Apple Business Chat

Apple Business Chat (ABC) is a messaging app (iOS) that allows you to chat with your businesses through the Messages app on their Apple devices. You can send text, images, videos, files, and attachments with text captions for the businesses to address user queries related to the brand. The platform supports 2-way communication for ABC channel.

Apple Business Chat integration helps businesses to provide customer support, promote their brand, and schedule appointments.

For instance, if you have a question about a product, you can use the AI-agent integrated with the ABC channel to receive instant assistance without having to connect with an agent.

In this article, you will learn:

• How to setup messages for Business account
• How to connect messages for business with Yellow.ai
• How to test your AI-agent on ABC

Setup your ABC channel

You can create a message for business account by using the Apple business register website.

Prerequisite

• You need to create an Apple ID.

Step 1: Setup messages for Business account

To setup messages for Business account, follow these steps:

1. Go to Apple business register and click Sign In.

   

2. Enter your Apple ID to continue.

   

3. Enable the checkbox to agree to the terms and conditions, and click Agree to create your business chat account.

   

Step 2: Create a message for business account

To create messages for business account, follow these steps:

1. Click on Get started to create a Business account.

   

2. Perform the following actions to add Messages for Business Account and Messaging for Business Service Providers for your organization:

   i. In Messages, click + Add corresponding to Messages for business accounts and Messaging service providers.

   ii. In Settings, click + Add corresponding to Private Access Tokens Issuers.

   iii. In Apple Business Register, click + Add corresponding to Brands and Members.

   iv. Click Done.

   

3. Choose Messages for Business Accounts.

   

4. Select the checkbox to Agree terms and conditions of Apple and click Agree to create Messages for Business Accounts.

   

5. Click + Add New to create a Business Chat account for your brand. For more information, see Create a commercial business chat account.

   

Step 3: Register your messages for business service

1. Click Get Started to register your Messages for business service.

   

2. Enable the checkboxes to agree on the design guidelines, business policies, and best practises, then click Next.

   

3. Enter the following details about your organization and click Next.

   • Legal Name of Organization: Enter the display name of your brand.

   • Website: Enter the web URL of your brand.

   • Head Office Address: Enter the head office's address of your organisation.

     

Step 4: Commercial account

A commercial account is used to directly interact with your customers.

To create a commercial account, follow these steps:

1. Select the business chat account type as Commercial account and click Next.

   

2. Enter the technical contact user name and sponsoring executive (this field is optional) for your account and click Next.

   

3. Select the number of public locations for your business. If your business has only one location accessible to the public, than select One Public Location and enter your location information.

   

4. Click Next to proceed.

Step 5: Provide your brand information card details

You need to create a brand if your business has multiple locations or an online business.

1. You can either add a new brand or select an existing one. For new brands, you need to enter the brand details and click Add.

   

2. Select your time zone and estimated timeline for a live agent to respond to your customers during office hours, and click Next.

   

Step 6: Add your brand identity details

To add your brand identity details, follow these steps:

1. Upload a square logo, you will see it in the conversation list. Click Next.

   

note

The square logo should have a full color background, and it cannot be personal or product pictures.

2. Verify your logo’s appearance in both dark and light mode previews. Select the checkboxes and click Next.

   

3. Add a wide logo, which will be shown at the top of the conversation. Click Next.

note

The wide logo should have a transparent background and text.

4. Verify the appearance of the logo in both dark and light mode previews and click Next.

   

5. Verify the color and logo in both dark and light mode previews. Select the checkboxes and click Next.

   

Step 7: Confiure Messaging service provider

1. Select your Messaging Service Provider (MSP) as Yellow.ai or provide your MSP's URL. Click Next to continue.

   

Step 8: Ready to launch

After configuring your Message Business account, you need to contact the support team to get your account reviewed by Apple.

1. Configure your iOS entry points. Once your business chat buttons are publicly available, go to the Apple Business Register to enable your business. For more information, click here.

2. Configure the business chat button on your website and app. For more information, click here.

3. Click Send for Review to submit your request for Apple to review your account. Apple will review your account to verify if it meets the standards for customer interaction.

4. Once you submit your profile, a confirmation message is displayed, as shown in the below screenshot.

   
   • If you do not have any alerts, the status area on the profile page shows that Your request has been sent and is being reviewed by Apple.

   

note

• If you have any alerts, you need to fix them before you submit your profile for review.
• The approval process may take 1 or 2 business days.

5. Once your account is reviewed by Apple, it will be in an online state.

6. Click on your account, expand the Links drop-down, and Copy ID to connect your bot.

   

Connect ABC channel to your bot

To connect ABC channel to your bot on the platform, follow these steps:

1. On the left navigation bar, click Extensions.

   

2. Click Channels > Messaging > Apple Business Chat.

   

3. Enter the Business ID that you have copied from the Messages for Business Account and click Save.

   

4. Navigate to the Overview page, under the Active channels section, you can see that the ABC channel is successfully connected to your bot.

   

Test your bot on ABC

After connecting your bot to the ABC channel, you can test your bot.

Prerequisites

• Ensure that you have created the bot with intents and configured the flows with the same intent. For more information, click here.

• To test your bot on ABC, you need to Copy Conversational link from the Messages for Business Account.

  

To test your bot on ABC, follow these steps:

1. Paste the conversational link that you have copied from the Messages for Business Account in the address bar and click enter.

   

2. Enable the checkbox and click Open Messages.

   

3. Start the conversation to test your bot.