How to set up a Facebook inbox in Front

Overview

Front's Facebook inbox feature supports Facebook Pages, which are different from personal timelines. Once you create an inbox for your Facebook page, you will be able to manage incoming messages directly from Front.

Note: Due to a limitation on the Facebook API, replies are limited to 2000 characters.

If you don't have a Facebook Page yet, but want to create one, follow these instructions.

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Instructions

Step 1

Click the gear icon on the top right of Front and into the Company or Personal settings tab, depending on which space you are working with. Admins can also access user settings by following these steps.

Step 2

Click on Inboxes on the left menu and Add an individual inbox or Add a team inbox, depending on which space you're in.

Step 3

Fill out the name and description of your inbox. Click Create.

Step 4

Choose Facebook from the channel menu.

Step 5

Click Connect to Facebook, and sign into Facebook if prompted.

Step 6

When you first link Front to Facebook, you'll be asked to choose which Facebook page(s) you'd like to give Front permission to access. Click Next and make sure all permissions are toggled on, then click Done.

Step 7

Once you are linked to Facebook, choose which Facebook page will be associated with the Front inbox you're creating.

Step 8

Select who on your team has access to this inbox, and click Create inbox.

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Syncing with Facebook Messenger

Facebook conversations in Front will sync with Facebook Messenger. What this means is that outbound replies that you send from Front will show up in your Facebook account, and vice versa. 

However, if you archive a Facebook message in Front, it will not also archive in Facebook. While the messages from Facebook do sync over and appear in Front, the status of the conversations (archive, assigned, move, etc) will not.

Conversations that took place before creating the Facebook inbox in Front will not be imported to Front.

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Message Expiration after 7 days

Facebook channels connected to a page through Front may send a reply to a recipient if that person has sent a message within the last 7 days.

If you don't respond to the message within 7 days, the messages will still show in Front, but if you do attempt to send a reply to it in Front, you'll get a draft error. You can, however, still reply to them in Facebook directly. 

To learn more, you can read an in-depth guide published by Facebook here. 

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FAQ

Can I start a Messenger conversation from Front?

No, you cannot initiate a Facebook Messenger conversation from Front, as Facebook Messenger itself does not allow you to. The customer must message you first and you will be able to reply from Front.

 

Will I be able to manage Facebook comments on my posts through Front?

 Not at this time. Front's Facebook messenger channel only supports messages sent through Facebook Messenger and not comments/replies to posts on the Facebook Business page.

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Pricing

This feature is available on all plans.