Enable AI Agent on Instagram and Facebook Messenger (Beta)Updated 3 days ago

Who can use this feature?

Owner, Admin and Lead roles

All plans with AI Agent

Can be used with Shopify stores connected to Gorgias

Beta: AI Agent on Instagram and Facebook Messenger is currently in open beta. Some capabilities are still in development. Feature behavior and plan availability are subject to change.

Once you set up AI Agent for your store, you can choose to enable it for conversations with shoppers on Instagram direct messages and Facebook Messenger.

Deploying AI Agent on these channels means that it can automatically help shoppers browse, buy and get support when they reach out to your business on social media.

On this page:

Before you begin

Before you use AI Agent to answer shoppers on Instagram and Facebook Messenger:

You must connect Instagram and Facebook Messenger to Gorgias, if you haven't already. This app adds Facebook and Instagram as channels on your helpdesk, and lets you receive and respond to messages you receive on these apps from your inbox.
Make sure that you set up AI Agent with knowledge, skills, and tone of voice instructions, so it has what it needs to successfully respond to shoppers when they reach out on your social channels.

Enable AI Agent on Instagram and Facebook Messenger

Once you've connected Instagram and Facebook and Messenger to your helpdesk, you can enable AI Agent to start answering shopper's questions on these channels.

If you want to preview how AI Agent will respond to shoppers on your social channels before going live, you can start a test conversation. Select Instagram DM or Facebook Messenger as the channel for your test.

To enable AI Agent on Instagram and Facebook Messenger:

Open the dropdown menu in the top-left corner, then select AI Agent.
- If you have more than one Shopify store connected to Gorgias, click the dropdown menu to select a store.
Under the Deploy section, click Socials.
Open the dropdown menu and select one or more integrations for Instagram and Facebook Messenger.
Click the ON/OFF toggle to Enable AI Agent on Socials, then select Save Changes.

Note: Instagram and Facebook Messenger are a shared integration, so turning on AI Agent activates it for both channels. Currently, you cannot enable AI Agent independently on one or the other app.

Respond to image-only messages

Sometimes shoppers send a message that contains only an image and no accompanying text. By default, AI Agent replies to these messages using whatever information it can read from the image, but its response may be less accurate than usual.

If you'd rather these conversations go to your team instead, turn off Respond to image-only messages.

On the Deploy > Socials page for AI Agent, find the Respond to image-only messages toggle.
Click the toggle to turn it off.

Let shoppers know they're messaging with AI

You can add a short disclosure to the end of AI Agent's first message in a conversation on Instagram and Messenger, letting shoppers know they're messaging with AI rather than a person.

We recommend enabling this. Being upfront about AI builds trust with shoppers, and depending on where you operate, it may also be a legal requirement. Learn more about your legal obligations to disclose AI use.

On the Deploy > Socials page for AI Agent, select the checkbox next to Use Initial message footer.
Enter the text you'd like AI Agent to send as a disclosure along with its first message.
Click Save Changes.

Preview how AI Agent responds before you go live

Before you let AI Agent respond to messages on Instagram and Facebook Messenger, you can test how AI Agent replies on these channels without affecting real customers or creating billable interactions.

Go to AI Agent > Playground from the main menu, then select Instagram DM or Facebook Messenger as the channel for your test.

Pay close attention to the reasoning AI Agent provides with its response in your test conversation. Reasoning lets you see which skills, knowledge, or actions were used to inform the response. If the response was inaccurate or unsuccessful, you can create or update these sources to improve the outcome.

How AI Agent responds to Instagram and Facebook messages

AI Agent only responds to direct messages on Instagram and Facebook Messenger. It doesn't moderate or reply to public posts, mentions, or comments.

When a shopper sends a direct message, it becomes a new ticket in your helpdesk's inbox — tagged and organized using your existing AI Agent views. From there, AI Agent replies automatically, using your skills, knowledge and tone of voice instructions to resolve shoppers' inquiries, unless it needs to hand the conversation over to your team.

Here's what to expect from these conversations:

AI Agent automatically adapts your tone of voice instructions to match the conversational and concise format of messages on Instagram and Facebook Messenger. However, if you want, you can customize tone of voice instructions to further control how AI Agent sounds on these channels.
AI Agent can read attachments shoppers send, like photos — including messages that contain only an attachment with no text, unless you've turned this off (see "Respond to image-only messages" above). This is common on apps like Instagram where sending a photo without text is the only way to share images. AI Agent can't send attachments of its own.
AI Agent can respond to shoppers within Meta's 24-hour standard messaging window. The standard messaging window only allows businesses to reply to customers within 24 hours of the shopper's last message. It's meant to promote quality conversations, protect users from spam, and encourage timely responses from businesses.

AI Agent needs to confirm a shopper’s identity when asked for personal information or details about an order. To verify their identity, AI Agent asks the shopper to share their email address or order number.

If that information matches an existing order, AI Agent continues the conversation and answers the shopper's question. If the shopper can't confirm their identity this way, or doesn't respond, AI Agent hands the conversation over to your team to assist the shopper further.

For requests that make changes to a shopper's account or orders — like canceling an order, updating a shipping address, or modifying a subscription — a one-time password is typically required. Gorgias doesn't support one-time passwords on Instagram or Facebook Messenger yet, so AI Agent hands those conversations over to your team instead.

FAQs

Which social media channels can I use AI Agent on, and are there any restrictions?

Gorgias currently supports AI Agent on Instagram direct messages, Facebook Messenger, or WhatsApp. It doesn't respond to interactions like public posts, comments, mentions.

Your Instagram and Facebook Messenger integration must also comply with Meta's platform policies. AI Agent can't be used in connection with goods or services in certain regulated categories, including medical devices, medications, alcohol, and tobacco.

Can I use the same Instagram and Facebook Messenger integration for more than one store?

No. If an Instagram or Facebook Messenger integration is already being monitored by AI Agent for another store, you won't be able to select it. AI Agent can only monitor a given integration for one store at a time. If you manage multiple stores, connect a separate integration to each one, so AI Agent has a clear link to that store's knowledge and settings when it replies.

Do I need to create separate skills, guidance or tone of voice instructions for social channels?

AI Agent uses the same settings across every channel. Any skills, guidance or other knowledge you've already created informs how AI Agent responds on social media, chat, email, and SMS alike. However, if you want, you can customize tone of voice instructions specific to Instagram or Facebook Messenger.

For AI Agent's skills, consider creating a skill to address collaboration, influencer and partnership requests. These are especially common on channels like Instagram.

What happens if a shopper reacts to my Instagram or Facebook story?

A story reaction (like a thumbs-up emoji) creates a ticket, but AI Agent won't reply to it since it isn't a real question. If these clutter your inbox, consider setting up a rule to automatically close or route them.

What happens if a conversation goes quiet after AI Agent responds?

Social media conversations follow AI Agent's standard rules for closing and snoozing inactive tickets.

Was this article helpful?

Yes