Set Up a Facebook Channel

A Facebook channel lets your team receive and respond to messages from your Facebook Business Page—directly in the Virtual-Call UC Client. When a customer sends a message through Facebook Messenger, the conversation appears alongside your other messaging channels so agents can handle it in real time. This article describes how to set up a Facebook channel in the Cloud PBX.

Prerequisites

• Meta Developer Account: A registered account on the Meta for Developers portal.
• Business Portfolio (Meta Business Suite): A Meta Business Suite account linked to a verified business.
• Facebook Business Page: A published Facebook Page associated with your Business Portfolio.
• Domain Name: The domain name of your Cloud PBX must not contain underscores (_), as this can interfere with webhook authentication.
• Domain Certificate: If your PBX uses a custom domain (not the provider's default domain), a valid domain certificate must be installed.

Limitations

Setup Overview

Setting up a Facebook channel involves four steps:

1. Create a Meta app on the Meta for Developers portal
2. Set up the Meta app and retrieve authentication credentials
3. Create the Facebook channel in the PBX
4. Configure the webhook in the Meta app

Step 1: Create a Meta App

1. Log in to the Meta for Developers portal.
2. Go to My Apps and click Create App.
3. Select the use case Other, then choose the app type Business.
4. Enter an app name, provide your contact email, and select your Business Portfolio.
5. Click Create App to finish.

Step 2: Set Up the Meta App

Add the Messenger product to your app and retrieve the credentials needed for the PBX configuration.

1. In your app dashboard, find Messenger in the product list and click Set Up.
2. In the Generate access tokens section, click Connect next to the Facebook Page you want to use. Follow the prompts to grant permissions.
3. After connecting the page, click Generate to create an access token. Copy this token—you will need it in Step 3.
4. Note down the following values from the Meta for Developers portal:
   • Page ID: Shown in the Generate access tokens section next to your connected Page.
   • Page Name: The name of your connected Facebook Page.
   • App Secret: Found under App Settings > Basic.

Step 3: Create the Facebook Channel in the PBX

1. Log in to the Cloud PBX administration portal.
2. Navigate to Messaging > Message Channel.
3. Click Add and select Facebook.
4. Configure the Authentication tab:
   • Name: A descriptive name (e.g., “Facebook Support” or “Facebook Sales”).
   • Webhook URL: Automatically generated. Copy this URL—you will need it in Step 4.
   • Verify Token: Automatically generated. Copy this token—you will need it in Step 4.
   • Access Token: Paste the access token from Step 2.
   • App Secret: Paste the app secret from Step 2.
   • Page ID: Enter the Page ID from Step 2.
   • Page Name: Enter the Page Name from Step 2.

5. Configure the Messaging Settings tab:
   • Destination for Inbound Messaging: Choose where incoming Facebook messages are routed:
     • Extension: Messages go directly to a specific extension.
     • Message Queue: Messages go to a queue where multiple agents can handle them.
   • Extensions allowed to create messaging sessions: Select which extensions may send messages through this channel.
   • Close Session Automatically: Enable this option and set a timeout in days to automatically end inactive sessions.
   • Allow the Creation of Duplicate Active Sessions: Determines whether a new agent can create a session when an active session with the same contact already exists.
6. Click Save.

Step 4: Configure the Webhook in the Meta App

To allow the PBX to receive incoming Facebook messages, you need to set up a webhook and subscribe your page to message events:

1. Log in to the Meta for Developers portal and go to My Apps.
2. Open your app and navigate to Messenger > Messenger API Settings.
3. In the Configure webhooks section:
   • Paste the webhook URL (callback URL) you copied from the PBX in Step 3.
   • Paste the Verify Token you copied from the PBX in Step 3.
   • Click Verify and Save.
4. In the Manage webhook fields section, subscribe to the messages field.
5. In the Generate access tokens section, click Add Subscriptions for your connected Page and subscribe to messages.

Result

After successful setup, the Facebook channel appears in the channel list under Messaging > Message Channel with a green status icon. The PBX automatically tracks the number of messages sent and received.

Important Notes

• Inbound only: The Facebook channel does not support outbound messaging. Agents can only reply to conversations started by customers. To proactively contact customers, consider using the WhatsApp or SMS channel instead.
• Access token validity: The access token generated from the Meta for Developers portal is a long-lived token. However, it may expire if app permissions change or if the Facebook Page is disconnected. Monitor the channel status and regenerate the token if necessary.
• Business verification: Meta may require your business to complete verification before certain Messenger features are available. Complete the verification process in the Meta Business Suite.
• File size limit: Multimedia messages are limited to 25 MB. Files are retained for 72 hours.
• IP access for multimedia: If you have configured IP access security rules, make sure that access from Meta servers is allowed—otherwise multimedia files cannot be delivered.