Configure custom messaging channels

Applies to: Dynamics 365 Contact Center—embedded, Dynamics 365 Contact Center—standalone, and Dynamics 365 Customer Service

Important

The Telegram and Kik custom messaging channels were deprecated and removed from Omnichannel for Customer Service on October 8, 2024. Learn more at Deprecations in Customer Service.

Apart from built-in channels like chat and email, your organization can integrate custom messaging channels like Direct Line. With the custom messaging channel capability, you can:

• Bring in the channels your customers already use so that you can engage with them in familiar ways.
• Integrate line-of-business or in-house channels that are specific to your organization.
• Easily configure the administrator experience in the admin center.
• Create a single, unified agent experience.

Prerequisites

• Have a bot that's built using the Microsoft Bot Framework and registered with Azure Bot Service. Make sure to register the bot resource as a multitenant app.
• Connect the custom channel to the Azure bot resource.
• Have the app ID.
• Have the client secret value.

Configure a custom messaging channel

1. In the site map of Contact Center admin center or Customer Service admin center, go to Customer support, and then select Channels.

2. In Accounts, for Messaging accounts, select Manage.

3. On the Accounts and channels page, select New account.

4. Enter the following information:

   • Channel details:

     • Name: Enter a name for the custom messaging account.
     • Channel: Select Custom from the list.
     • Method: Select Azure bot framework from the list, and then select Next.

   • Account details:

     • Microsoft app ID: Enter the app ID.
     • Client secret: Enter the client secret value.

5. Select Validate. After validation succeeds, select Next.

6. Under Custom channel, select Add.

7. Enter the following information:

   • Name: Enter a name for the custom messaging channel.
   • Channel: Select a messaging channel from the list.

8. Select Add to add the channel to the account.

   Add more custom channels to the same account if needed.

9. Select Save and close.

10. Configure callback information.

Configure workstream and routing rules

1. In the admin center app, select Workstreams, and then create a workstream. Be sure to select Messaging for Type and Custom for Channel.

2. Select the workstream that you created for the custom channel.

3. Select Set up Custom.

4. On the Custom channel page, select the custom messaging account you created earlier.

5. On the Language page, select the required language.

6. On the Behaviors page, configure the following options:

   • Custom automated messages
   • Post-conversation survey

7. On the User features page, if you want customers or agents, or both, to send file attachments, turn on File attachments and select the appropriate options.

8. Verify the settings on the Summary page, and then select Finish.

9. Configure routing rules.

Configure callback information

1. Copy the value in Messaging endpoint (URL).

2. In another browser tab or window, open your Azure bot resource on the Azure Portal > Bot Channel Registration page.

3. Paste the messaging endpoint URL in the Messaging endpoint field.

4. Select Apply, and then close the Azure portal.

5. Select Save and close.

Next steps

Test your custom messaging channel

Related information

Bring your own custom messaging channel using Direct Line
Support for live chat and asynchronous channels