Chatbot Channels

Connect messaging platforms to receive and respond to customer messages from one unified inbox. The web chat widget is live and fully supported. Instagram DM and Facebook Messenger are currently in closed beta.

Overview

The Channels feature extends your AI chatbot beyond your storefront. Instead of limiting customer support to your website, you can connect social media platforms so that incoming messages are routed to your unified Inbox. Your AI chatbot handles responses automatically, and you can jump in manually whenever needed.

Access your channels from AI Chatbot → Channels in your dashboard.

Available Channels

Web Widget

Live and fully supported. The embedded AI chat widget on your Vaendora storefront and WooCommerce store.

Instagram DM Closed Beta

Connect your Instagram Business account to receive and respond to Direct Messages automatically. Currently available to beta merchants only.

Facebook Messenger Closed Beta

Connect your Facebook Page to receive and respond to Messenger conversations automatically. Currently available to beta merchants only.

WhatsApp Business

Coming soon. Handle customer conversations via WhatsApp.

Instagram DM Integration

Closed Beta - Not Available to All Merchants
Instagram DM integration is currently in closed beta pending Meta app review and verification. It is not yet available to all Growth plan merchants. When it launches publicly, it will be enabled automatically for all Growth subscribers. The documentation below describes how the feature will work when it becomes generally available.

The Instagram DM integration connects your Instagram Business or Creator account to Vaendora. When a customer sends you a Direct Message on Instagram, it appears in your chatbot Inbox and your AI assistant responds automatically, just like it does on your web widget.

Requirements

  • An Instagram Business or Creator account (not a personal account)
  • A Facebook Page linked to your Instagram account
  • Admin access to the Facebook Page
  • “Allow access to messages” enabled in your Instagram settings (see below)
Important: Enable Message Access
Before connecting your Instagram account, you must enable message access in the Instagram app. Go to Settings → Messages and story replies → Message controls, then enable “Allow access to messages” under the Connected Tools section. Without this setting enabled, Vaendora Chatbot will not be able to receive or reply to your Direct Messages. This is a per-account setting that each merchant must enable on their own Instagram account.
Personal vs. Business Account
If you have a personal Instagram account, you can switch it to a Business or Creator account for free in Instagram Settings → Account → Switch to Professional Account.

Connecting Instagram

1

Enable Message Access in Instagram

Open the Instagram app on your phone. Go to Settings → Messages and story replies → Message controls. Under Connected Tools, enable “Allow access to messages”. This is required for Vaendora Chatbot to receive and reply to your DMs.

2

Navigate to Channels

Go to AI Chatbot → Channels in your dashboard.

3

Click Connect on Instagram DM

Find the Instagram DM card and click the Connect button. You will be redirected to Facebook/Meta to authorize Vaendora.

4

Authorize Vaendora

Log in to your Facebook account and grant the requested permissions. Make sure to select the correct Facebook Page that is linked to your Instagram Business account.

5

Confirmation

After authorization, you will be redirected back to Vaendora. You should see your Instagram username and Page name displayed under the Instagram DM card with a Connected badge.

Permissions
During the authorization step, make sure you grant all requested permissions. If you skip any, the integration may not work correctly. You can always disconnect and reconnect to re-authorize with the correct permissions.

How Instagram DM Works

Once connected, here is what happens when a customer sends you a DM on Instagram:

  1. The customer sends a Direct Message to your Instagram account
  2. Instagram delivers the message to Vaendora via webhook
  3. The message appears in your AI Chatbot → Inbox
  4. Your AI chatbot generates a response using your knowledgebase, FAQs, and live store data
  5. The response is sent back to the customer as an Instagram DM

All of this happens automatically. The customer sees a natural conversation in their Instagram DMs, while you can monitor and manage everything from your Vaendora dashboard.

Instagram Messages in Your Inbox

Instagram conversations appear in your regular chatbot Inbox alongside web widget conversations. Each conversation shows the source channel so you can tell where the message came from. You can reply to Instagram conversations manually, just like web widget conversations.

Disconnecting Instagram

If you need to disconnect your Instagram account:

  1. Go to AI Chatbot → Channels
  2. Click the Disconnect button on the Instagram DM card
  3. Confirm the disconnection in the dialog

Disconnecting stops new DMs from being received. Your existing conversation history is preserved and can still be viewed in the Inbox. You can reconnect at any time.

Facebook Messenger Integration

Closed Beta - Not Available to All Merchants
Facebook Messenger integration is currently in closed beta pending Meta app review and verification. It is not yet available to all Growth plan merchants. When it launches publicly, it will be enabled automatically for all Growth subscribers. The documentation below describes how the feature will work when it becomes generally available.

The Facebook Messenger integration connects your Facebook Page to Vaendora. When a customer sends a message through your Page's Messenger, it appears in your chatbot Inbox and your AI assistant responds automatically.

Requirements

  • A Facebook Page (business or personal)
  • Admin access to the Facebook Page
Independent from Instagram
Facebook Messenger works independently from Instagram. You do not need an Instagram account to use Messenger integration. You can connect both, or just one — they are separate channels.

Connecting Facebook Messenger

1

Navigate to Channels

Go to AI Chatbot → Channels in your dashboard.

2

Click Connect on Facebook Messenger

Find the Facebook Messenger card and click the Connect button. You will be redirected to Facebook to authorize Vaendora.

3

Authorize Vaendora

Log in to your Facebook account and grant the requested permissions. Select the Facebook Page you want to connect for Messenger conversations.

4

Confirmation

After authorization, you will be redirected back to Vaendora. You should see your Page name displayed under the Facebook Messenger card with a Connected badge.

How Messenger Works

Once connected, here is what happens when a customer messages your Facebook Page:

  1. The customer sends a message via Facebook Messenger to your Page
  2. Facebook delivers the message to Vaendora via webhook
  3. The message appears in your AI Chatbot → Inbox
  4. Your AI chatbot generates a response using your knowledgebase, FAQs, and live store data
  5. The response is sent back to the customer through Messenger

Disconnecting Messenger

If you need to disconnect your Facebook Page from Messenger:

  1. Go to AI Chatbot → Channels
  2. Click the Disconnect button on the Facebook Messenger card
  3. Confirm the disconnection in the dialog

Disconnecting stops new Messenger conversations from being received. Your existing conversation history is preserved and can still be viewed in the Inbox. You can reconnect at any time.

Instagram Comment Automations

Comment Automations let you automatically send a Direct Message (Private Reply) to anyone who comments a specific keyword on your Instagram posts. This is a powerful engagement tool commonly used to share links, pricing info, or promotional content with people who show interest by commenting.

Requires Instagram Connection
Comment Automations require an active Instagram connection. Connect your Instagram account first (see above), then the Comment Automations section will appear on the Channels page.

How Comment Automations Work

  1. You create a keyword-response pair (e.g., keyword “PRICE” with a response containing your pricing info)
  2. A customer comments the keyword on any of your Instagram posts (e.g., they comment “PRICE please!”)
  3. Vaendora detects the keyword in the comment (case-insensitive, matches if the comment contains the keyword anywhere)
  4. The customer automatically receives your configured response as a Direct Message (Private Reply)
  5. The trigger count for that automation is incremented so you can track engagement
One Reply Per Comment
Each comment triggers at most one automation. If a comment matches multiple keywords, only the first matching automation sends a reply. This prevents customers from receiving multiple DMs for a single comment.

Creating a Comment Automation

1

Navigate to Channels

Go to AI Chatbot → Channels in your dashboard. Scroll down to the Comment Automations section (visible when Instagram is connected).

2

Click Add Keyword

Click the Add Keyword button to open the automation creation dialog.

3

Enter the Keyword

Type the keyword or phrase you want to detect. For example: PRICE, INFO, LINK, or FREE GUIDE. Keywords are case-insensitive, so “PRICE”, “price”, and “Price” all match.

4

Write the Response Message

Write the message that will be sent as a DM to anyone who comments the keyword. Keep it helpful and relevant. You can include links, pricing, or any information you want to share.

5

Save

Click Create to save the automation. It will be active immediately and start monitoring comments on all your Instagram posts.

Managing Automations

Each automation card in the list shows the keyword, a preview of the response message, and the number of replies sent (trigger count).

Toggle On/Off

Use the switch on each automation to enable or disable it without deleting it. Disabled automations stop monitoring for their keyword but retain their configuration and trigger count.

Edit

Click the pencil icon to modify the keyword or response message of an existing automation. Changes take effect immediately.

Delete

Click the trash icon to permanently remove an automation. This action cannot be undone. The trigger count history is lost.

Trigger Count

Each automation displays a badge showing how many times it has been triggered (i.e., how many Private Reply DMs it has sent). Use this to track which keywords generate the most engagement.

Example Use Cases

Share Pricing

Keyword: PRICE — Response: “Thanks for your interest! Here's our current pricing: [link to pricing page]. Let me know if you have any questions!”

Lead Magnet / Free Resource

Keyword: GUIDE — Response: “Here's your free guide! Download it here: [link]. Enjoy!”

Discount Code

Keyword: DISCOUNT — Response: “Thanks for commenting! Use code SAVE20 for 20% off your next order at [store link].”

Product Details

Keyword: INFO — Response: “Great question! Here are all the details about this product: [product link]. Feel free to ask if you need anything else.”

Tips for Comment Automations

  • Keep keywords simple and unique — Use short, memorable words that customers can easily type in a comment. Avoid common words that might match unintentionally.
  • Tell your audience the keyword — In your Instagram post caption or Reel, include a call-to-action like “Comment PRICE to get our pricing sent to your DM!”
  • Make responses valuable — The DM response should deliver genuine value (a link, a discount, useful info). This builds trust and drives engagement.
  • Monitor trigger counts — Check which keywords are performing well and adjust your content strategy accordingly.
  • Use different keywords for different posts — Create separate automations for different campaigns or products so you can track each one independently.
Instagram Private Reply Limits
Meta's Private Reply API allows sending a DM in response to a comment only within a limited time window after the comment is posted (typically within 7 days). After that window, the Private Reply may not be delivered. Automations work best with recent, active posts where comments come in quickly.

Web Widget

The web widget is always active when your chatbot is enabled. It appears as a floating chat bubble on your Vaendora storefront. No extra setup is needed for the web widget — it is configured through the Widget Designer and Chatbot Settings.

For detailed widget customization options, see the Widget Designer section in the AI Chatbot documentation.

Unified Inbox

All messages from all connected channels flow into a single Inbox. This means you do not need to check Instagram, Facebook Messenger, your website, and (soon) WhatsApp separately. Every conversation is in one place with your AI handling the first response.

Key benefits of the unified inbox:

  • See all customer conversations regardless of source
  • AI responds automatically across all channels
  • Manually take over any conversation when needed
  • Track message sources in Usage & Stats to understand which channels your customers prefer
Channel Source Tracking
In Usage & Stats, you can see a breakdown of messages by channel (Web, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger). This helps you understand where your customers are most active and allocate your marketing efforts accordingly.