Connect your Apple Messages for Business account with Bitrix24 to process Apple devices users' messages sent via the Message app.
To connect the Apple Messages for Business with Bitrix24, you'll need to create a new verified Apple Messages for Business ID or use an existing one and select Bitrix24 as a Messaging Service Provider.
Registering Apple Messages for Business
Go to Contact Center > Apple Messages for Business.
If you don't have the verified Apple Messages for Business ID, you have to register it by clicking Connect. If you already have an Apple Messages for Business ID, you can connect Apple Messages for Business by clicking the configure manually link.
After logging in or registering the Apple Messages for Business ID, enable the Business Accounts for Messages service. Click the Add service button > Done.
Click Messages for Business Accounts.
Click Add new:
Accept Apple Messages for Business Policies. Also, there are links to helpful articles on this page.
1. Messages for Business Account
In this step, you need to add information about your company: address, contacts, type of company.
If you're connecting the Apple Messages for Business for the first time, we strongly recommend testing all the possible usage scenarios.
To do that, you can set a special Apple Messages for Business test connection. The test connection does not require verification and starts working immediately, but, unlike the commercial connection, only Apple IDs that have been specified as testers can access this channel. In this case, select the Internal test Account as a type of your Account.
If everything is ok, select your Messages for Business Account type - Commercial account.
Specify your technical staff to contact with - Technical Contact.
Specify how your company works: online or offline. If you have two or more public locations or an online business with no public locations, then the Brand profile is what you need. If you have one public location, then you need the Locations profile.
Brand profile is selected if your business is online with no public locations or has two or more public locations.
Locations profile is selected if your business has only one public location. In this case, you will be asked to specify its address, or if there is no such location on Apple Maps, you'll be asked to add it.
2. Brand Information Card
In this step, you need to create a new brand, select the design of notifications, specify the live agent response hours.
Choose a brand for this Business Chat account or add a new brand.
Fill in the required fields: name, phone, category of your brand.
Fill in the additional information about the brand: messaging response time and telephone number.
Select the time zone and specify the working hours of your agents.
3. Brand Identity
In this step, you need to select a square logo and wide logo.
Then confirm that your logo meets the requirements:
- The logo has a background.
- The logo size fits notifications.
- The logo is legible in the light and dark mode.
If one of these requirements is not met, click Back, correct the logo according to the requirements and upload it again:
Next, upload the wide logo to a special area. On the right, you can see what the logo will look like in the push notifications in the dark and light color mode. You can also select the background color and the color of the buttons.
Then confirm that your logo meets the requirements:
- The logo is legible.
- The logo is nicely contained in the header preview (not cut off).
- The logo in the header contrasts with background color and navigation buttons.
4. Messaging Service Provider Configuration
In the last step, select the Messaging service provider.
Select Bitrix24 from the list of Apple authorized commercial messaging service providers.
Checking the data and sending them for review
Make sure that all the specified data is correct and, if necessary, edit the data by clicking the Edit button. Then click Send for review to send your business ID for review to Apple.
Connect Apple Messages for Business
After passing the initial verification, click Test your Messaging Service Provider connection in the Messaging Service Provider section:
Click Connect:
You'll be redirected to your Bitrix24. Click Connect.
Or you can copy the verified Business Chat ID > click configure manually in your Bitrix24 > paste the Business Chat ID to the corresponding field > click Connect.
Apple Messages for Business is ready to be online after internal checking for sending and receiving messages.
The next required condition is QA testing. You will be notified about it by Apple Messages for Businesst specialists. You will receive instructions on how to prepare for QA testing and how to create Use Cases.
You fill out and send the Use Cases documentation and approve that you are ready for QA testing.
After your Use Cases are approved, you will receive the schedule for QA testing.
After successfully passing the QA testing, the account is given the Online status, and an email is sent to the Business ID account email address.
How it works
A client gets to your website > clicks the website widget > sends you a message via Apple Messages for Business.
An agent gets a message to Bitrix24 Chat (web version, desktop or mobile app).
- Apple device is needed to send messages to Apple Messages for Business via the Messages app (iOS 15.0 and higher, macOS 10.13.4 and higher, watchOS 4.3 and higher).
- All messages are sent and delivered in real-time.
- You can send videos, photos, files, and pay via Apple Pay in chat.
- Check if this option is available on your plan. You can find all the information about Bitrix24 plans on the pricing page.
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