Messaging: reply to Messenger and Instagram messages from GMB Club
Who this is for: your customers write to you on Messenger or by direct message on Instagram, and you want to handle everything in one place, with a reply already prepared by your Messaging Agent and an email reminder when a message has been waiting too long.
What you'll see: opening Messaging, reading and replying to a conversation, then setting up the Messaging Agent and the reminders in Settings › Messaging.
Open Messaging
Click the speech bubble icon at the top right of the header, just after the Sphere › Bubble selector. An orange badge with a number shows on the icon when messages are waiting for you.
URL: /messagerie
The page has two columns:
| Column | Content |
|---|---|
| Left | The filters (All, Messenger, Instagram), then the list of your conversations. |
| Right | The open conversation. As long as you haven't chosen one: "Select a conversation to view messages". |
In the list, each conversation shows:
- the customer's initial, with the small icon of the network the message comes from (Messenger or Instagram);
- their name and the start of the last message;
- how long ago the last message arrived (
1 h ago,2 d ago…); - an orange badge with the number of unread messages, if there are any.
Prerequisite: connect Facebook and Instagram
Messaging receives the messages of the accounts connected to your bubble. Connect your Facebook page and your Instagram account in Settings › Connections (see Social media).
Each location has its own connections: if you manage several bubbles, choose the right one in the Sphere › Bubble selector before opening Messaging.
Reply to a message
- Click a conversation in the left column. The thread shows on the right.
- If suggestions are on, the Messaging Agent has already prepared a reply. Take it in one click into the input field.
- Read it and adjust if needed, or write your own reply.
- Send. The Messaging Agent only suggests: you are the one who sends.
To show only one network, click its icon at the top of the list. All brings back every conversation.
Set up the Messaging Agent and the reminders
Click the gear icon at the top right of the header to open the Settings, then, in the left-hand menu, under Bubble, click Messaging.
These settings apply to a single bubble: the page says so, "These settings apply to the […] bubble only." Repeat them for each location.
The Messaging preferences card ("AI suggestions and notifications") contains four settings:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Automatic reply suggestions | The Messaging Agent prepares a suggested reply for every incoming message. Turn the switch off if you prefer to write everything yourself. |
| Email notifications for unanswered messages | You receive a reminder email when a customer is still waiting for a reply. The app advises turning it off if you monitor messages another way. |
| Delay before email reminder | The time after which a message left unanswered triggers the email (for example 2 h). |
| Notification email | The address that receives these reminders: yours, a colleague's or a community manager's. |
Where the Messaging Agent gets its tone
The Messaging Agent relies on what the Identity Agent knows about your location: business, tone, writing instructions. These instructions are set in Settings › Business context, not in Messaging. If the suggestions don't sound like you, that is where to correct them.
Recommended approach
For a single business
- Leave Automatic reply suggestions on.
- Put your business email in Notification email.
- Choose a short Delay before email reminder, so you never leave a customer without a reply.
- Take each suggestion, adjust it and send it.
For a team or an agency
- Put the address of the person who monitors messages in Notification email.
- If the team replies from another tool, turn off Email notifications for unanswered messages to avoid duplicate reminders.
- Give your collaborators access with a share code (see Settings).
Common issues
No conversation shows up → Check that the Facebook page and the Instagram account are connected to the selected bubble, in Settings › Connections. Also check the filter at the top of the list: All shows every conversation.
I don't see any suggested reply → Go to Settings › Messaging and check that Automatic reply suggestions is on for this bubble.
The suggestions don't match my tone → Spell out your instructions in Settings › Business context: formal or informal address, phrases to avoid, information to always give. The Messaging Agent uses them in its suggestions.
I get too many reminders, or not enough → Change the Delay before email reminder. If you monitor messages elsewhere, turn off Email notifications for unanswered messages.
The reminders go to the wrong person → Change the address in Notification email. The setting is specific to each bubble.
I want my team to reply for me → Give them access with a share code, from Settings › Sharing (see Settings).