WeChat Integration - Zoho Desk Knowledgebase

Integrating WeChat with Zoho Desk



WeChat was initially released by a Chinese MNC with approximately one billion monthly users. It is one of the most popular smartphone applications in China, competing with WhatsApp messenger. 

Info
WeChat integration is supported globally. However, it is currently not available for Zoho Desk accounts hosted in the India data center. Ensure your account is hosted in a supported data center (for example, US DC) to use this integration.

WeChat has an Enhanced User Interface Experience with the following messaging capabilities

    •    SSO login
    •    Managing users
    •    Managing accounts
    •    Recording a video
    •    Uploading images
    •    Sharing content
    •    Scanning QR code

What are the different types of WeChat Official Accounts?

  1. WeChat Subscription accounts can send up to one push message per day to their followers.
  2. WeChat Service accounts appear as friends in the “chat” section of WeChat. This type of account can send up to four push messages per month.
  3. WeChat Enterprise accounts are meant for internal team management of big companies. Each user needs to get approval to be a follower of the company's official account. The content shared can be viewed by authorized followers.

WeChat Channel Configuration

Prerequisites
  1. WeChat channel setup is supported only for Zoho Desk accounts hosted in specific data centers (for example, US DC). Accounts in the India data center are not supported.
  2. Set up a WeChat Official Account

Step-by-Step process to create a WeChat Official Account

Step 1: Go to the WeChat Official Accounts Page.

Step 2: Choose the relevant Account type based on your messaging needs
  1. 
Service Type

  2. Subscription Type
  3. 
Enterprise Account Type

Step 3: Enter a valid email address, this email address will be used to authenticate the user and a New User Account will be created after the validation.

Step 4: Select the region based on the location of your company's corporate headquarters.

Step 5: Fill in all the mandatory fields to complete the Organization/Entity Summary form.
Step 6: WeChat Official Account Verification
Once you have created the WeChat official account, you will have to follow the below steps to get the Account verified.

Step 6.1: Login to your WeChat Dashboard
 and go to the WeChat Certification page in the Setup section.



Step 6.2: You need to get access to all the APIs that are provided by WeChat for this integration. You can check this in the WeChat official account details. Login to the official account, then navigate to the Development option and check this under the Interface Privilege.




Required WeChat Official Account Information for creating a channel
 on Zoho Desk

    •    Original ID

    •    App ID (Developer ID)
  
    •    App Secret (Developer Secret)

    •    Token

    •    EncodingAESKey

You can find this data in the WeChat Official Account Dashboard. The Original ID can be obtained in the Account Info section under settings. The other details can be obtained from the Basic Configuration section under the Development tab.



Before creating the channel on the Desk the IPs have to be whitelisted (specific to your region) in WeChat settings. IP whitelisting is the primary requirement for enabling communication with WeChat APIs, regardless of geographic location. You can find an IP whitelist option in the Basic Configuration section. Add the relevant IPs to be used one by one, then click Modify to update them. Only the admin can update this.


Steps to set up the WeChat channel on Zoho Desk

Step 1: Login to your Zoho Desk account with Administrator privileges.
Step 2: Click the Setup icon ( ) in the top bar.
Step 3: Click Instant Messaging under the Channels menu.
Step 4: Click Configure corresponding to WeChat on the Instant Messaging page.
Step 5: Click Create Channel on the WeChat page.
Step 6: On the Add Channel page, follow these steps
Step 6.1: Upload an icon for the channel.

Note: The icon size cannot exceed 1 MB and should be in the .jpg, .png, or .jpeg format.
Step 6.2: Enter a name for the channel.
Step 6.3: Enter the Original ID, AppID, AppSecret, Token, EncodingAESkey and URL copied from WeChat.
Step 6.4: The Message Encryption Method must be set to 'Plaintext Mode'
Step 6.5: Select the department in which you want to receive WeChat messages.
Step 6.6: Click Save.

After successful creation of the channel, the following data will be displayed along with the WeChat account details in the Channel detail page.

Due to platform restrictions imposed by WeChat, service accounts that are verified outside Mainland China are not permitted to send Customer Happiness Survey messages through the WeChat API. This is a known limitation from WeChat’s end and is not an issue with the Zoho Desk integration.

URL - Server address to be configured in WeChat account in order to receive messages and event info from your followers. Update the URL in the WeChat account with values provided from our end. This can be identified in the Basic Configuration section under the Development tab. Use the Change Configuration option to update it. Enter the values in the Add Channel form.

Token - You can either copy and paste this Token into your WeChat Official channel dashboard or copy the values from the official account and paste it here.The Token can also be generated randomly

Message Encryption Key (
- You can either copy and paste this EncodingAESKey into your WeChat Official channel dashboard or copy the values from the official account and paste it here.
Note: The Key can also be generated randomly on the Edit Channel form.

Message Encryption Method - Choose 'Plaintext Mode' from the available options.



Click on Submit, and the 'Submitted successfully' message will be shown. The channel is now ready to receive messages.

Supported file formats and attachment limits for WeChat

Direction

Media Type

Supported Formats

Maximum File Size

Outgoing

Image

.jpg, .jpeg, .png

10MB


Video

.mp4

10MB


Audio

.amr, .mpeg, .mp3

2 MB

Incoming

Image

.jpg, .jpeg, .png

50MB


Video

.mp4

50MB


Audio

.amr, .mpeg, .mp3

50MB


WeChat Limitations

    1. The integration can be used only for messaging purposes (IM).
    2. Agents cannot initiate conversations from within Zoho Desk.
    3. Only conversations initiated by WeChat users will be listed and converted into tickets.
    4. WeChat offers a 48-hour conversation window during which agents can send unlimited messages.
After this time frame, you can only send four pushes per month to a user.

Setting your Preferences for WeChat

To associate agents with the channel:

    1. Click the Setup icon ( ) in the top bar.
    2. Click Instant Messaging under the Channels menu.
    3. Click Preferences under the Instant Messaging sub-menu.
    4. Select a department from the top of the page.
    5. Click Associate Channel corresponding to an agent.
    6. Select the WeChat channel you wish to associate with the agent.
    7. Click Save.
The agent can view conversations from the chosen WeChat channel and reply to customers instantly.

To customize settings for converting chats to tickets:

    1. Click the Setup icon ( ) in the top bar.
    2. Click Instant Messaging under the Channels menu.
    3. Click Preferences under the Instant Messaging sub-menu.
    4. Select a department from the top of the page.
    5. Select the Tickets tab under the Preferences menu.
    6. Select the required WeChat channel under the Channels menu.
    7. Select the appropriate time duration under the Timer menu.
This is the duration of time after which a customer's response in an existing chat will create a new ticket.
Your settings will be saved instantaneously.

Deactivating a WeChat Channel

You can deactivate a WeChat channel if you wish to stop sending or receiving messages in it. The channel's existing conversations will stay intact, and you can activate it again when required.
    1. Click the Setup icon ( ) in the top bar.
    2. Click Instant Messaging under the Channels menu.
    3. Click WeChat on the Instant Messaging page. The WeChat channels created in your account will be displayed.
    4. Turn off the toggle corresponding to the channel you want to deactivate.
    5. Click Deactivate on the confirmation dialog box.

Delete a WeChat Channel

You can delete a WeChat channel if you wish to stop sending or receiving messages in it. The channel's existing conversations will stay intact, but the agents will not be able to respond, transfer or block the associated chats.
To delete a channel:
  1. Click the Setup icon (  ) in the top bar.
  2. Under Channels, click Instant Messaging.
  3. Click WeChat on the Instant Messaging page.
    The channels created in your account will be displayed.
  4. Then, click on the horizontal ellipsis at the right corner of your channel, followed by Delete Channel.

      5. Click Yes, Delete on the confirmation dialog box.
           The channel will be deleted.

Note: Once the channel is deleted, you will not be able to send or receive messages. Even though the chats are intact (read-only), the agents cannot transfer or block the existing chats.