Enable Apple Messages for Business with Amazon Connect - Amazon Connect
Prerequisites: Determine if Apple Messages for Business is the right channel for your use caseStep 1: Register with AppleStep 2: Gather required informationStep 3: Link your Apple Messages for Business ID to Amazon ConnectStep 4: Create and Submit Experience Review Recording

Enable Apple Messages for Business with Amazon Connect

Your customers can engage directly with your contact center from within their Messages application on their iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

When you enable Apple Messages for Business, your customers can find answers to their questions and request help from agents to resolve issues, while using the familiar Messages application they use every day to chat with friends and family. Any time customers use Search, Safari, Spotlight, Siri, or Maps to call your registered phone number, they will be provided with the option to chat with your contact center.

Apple Messages for Business integration with Amazon Connect enables you to use the same configuration, analytics, routing, and agent UI that you already use for Amazon Connect Chat.

Prerequisites: Determine if Apple Messages for Business is the right channel for your use case

In order to qualify as a business, make sure you meet the criteria listed in the Apple Messages for Business documentation.

If you determine that Apple Messages for Business is the right channel for your business, fill in the following forms:

Step 1: Register with Apple

Integrate Apple Messages for Business with Amazon Connect by first registering with Apple as a brand. When you do, you'll get a unique Apple Messages for Business Account ID, and you can then link your Apple Messages for Business account to Amazon Connect.

  1. Go to the Apple Messages for Business page. In the box that says As a business, I want to connect with my customers in the Messages app, choose Get Started.

  2. Create an Apple ID for your business, if you don't already have one.

    An Apple ID is typically for the personal use of Apple services, such as storing personal content in iCloud and downloading apps from the App Store. If you have a personal Apple ID, we recommend that you create a separate one using your organization’s email address to administer Messages for Business. A separate administrative Apple ID lets you distinguish Messages for Business communications from personal Apple communications.

  3. Register a profile for a new Messages for Business account by accepting Apple’s Terms of Service. We recommend creating a Commercial Messages for Business Account. You then provide business details, such as a logo and support hours.

  4. Select Amazon Connect as your Messaging Service Provider. You can do this by selecting Amazon Connect from the drop-down or by entering the following URL:

    • https://messagingintegrations.connect.amazonaws.com/applebusinesschat

After you submit your application to Apple, you’ll see the status of your application at the top of your Messages for Business Account page.

For more information about registering with Apple, see the following articles on Apple's website: Getting Started with Messages for Business and Messages for Business Policies and Best Practices.

Step 2: Gather required information

Gather the following information so you have it on hand when you open a support ticket in Step 3:

  1. Apple Messages for Business Account ID: After you’ve been approved by Apple Messages for Business, you will be issued an Apple Messages for Business Account ID. For information about locating your Apple Messages for Business Account ID, see Find your Apple Messages for Business Account ID for your integration with Amazon Connect.

    Note

    Your Apple Messages for Business Account ID is a randomized string of numbers and letters. It is not the same as your Apple ID.

  2. Apple Token: This is a unique ID that authenticates your account. For help locating your Apple token, see Find your Apple token when integrating Apple Messages for Business with Amazon Connect.

  3. Amazon Connect instance ARN: This is the identifier for the instance you want to link to your Apple business account. For information about locating your instance ID, see Find your Amazon Connect instance ID or ARN.

    Note

    Make sure you have service-linked roles enabled for the integration.

    If your instance was created before October 2018, add the connect:* policy on the role that is associated with your Amazon Connect instance. For more information about service-linked roles, see Use service-linked roles and role permissions for Amazon Connect.

  4. Amazon Connect flow ID: This is the identifier for the flow you want to use for inbound chats. For information about locating your flow ID, see Find the flow ID when integrating Apple Messages for Business with Amazon Connect.

In this step you create an Amazon Connect support ticket to link your Apple Messages for Business ID to Amazon Connect.

  1. Create a special Support ticket to link your Apple Messages for Business to Amazon Connect.

    If prompted, login using your AWS account.

    Tip

    Looking for technical support? Open an Support ticket here.

  2. Choose Account and billing.

  3. Use the dropdown box to choose Chime (End user). For Category choose Activation, and then choose Next step: Additional information.

  4. For Subject enter Apple Messages for Business Integration request.

  5. In the Description box, copy and paste the following template: 

    Subject: Apple Messages for Business Integration request
   Body:

   Apple Messages for Business Account ID (required): enter your account ID
   Apple Token (required): enter your Apple token
   Amazon Connect Instance ARN (required): enter your instance ARN
   Amazon Connect Flow ID (required): enter your flow ID

  6. Attach the two forms from the prerequisites section to the support ticket.

    Note

    This step is required. Your request will not be processed if you do not attach these forms.

    The following image shows an example of a completed ticket:

    An example completed ticket.

  7. Choose Next step.

  8. Choose Contact us, choose your Preferred contact language, and then choose Web as the contact method, if it's not selected by default.

    The contact methods.

  9. Choose Submit.

  10. Support will work directly with the Amazon Connect team on your request and follow up with any additional questions.

Next steps

After Apple Messages for Business is enabled for your Amazon Connect instance, you can add Apple Messages for Business features to your messages. For example:

  • Deflect calls with Apple's Message Suggest.

  • Embed Apple Messages for Business buttons on your website.

  • Add list pickers, time pickers, forms, and quick replies to your messages.

  • Add Apple Pay, iMessage Apps, and Authentication to your integration.

  • Use rich links for URLs.

  • Route Apple Messages for Business messages using contact attributes.

  • Enable Attachments for your integration.

Additionally, pass the Apple experience review.

Step 4: Create and Submit Experience Review Recording

Record a demo experience for review by Amazon Connect and Apple Messages for Business. The video must accurately represent the user journey that occurs when the account is in production (all use cases). Only upload a recording of the user's point of view (user's device). You don't need to send recordings from the agent console or the bot activated on the backend. You can split the video into multiple parts if needed. Demonstrate the Rich Features you have integrated in the experience, the live agent interaction, and any out of hours messages. Make sure you follow Apple Messages for Business's Best Practices and Policies.

Tips for developing the user experience

  • Introductory/welcome message: Auto-respond to first message in a new conversation should be provided within 5 seconds by an automated system. When the customer starts a conversation with an automated system, provide a message like This is an automated agent or I'm an automated agent. For more information, see Automated Messaging.

  • Terms of Use and Privacy Policy statements: These should be handled via a Rich Link to the brand's web site, allowing users to read the full terms at their convenience. Do not send large bubbles of legal text in the conversation. These should only be sent the first time a user engages in the channel with the brand, or when the terms have been updated.

  • Initial triage: A triage menu should be sent at the beginning of the interaction. This is a quick way to guide and help the user. You may use a Quick Reply message (up to 5 options). For more information, see Triage Customers.

  • Make an introduction: Always introduce live agents when a conversation begins, and after transferring a customer to a new agent.

  • Live support availability: If a customer sends help outside of normal customer service hours when live agents aren't available, an automated response should let them know when a live agent is able to respond. For more information, see Automated Messaging.

  • Allow switching from an automated to a live agent: A live agent must be reachable anytime the customer texts the word "help". Additionally, if an automated agent doesn't understand a request, the agent must seamlessly transition to a live agent after displaying a message like "I'm routing your message to a live agent to better assist you."

  • Don't ask for previously provided information: Agents can access the entire conversation history, including previous responses and recent transactions, so there should be no need to ask a customer to repeat information.

  • Rich Link: All URLs should be sent as Rich Links. This means that no tap-to-load issues or in-text links should be sent. For more information, see Use rich links for URLs .

  • Feature bubbles: Should have a relevant thumbnail image and call to action text, so customers are clear on the content of the feature and recognize it as a tap-able item.

  • We encourage the use of satisfaction surveys: Once you complete an interaction with a customer, you may want to provide them with a customer service satisfaction (CSAT) survey. For a better customer experience, provide the CSAT surveys after the experience and not after every FAQ. For more information, see Satisfaction Surveys.

  • Typing indicators: When an agent, live or automated, starts typing, the typing indicator should be displayed, so the experience is consistent. The typing indicator should be displayed before any message type (text or interactive). For messages sent by bots, as well as messages in sequence, use only a 1-second typing indicators before each message. For more information, see Typing Indicator Message.

After your experience review recording is created, you can once again create an Amazon Connect support ticket to share. Feedback will be provided by Amazon Connect and Apple Messages for Business before final approval.

  1. Create a special Support ticket to share your experience review recording. If prompted, login using your AWS account.

  2. Choose Account and billing.

  3. Use the dropdown box to choose Chime (End user). For Category choose Activation, and then choose Next step: Additional information.

  4. For Subject enter Apple Messages for Business Experience Review request.

  5. In the Description box, copy and paste the following template:

    Subject: Apple Messages for Business Experience Review request

Body:

   Apple Messages for Business Account ID (required): enter your account ID

  6. Attach the experience review recording.

  7. Choose Next step.

  8. Choose Contact us, choose your Preferred contact language, and then choose Web as the contact method, if it's not selected by default.

  9. Choose Submit.

  10. Support will work directly with the Amazon Connect team on your request and follow up with any feedback.