This article explains how agents work with Instagram Messages, Comments, and Stories inside Freshdesk.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Identifying Instagram Tickets in the Inbox
• How Instagram Ticket Subjects & Source Info Work in Freshdesk
• Working with Instagram Direct Messages
• Managing Comments
• Grouped Comments (Threaded Ticketing)
• Sorting Comments
• Replying to Comments
• Splitting Comments into Tickets
• Viewing Instagram Handle on a Contact
• Supported Files
• Related features

Identifying Instagram Tickets in the Inbox

Instagram tickets appear in the inbox with the Instagram icon and the name of the connected Instagram page.

Ticket type indicators include:

• Instagram Message (DM)
• Instagram Comment
• Instagram Story Reply (reactions included)  / Story Mention
  
  

Additional context shown includes:

• The subject, based on the interaction
• Inline post or story preview
• Message-type icons (text, image, video, emoji, deleted content, etc.)
  
  

Unread Instagram tickets appear bold, and hovering over the subject shows the full title.

How Instagram Ticket Subjects & Source Info Work in Freshdesk

When a ticket is created from Instagram, Freshdesk automatically fills in two fields: Subject and Source/Source Info to help agents instantly understand the type of interaction that occurred and its origin.

Ticket Subject – Shows what kind of Instagram interaction occurred

Freshdesk sets the subject based on the customer’s action:

Direct Messages (DMs):

• The subject is the first 50 characters of the customer’s DM
• If the first DM is an image / GIF/video / deleted / unsent, then the subject is Sent an attachment
  
  

Story Interactions:

• Story Reply: Replied to a story
• Story Mention: Mentioned in a story
• Story Reaction: Replied to a story
• If the story is expired/hidden later, the subject remains the same, but the content becomes Content unavailable
  
  

Comments:

• Comment on an organic post: Commented on a post
• Comment on a sponsored post: Commented on a sponsored post
  
  

DM created from a comment (agent-initiated):

• Direct message from a comment: Direct message created from a comment
• Direct message created from a comment initiated via an automation:  Direct message from a comment via automation

This allows agents to understand the context immediately, without having to open the ticket.

Source & Source Info – Shows where the ticket originated

Freshdesk uses two fields to help identify the exact Instagram entry point:

Source

Indicates whether the ticket came from:

• Instagram Messages
  (DMs + story replies + story mentions)
• Instagram Comments
  (comments on organic posts, sponsored posts, and nested threads)
  
  

Source Info

Shows the Instagram handle’s configured name.

• By default, this is the Instagram handle name
• Admins can rename Source Info from the Instagram configuration page
  
  

How it appears inside ticket properties:
 If the admin sets the Source Info as India Support, it will appear as:

• Instagram Messages – India Support
• Instagram Comments – India Support
  
  

(Freshdesk automatically prefixes the channel + source type to keep it unique across analytics, SLAs, routing, and automations.)

Working with Instagram Direct Messages

Agents can handle direct messages, story replies, story mentions, and reactions sent to the connected Instagram page.

Agent actions for Instagram DMs

Agents can:

• View the entire DM thread inside the ticket.
• Reply directly to customers from within Freshdesk.
• Send attachments (supported file types depend on Facebook’s API limits).
• View message timestamps and sender details.
• First 50 characters of the message will be the Subject

Agent actions on Instagram Story interactions

• Story replies, mentions, and reactions will create Freshdesk tickets. The ticket subject of these interactions will vary.
• Agents will be able to preview the story for images and videos

Story replies, mentions, and reactions all appear as part of Instagram Messages.

If the customer message is older than Instagram’s 7-day window, agents see a message indicating that DM replies are disabled and can respond only after the end user responds.

If the contact has an email, the Agent can switch the channel to email and respond.

Managing Comments

Agents can respond to comments on Instagram posts once the admin has enabled Convert comments into tickets.

Individual Comments

If comments are set to be converted individually:

• Each Instagram comment becomes its own ticket.
• Agents can reply to the comment directly from the ticket.
• Replies are posted back to the original comment thread on Instagram.

Here is what the sponsored post looks like when an end user adds a comment.

When replying using “Reply,” the editor auto-tags the end user’s handle. The agent may remove the tag, but Instagram will still post the reply properly under that comment thread.

Grouped Comments (Threaded Ticketing)

If admins choose to Thread all comments into a single ticket:

• All comments on the same post appear as a single threaded ticket, similar to how it’s available in Instagram today.
• Agents see:
  • Comment list
  • Sender names
  • Thread sequence
• Useful when multiple comments are part of one conversation or campaign.
• Agents can:
  • Reply to the post (general comment)
  • Reply to specific user comments using the Social Comment Editor
  • Forward a specific comment
  • Add private notes

Sorting Comments

Agents can sort comments using:

• Oldest Comment First - Displays the oldest parent comment at the top.
• Newest Comment First - Displays the most recent parent comment at the top.
• Latest Updates First - Displays most recent comment at the top which is inclusive of both parent and child comments
  
• Sorting Scope:
  • Oldest and Newest options apply only to parent comments within a post.
  • Latest Updates First applies to both parent and comment tickets.
• Comment Display Rules:
  • At any given time, a maximum of 3 comments (parent or child) are shown.
  • If a parent comment has fewer than 3 child comments, all child comments will be displayed alongside it (based on the search context).
  • Sorting is also applied to child tickets when relevant.
• Interactions:
  • Clicking View Replies expands and displays all child replies for the selected parent comment.
  • Clicking +Conversations expands to show all comments in the post. Upon this action, all child comments will be collapsed to reduce clutter.

Replying to Comments

Agents can use the Reply Editor, and their comments will be added directly as parent comments to the post.

Agents can also respond to an end-user’s comment by clicking on Reply (on hover) near a parent or a child comment. Here, they can see three options:

1. Reply via Email
2. Reply via Instagram Message
3. Reply via Instagram Comment

Reply to Comment via Email

Agents can choose to reply to an Instagram comment through email when a contact has a valid email address. Use the drop-down near Reply in the rich text editor to choose this option.

Acceptance Criteria

• The Email option is available for both parent and child comments.
• The option is displayed only if the contact has an email.
• All email replies are added to the same ticket as child messages. No new ticket is created.

Reply as Instagram Comment

• The reply is posted as the official page response on Instagram as a child comment.
• The editor auto-fills the end user’s handle when replying to comments.
• Agents may remove the handle, but:
  • The reply still posts as a child comment, and
  • Instagram retains mapping for the conversation.
• Replies will continue to show the handle name on the Instagram post with tagging.

Reply to Comment via Direct Message (DM)

Agents can convert a Facebook comment into a private Messenger conversation when the user prefers or requires a one-to-one interaction. Use the drop-down near Reply in the rich text editor to choose this option.

• If there is a DM already ongoing with the end-user, replying to the customer via DM will be restricted (only 1 active DM ticket is allowed per contact)
• Once a DM is sent from a comment, a new ticket will be created. The DM to the comment will be available as a reference in the existing common ticket, as seen below:
• In the new ticket that is created, the subject would be Direct message from a comment. 
• The Agent message will be available as the description, and the end-user comment will be available as a private note along with a Ticket reference.
• The reply editor will be disabled until response from end-user is received. However, if the Contact has an email associated, the agent can switch to email and respond.

Splitting Comments into Tickets

• Useful when a comment introduces a new issue unrelated to the main thread. This applies only to parent comments, not child comments.
• Once the ticket is split, both the parent and child comments are removed from the existing ticket and are moved to the new (split) ticket. Any new responses to the comment will be available in the new (split) ticket.
  
  

Viewing Instagram Handle on a Contact

• Instagram handle(s) are stored under the Social Handle ID field on the contact record.
• When contacts with different social handles are merged, the field will consolidate and display all associated handles. For instance, merging an Instagram contact with a Facebook contact will show both handles in this field.

Note:
1) Instagram DM and Comment tickets can be forwarded via email, and all forwarded messages (including replies) appear as notes on the same ticket. No new ticket is created.
2) Instagram-origin tickets cannot be merged. The merge option is hidden for Facebook Messages and Comments, and these tickets will not appear in merge lists from other channels.

Supported Files

Check out the list of message types supported on Instagram:

Related features

1. CSAT Agents can send or trigger CSAT surveys for Facebook messages Learn more about sending CSAT surveys for Facebook messages here.
   
   
2. Analytics - Facebook tickets appear under Omnichannel reports where you can see Ticket Volume, Response & Resolution metrics, Agent Performance. Learn more about Facebook tickets in Analytics here.
   
   
3. Automation (Rules & Quick Automations) - Facebook tickets support Workflow Automator rules, Event- or time-based actions, and Quick actions for bulk changes. Learn more about Automations here.
   
   
4. Business Hours - SLA timers follow the business hours set for Facebook (if channel-based hours are configured in Freshdesk Omni). Learn more about Business hours here.

5. Routing - Facebook DMs and comment tickets can be auto-assigned based on Keywords, Page name, Comment type, and Agent skills. Learn more about ticket routing here.

6. SLA Policies - Facebook tickets follow the SLA associated with their group or type. Learn more about SLA policies here.

7. Ticket Activities Page - Shows the complete Facebook activity log, including Comment added, Reply sent, DM received,  and Post details.

8. Audit Logs - All Facebook ticket actions taken by agents are captured in audit logs (available with the Enterprise plan only). Learn more about Audit logs here.