WeChat, one of the most popular messaging apps in Asia, has over one billion monthly active users. With such a large user base, WeChat has become a valuable platform for businesses looking to expand their reach in Asia. Read on to find out how to connect AI to this messaging channel to respond to customer queries effortlessly.
How to use WeChat for Business?
There are a few types of WeChat for Business accounts available for businesses:
WeChat Subscription Account: for news and journalists
WeChat Service Account: for businesses to support customers
WeChat Enterprise Account (also known as WeChat Work): for business internal use
Mini Programs: for developing apps and software
Since WeChat Enterprise Account is used primarily for internal communication and management, Service Account is recommended for businesses to reach out to customers.
WeChat Account
If you are using WeChat for business, most likely you already have an account. If not, follow these steps to create one.
Create a WeChat Official Account: You can choose from three types of accounts:
Service Account
Subscription Account
WeChat Work account.
You will need the following information to create an account:
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.
Select the region based on the location of your company's corporate headquarters.
Fill in all the mandatory fields to complete the Organization/Entity Summary form.
Verify your WeChat account: After creating your WeChat Official Account, you'll need to verify your account. Verification is necessary to gain access to WeChat's advanced features and services. Detailed steps are listed in the section below.
Customize your WeChat business profile: Once your account is set up and connected to your website, you can customize it to match your brand. You can add a profile picture, cover image, and description.
WeChat Account Verification
Login to your WeChat Dashboard and go to the WeChat Certification page in the Setup section. You will need to upload company and account manager identity files, and pay the applicable fee.
API Access
As a WeChat Official Accounts Platform developer, you will be able to use the platform's development API to receive WeChat messages from users on your own server (i.e. Myma) and reply as needed. Navigate to the Settings and Dev -> API Management option.
Make sure your account has developer permissions turned on.
Required WeChat Official Account Information for creating a channel in Myma
• Account ID
• App ID (Developer ID)
• App Secret (Developer Secret)
• 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.
Click Enable on Developer Password (AppSecret) to generate the App Secret. This is not currently used in the integration.
Add URL as: https://chatapi.bookmebob.com/wechat
Under Token, add a password of your choice
Click on Random Generation to create the EncodingAESKey
Choose the Message Encryption Method as Plaintext Mode
Account ID can be found under Account Settings
Before creating the channel in Myma the IPs have to be whitelisted in WeChat settings. You can find an IP whitelist option in the Basic Configuration section. Add the IP as 172.210.127.132 and 57.152.76.205
How to connect your WeChat account to Myma
Navigate to Settings -> Channels -> Available Channels. Go to WeChat and click Connect. Fill in the information as gathered from WeChat and click on Create New Integration.
Verify by sending a message
Open WeChat on your phone, search for the business name, and send a message. If the setup is successful, you will get a response back to your message.
You will also be able to see the conversation in Unified Inbox
Limitations
The following are some of the limitations you need to be aware of:
Only text messages sent by customers can be responded to. Images, voice inputs, and other media types are not supported. Though AI will send images back to the customer.
In response to every customer question, maximum 5 messages can be send back, any message after 5th will not be received by the customer. The following is the official error from WeChat in these scenarios: WeChat has limited the amount of time businesses can chat with Contacts to prevent spamming. WeChat Official Accounts have a messaging window of 48 hours to reply to a Contact. Due to the channel’s limitation, businesses can only send up to 5 messages within this 48 hours session. The messaging window will close if 48 hours have passed or the business has reached the 5 messages limit since the last incoming message from Contact. If the Contact responds to your message, both the messaging window and message limit will be reset.