Connect a webchat tool

Connect your own webchat tool to Inbox in Nest so your agents can handle webchat conversations alongside your other channels. To connect a webchat, you create a Custom Social Profile in Hootsuite, and then your webchat tool sends messages to Hootsuite using webhooks. Your team can receive messages with attachments, topics, and contact attributes, and reply to messages right in Inbox.

Custom Social Profile is available on the web version of Hootsuite only.

About Custom Social Profiles

A Custom Social Profile connects an external webchat provider to Hootsuite so that messages flow through to Inbox.

Unlike social networks such as Facebook or X, a Custom Social Profile does not use a sign-in connect flow. Instead, your developer sends webhooks from your webchat tool to Hootsuite. Agents then answer in Inbox, and Hootsuite sends their replies back to your webchat.

Note: If you currently connect a webchat through Zendesk Sunshine Conversations, you need to move to a Custom Social Profile. Learn more about upcoming changes to Zendesk Sunshine.

Create a Custom Social Profile

Create the profile in Hootsuite first. Hootsuite then generates a shared secret and a webhook URL that your developer needs to send webhooks to Hootsuite Inbox.

1. Go to Account, and then select Settings.
2. Select Social accounts in the navigation pane, and then select Add social account.
   
3. Select Custom.
   
4. Enter the details for your custom messaging profile, and then select Connect.
5. Copy the shared secret key that Hootsuite generates for you, as well as the webhook URL into your system's configuration to complete the setup.

Your custom webchat is now available as a dedicated channel in Inbox.