Configure custom messaging channels

Omnichannel for Customer Service offers a suite of capabilities that extend the power of Dynamics 365 Customer Service Enterprise to enable organizations to instantly connect and engage with their customers across digital messaging channels. An additional license is required to access Omnichannel for Customer Service. For more information, see the Dynamics 365 Customer Service pricing overview and Dynamics 365 Customer Service pricing plan pages.

Apart from built-in channels like chat and email, your organization can integrate custom messaging channels like Direct Line and Telegram with Omnichannel for Customer Service. 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 Customer Service admin center.
• Create a single, unified agent experience in the Omnichannel for Customer Service app.

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 Customer Service admin center, under Customer support, select Channels. In Accounts, for Messaging accounts, select Manage.

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

3. 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.

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

5. Under Custom channel, select Add.

6. Enter the following information:

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

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

   Add more custom channels to the same account if needed.

8. Select Save and close.

9. Configure callback information.

Configure workstream and routing rules

1. In Omnichannel for Customer Service, 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

See also

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