Messaging: reply to Messenger and Instagram messages from GMB Club
Who this is for: customers reach you on Messenger or via Instagram DMs and you want to centralize those conversations with the ones from other locations / team members. You also want AI reply suggestions, automatic sorting by type, and email reminders if you forget to reply.
What you'll do: open Messaging, reply to a message, configure the AI Preferences, and understand the notification cadence.
Accessing Messaging
From the Dashboard, click the "Messaging" card or use the chat bubble icon at the top right of the page.
URL: /messagerie
The header shows:
- Title "Messaging" + subtitle "Centralize your Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp conversations in a single inbox."
- "Messages" (orange, active) / "Tracking" toggles in the center
- "Facebook, Instagram to reconnect here" link when an account has lost its connection
- Gear icon on the right — shortcut to
Settings › Messaging settings
2-column layout
| Column | Content |
|---|---|
| Left | Platform filters (All, Messenger icon, Instagram icon), followed by the conversations list |
| Right | Active conversation zone. By default: "Select a conversation to view messages" |
If you don't have a message yet: "No conversations yet" in the left column.
Prerequisite: connect Facebook and Instagram
For Messaging to receive messages, the bubble needs Facebook (page) and/or Instagram (Business account) connected. See Doc 4 — Social Media for the connection.
Required permissions: when connecting Facebook, GMB Club asks for permission to read and write messages (on top of publishing permissions). If you decline at Meta's consent step, Messaging won't be able to work.
Replying to a message
When a conversation comes in:
-
It appears in the left column with:
- The customer's avatar (if they have a Meta photo)
- Their Meta name (e.g.
Marie D.,Pierre M.) - A last message preview (1 line)
- The timestamp of the last message (
5 min ago,Yesterday 2pm,Mon May 19) - The platform icon (Messenger or Instagram)
- An unread badge (blue dot) if not yet read
-
Click the conversation in the left column → the history shows on the right
-
In the input zone at the bottom right:
- Type your reply
- "Use suggestion" button (if enabled in preferences) → the AI proposes a contextual reply
- Send button (orange paper plane)
-
The message goes instantly to Meta. The customer receives it in their Messenger/Instagram within the second.
The "Tracking" tab
Switch to the "Tracking" tab (at the top, next to "Messages").
This is a dashboard view of your conversations:
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Active conversations | Number of open threads (with a recent reply) |
| Unanswered | Conversations where the customer wrote and is waiting for you |
| Average response time | Delay between customer message and your reply |
| Per platform | Breakdown Messenger vs Instagram |
This view is useful for teams / community managers: you quickly see where to focus.
Configure Messaging Preferences
Go to Settings (selector at the top) then in the left sidebar click "Preferences" (under MESSAGING).
URL: /dashboard/parametres#messagerie
You'll see the "Messaging settings" section with the subtitle "AI suggestions, conversation sorting and notifications".
The 3 main toggles
| Toggle | Effect |
|---|---|
| Automatic reply suggestions | When a new message arrives, the AI prepares a suggested reply (visible inside the conversation). Click to use it or edit it. On by default. |
| Automatic conversation sorting | Each new conversation is sorted by type: priority, question, customer service, spam. Shown as a label on the conversation. On by default. |
| Email notifications for unanswered messages | You receive a reminder email if a customer has been waiting too long. On by default. |
Reminder delay
Field "Reminder email delay (hours)" — 2 hours by default.
If a customer writes at 2pm and you haven't replied by 4pm, GMB Club sends a reminder email to the configured address.
Notification email
Field "Notification email" — by default, the account email ([email protected] on the demo account).
You can set your team / community manager / your own email depending on who monitors messaging.
Turn off if you follow messaging another way: if you reply from the Meta Business Suite app, from Instagram natively, or you have another system, turn off the "Email notifications" toggle to avoid double reminders.
AI suggestions: how they work
When the "Automatic reply suggestions" toggle is ON, every time a message arrives, GMB Club calls the AI with:
- The customer's message text
- The recent history of the conversation (10 last messages)
- Your bubble info (name, address, business type, hours)
- Your AI Settings (tone, language)
- Your custom AI Instructions (see Settings › AI Settings)
The AI generates 1 suggestion. It appears in the conversation's input zone as a draft you can:
- Send as-is (clicking the paper plane)
- Edit in the input zone
- Regenerate ("Use suggestion" button again for a variant)
- Ignore (type your own reply)
Automatic sorting: what it's for
When the "Automatic conversation sorting" toggle is ON, the AI reads the customer's first message and assigns a type:
| Type | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Priority | The message contains an emergency, a complaint, or a strong commercial opportunity ("I want to book for 10 people tonight") |
| Question | Generic info request (hours, address, services) |
| Customer service | Order follow-up, complaint, help request |
| Spam | Spam, generic message, cold pitch |
Each conversation carries this label in the left column. Useful for sorting your day: start with the Priorities, delegate the Spam, etc.
This sorting is indicative: the AI gets it wrong sometimes. You can manually re-classify (right-click the conversation → Change type) if needed.
Recommended workflow
For a solo retailer
- Enable all options (Suggestions, Sorting, Notifications)
- Set your pro email in Notification email
- Reminder delay = 2h (or 4h if you're okay waiting a bit more)
- Reply in the morning to all the previous day's conversations, handle Priorities right away when you get the reminder
For a team / agency
- Disable email reminders
- Enable Sorting → use types to dispatch (Priority = boss, Questions = team)
- Enable AI Suggestions → cuts response time
For an agency community manager (multi-client)
- Enable Email notifications on your personal email
- Enable Sorting to surface clients who need urgency
- Disable AI Suggestions if you prefer to calibrate your tone client by client manually
Common issues
"Facebook, Instagram to reconnect here"
→ The connection expired or you revoked access from Meta. Click the orange "here" link → you're redirected to Settings › Connections → reconnect Facebook/Instagram.
My Instagram messages don't arrive even though Facebook works → Classic cause: your Instagram account isn't Business or isn't linked to a Facebook Page. Check on Meta Business Suite. Instagram messaging through an external tool requires an Instagram Business account (not Creator, not Personal) linked to a Page.
AI suggestions give me weird replies → Check your AI Settings › Custom instructions. The more precise (tone, formal/informal, values, phrases to avoid), the better. The AI relies on that first and foremost.
The email reminder arrives too often / not often enough → Adjust the "Reminder email delay (hours)" field. 1h = very reactive, 6h = relaxed. Beyond 24h, it doesn't really make sense.
Automatic sorting gets it wrong every time → Turn off the toggle. Sorting is useful at scale (100 convs/day), not at small scale.
I want my team to reply for me, do they have access? → Give them access via a share code on the sphere (see Doc 12 — Settings Sharing section). They'll have access to Messaging just like you.
How do I see old conversations (pre-connection to GMB Club)? → You only see them from the connection date of your Facebook/Instagram account to GMB Club. Older ones stay in Meta Business Suite, accessible separately.