Hourzero

Instagram

Connect your Instagram business account so your agent answers direct messages about products, sizes, and orders.

Connect your Instagram account, and your agent answers the direct messages customers send you. Questions about sizes, stock, and shipping that come in from your posts and stories get an answer right away.

Where to find it: open your agent and go to Channels → Instagram.

A clothing shop's agent answering an Instagram direct message about a linen overshirt being back in stock
A clothing shop's agent tells a customer which sizes are back in stock and shares the link.

What customers see

Customers send a direct message to your Instagram account, as they do today. The agent replies in the same chat, as your account. Each answer arrives as one complete message after the agent has finished writing it.

The agent answers messages that customers send. It doesn't start conversations or reply to comments on your posts.

How it works

  1. 1ConnectSign in with Facebook and choose your Instagram account.
  2. 2Choose the agentPick which agent answers that account.
  3. 3PublishTurn on replies for Instagram.
  4. 4TestSend a direct message and check the reply.

Before you start

  • You're a workspace owner or admin in Hourzero. Other members can't see the setup buttons.
  • Your Instagram account is a professional account. That means a Business or Creator account, not a personal one. You can switch in the Instagram app's settings.
  • The account is linked to a Facebook Page. Instagram connects through Facebook, so the account needs a Page, and you need to be able to manage that Page.
  • Message access is turned on. In the Instagram app, go to Settings → Messages and story replies → Message controls and turn on Allow Access to Messages. Without this, Hourzero can't read or answer your messages.

Tip

Turn on Allow Access to Messages before you connect. It's easy to miss, and without it the agent can't receive your messages, even if connecting succeeds.

Connect your Instagram account

  1. Go to Channels and find the Instagram row.
  2. Select Connect Instagram. If an account is already connected, the button says Add Instagram accounts instead. Meta opens in a new tab.
  3. Log in with the Facebook account that manages your Page.
  4. Choose your Instagram account and the Facebook Page it's linked to, and approve the permissions. Meta asks to let Hourzero see your Pages and linked Instagram account, and read and send its direct messages.
  5. When you finish, the tab returns to the Hourzero Channels page with the message "Instagram connected. Publish Instagram to start replies."
  6. Your account appears under the Instagram row, and the badge says Connected.

Choose which agent answers

When you connect from an agent's Channels page, Hourzero assigns each new account to that agent, unless another agent already answers it. Accounts that were already assigned keep their agent. Each Instagram account has exactly one agent.

To check or change it:

  1. Under the account, select Reply settings.
  2. Turn on Use this agent for this Instagram account. Turn it off to keep the account connected but unassigned.
  3. Select Save choices. A message confirms: "Choices saved. Publish Instagram to apply them."

If another agent already answers the account, the dialog says Currently assigned to that agent and the switch is locked. To move it, open the other agent, turn the switch off in its Reply settings, and save. Then assign it here, and publish Instagram on both agents.

Customers who are already chatting stay with the agent that started their conversation, even if you move the account later.

Publish Instagram

  1. In the Instagram row, select Edit agent. The Playground opens with Instagram selected.
  2. On the Overview tab, make sure Agent replies says Replies on after publishing. Select Save draft if you changed anything.
  3. Select Publish → Instagram. The Publish Instagram dialog shows whether the draft is saved and the connection is ready.
  4. Select Publish saved draft. The next time, the button says Publish latest draft.

A message confirms "Instagram published". The agent now answers new direct messages.

Important

Connecting doesn't start replies, and neither do later changes. New instructions, a different model, or a new assigned agent only reach customers after you publish Instagram again.

Test it for real

  1. From a different Instagram account, send a direct message to your business account, for example "Is the waxed jacket available in medium?".
  2. Check that the agent answers in Instagram.
  3. In Hourzero, open Activity → Conversations and select Visitors. The chat appears with the Instagram label.

A Playground preview can't prove that Instagram delivery works; a real message can.

Tip

Instagram replies work best short and friendly. In the Playground, you can give Instagram its own instructions, like "Keep answers to two sentences and always include a product link."

Stop or disconnect

To pause the agent but keep the account connected, open the Playground for Instagram, turn off Agent replies on the Overview tab, save, and publish.

To remove the account from Hourzero:

  1. In Channels, select the trash icon next to the account.
  2. Read the warning and select Disconnect.

All agents stop replying on that account. Your past conversations stay saved in Hourzero. If Messenger is connected for the same Facebook Page, Messenger keeps working.

Troubleshooting

"No linked Instagram professional accounts were selected"

Meta didn't return an Instagram account. Check that your account is a Business or Creator account, that it's linked to a Facebook Page, and that you chose both the account and its Page in Meta. Then select Connect Instagram again.

"Those Instagram accounts are already connected to another Hourzero workspace"

An Instagram account can only belong to one Hourzero workspace. Disconnect it in the other workspace first, or connect it there.

Messages arrive in Instagram but the agent doesn't answer

  • Is Allow Access to Messages turned on in the Instagram app?
  • Did you publish Instagram after connecting?
  • Does the account show This agent is selected, and is Agent replies on?
  • Does your workspace have credits left? Check the Usage page.
  • Did someone on your team take over the conversation? The agent stays quiet while a teammate is replying.

The button says "Instagram is not available yet"

Instagram isn't ready to connect in Hourzero yet. Contact your workspace administrator.

Next steps

MessengerAnswer messages on the Facebook Page linked to your account.PlaygroundGive Instagram its own instructions and test your draft.ConversationsRead Instagram chats and step in when a customer needs a person.