2. Find and click the Facebook card

  2. Authorize with Meta

    1. Click "Connect" to start authorization

    2. Log in with your Meta account that manages your Facebook business pages

    3. Select which Facebook pages you want to connect

    4. Grant the necessary permissions

  3. Select Your Pages

    1. You'll see a list of available Facebook pages

    2. Toggle ON each page you want Rep AI to manage

    3. You can connect multiple pages if you have several

  4. Enable AI Answering

    1. In the "What's next?" section, find "Enable AI answering directly on Facebook"

    2. The description reads: "When enabled, your AI will reply directly on Facebook instead of redirecting customers to chat on your website."

    3. Turn this toggle ON for full AI capabilities

    4. Leave it OFF if you prefer Classic Mode

  5. Add Custom Instructions (Optional)

    1. Toggle "Use specific AI instructions for Facebook messages"

    2. These instructions override general AI instructions for Facebook only

    3. Enter your custom guidance and use "Polish prompt" to refine

  6. Test Your Setup

    1. Open Facebook and send a message to your connected page

    2. Confirm that Rep AI responds with a full answer

Connecting WhatsApp

  1. Navigate to Integrations

    1. Go to Settings → Integrations → Social

    2. Find and click the WhatsApp card

  2. Authorize with Meta

    1. Click "Connect" to begin

    2. Log in with your Meta account that manages your WhatsApp Business

    3. Grant the required permissions for messaging

  3. Select Your Business Accounts and Phone Numbers

    1. WhatsApp shows your business accounts (you may have multiple for different regions)

    2. Under each account, you'll see associated phone numbers with country codes

    3. Toggle ON each phone number you want Rep AI to manage

  4. Enable AI Answering

    1. Find "Enable AI answering directly on WhatsApp" in the settings

    2. Turn it ON to activate full AI responses

    3. Leave it OFF if you prefer Classic Mode

  5. Add Custom Instructions (Optional)

    1. Enable platform-specific instructions if needed

    2. Enter your WhatsApp-specific guidance

  6. Test Your Connection

    1. Send a message to one of your activated WhatsApp numbers

    2. Verify the AI responds with full answers

Customizing AI Behavior Per Platform

Each Meta platform has its own AI instructions toggle that lets you override your general AI instructions. This is useful when you want:

  • A more casual tone on Instagram vs. formal on WhatsApp

  • Different response lengths for each platform

  • Platform-specific policies or messaging

To add custom instructions:

  1. Go to the platform's integration settings

  2. Toggle ON "Use specific AI instructions for [platform] messages"

  3. Enter your instructions in the text field

  4. Click "Polish prompt" for AI-powered improvements

  5. Save your changes

When this toggle is OFF, your general AI instructions apply to messages from that platform.

Smart Human Handoff

When your team members respond to a conversation, Rep AI automatically detects the human involvement and stops responding. This prevents confusing situations where both AI and humans are replying to the same customer.

Current Availability:

  • Instagram: Human agent detection active

  • Facebook: Human agent detection active

  • WhatsApp: Coming soon

On WhatsApp, until human detection is fully implemented, be aware that AI may respond even after your team has engaged. Coordinate with your team to avoid overlapping responses on WhatsApp conversations.

How AI Answering is billed

AI Answering on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp runs on your Omnichannel AI ticket package. One AI-resolved conversation uses one ticket, the same as email. Tickets are $0.75 each on monthly billing, $0.50 on annual.

Beyond your package, resolved conversations are billed at $1.20 each when overage is on; with overage off, Meta channels fall back to Classic answering, which consumes nothing. Classic Mode never consumes tickets — it sends customers a link to continue on your website.

For the full picture — the overage toggle, the Console banners, and what happens when you change or cancel your package — see Keep Your AI Answering When You Pass Your Omnichannel AI Plan.

Tracking Performance in Analytics

All conversations from Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp are tracked in your Rep AI analytics dashboard, allowing you to measure engagement and performance across your social channels.

Traffic Source Filtering

You can filter your analytics by traffic source to see conversations from each Meta platform:

  • Instagram DM — Conversations from Instagram Direct Messages

  • Facebook DM — Conversations from Facebook Messenger

  • WhatsApp — Conversations from WhatsApp Business

Use these filters on your Analytics and Conversations pages to understand how customers engage with your AI on each platform, track response quality, and identify opportunities to improve.

Platform Filtering

Your analytics also include a separate Platform filter (e.g., Web, iOS, Android). Note that traffic source and platform are different dimensions:

  • Traffic Source tells you where the conversation originated (Instagram DM, Facebook DM, WhatsApp, Website, etc.)

  • Platform tells you what device or app the customer used

Currently, these filters work independently. If you want to analyze Meta channel performance specifically, use the Traffic Source filter and select the relevant Meta options (Instagram DM, Facebook DM, or WhatsApp).

Troubleshooting

AI Not Responding

  • Check that the "Enable AI answering" toggle is ON

  • Verify your account/page is toggled ON in the account list

  • Ensure your Meta connection is still active (look for "Connected" status)

Want to Use Classic Mode Instead?

  • Turn OFF the "Enable AI answering directly" toggle

  • Your AI will send a friendly redirect message to your website instead

Can't See the Homepage Card

  • The card appears for merchants who have Meta integrations but haven't enabled AI Answering

  • If you've already enabled it, the card won't appear

Connection Issues

  • Re-authorize your Meta connection if permissions have changed

  • Ensure your Instagram/Facebook/WhatsApp accounts are business accounts

  • Check that accounts are in good standing with Meta

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How is AI Answering billed? A: It uses your Omnichannel AI ticket package — one AI-resolved conversation, one ticket. Beyond your package, resolved conversations are $1.20 each when overage is on. Classic Mode never consumes tickets.

Q: Will AI Answering be enabled automatically? A: For new connections, yes—AI Answering is ON by default. Existing connections need to manually enable it via the toggle in integration settings.

Q: Can I still redirect customers to my website instead? A: Yes! If you prefer the classic experience, simply leave the "Enable AI answering directly" toggle OFF. Your AI will send a friendly message with a link to continue the conversation on your website.

Q: Do shoppers see product cards on Meta? A: On Instagram and Facebook Messenger, yes — matching products arrive as swipeable cards with an image, name, price, and a button that opens the item on your store, and narrowing questions arrive as tappable options. On WhatsApp, product recommendations arrive as text with links.

Q: What happens when my team responds to a customer? A: On Instagram and Facebook, the AI automatically pauses for that conversation. On WhatsApp, this feature is coming soon.

Q: Can I use different AI instructions for each platform? A: Yes! Each platform has a toggle to enable custom instructions that override your general AI settings.

Q: What skills does AI Answering support? A: AI Answering supports the same skills as your website chat—including order cancellation, returns, shipping inquiries, and more. The available actions depend on what you've configured in your Rep AI account.

Q: How do I know if it's working? A: Send a test message to your connected account. If AI Answering is enabled, you'll get a full response. If Classic Mode is enabled, you'll get a redirect link to your website.

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