Google My Business Chat Integration with Pronnel: In-Depth Tutorial

Accessing the Business Communication Developer Console

Navigate to the Developer Console

Open your web browser and go to the Google Business Communication Developer Console. 

Creating a Partner Account

On the main page of the console, find and click on the 'Business Messages' section.

Select the option to create a new partner account.

Filling in Partner Account Details

You will be prompted to fill in several details. Start with your name and company's name, which will serve as the 'partner's name'.

Next, input your partner's website URL and select your geographical region from the dropdown menu.

Submit these details to proceed.

Setting Up Your Partner Account

Adding a Technical Point of Contact

• Once your partner account is created, the next step is to add a Technical Point of Contact (POC).

• Click on the 'Partner Account Settings'. Here, you will enter the information of the technical point of contact( POC), who is responsible for managing Google business communication.

  

Adding Your Brand

• In the Partner account settings' left navigation menu, click 'Brands'.

• Enter your Brand name in the provided field. Remember, this can differ from the name you used for the partner account.

  

User Management

• Go to the 'Users' tab in the left side menu.

• You can add users by entering their email addresses and assigning roles, either as a Manager or a Reader.

  

• You can skip to avoid adding users to your Partner account.

Creating and Configuring Agents

Agent Creation

• Return to the homepage of the Business Communication Developer console.

• Locate and click on the 'Create Agent' button. This will open a form for entering your Agent's information.

  

Agent Configuration

• Fill in the Agent details, including the Partner Account, Brand and the Agent Name. The Agent's Name is significant as it is what customers will see during interactions.

  

• After creating an agent, you'll see a card displaying the Agent's name on the console's homepage. Click on this card to access the Agent information screen.

  

• Here, you can add a logo, an Agent phone number, and an Agent ID. While these are optional, they can be beneficial for branding and identification purposes. 

• Enter the domain associated with your Agent. Also, provide a phone number that will be used for conversations initiated from non-local entry points, essentially overriding default numbers.

  

• Provide the URL of the 'Contact Us' page from your website. This will be a direct link for customers to reach out to you.

• Choose your preferred methods of communication by selecting appropriate checkboxes like Email and Web chat. Select at least one option from the list, including Emails, FAQs, Phone, Twitter, Web Chat, and WhatsApp.

• Enter the message that will be automatically sent as a first response when a customer initiates a chat. This is your opportunity to make a great first impression.

• Optionally, you can set a message that will be sent when no agent is available online, informing the customer of non-availability and providing alternative contact options.

• Add a link to your privacy policy from your website. This is crucial for transparency and building trust with your customers.

• Set Primary Interactions to 'Human only' to indicate that human agents primarily handle interactions.

•  Ensure the setting is marked as 'Always available' to indicate continuous service availability.

Verifying Business Location

Location Verification

• In the Agent information page, navigate to the 'Locations' tab.

  

• Search for your verified business. If your business is verified with Google, it should appear in the search results.

  
  

• Select your company and click on 'Verify'. If you've selected the correct company, verification should be immediate.

  

Preparing for Pronnel Integration

Gathering Necessary Details

• Before setting up Pronnel, you must collect key details: Agent ID, Token number, Brand ID, and Client Email.

• Agent ID and Brand ID are available on the Agent detail page.

  

• To get the Token number and Client Email, create a Service Account on the console.

• Go to 'Partner Settings' and click on 'Service Accounts'.

  

• Create a Key here. When prompted, download the key file and open it with a text editor to find your Private Key (Token number) and Client Email.

  

Setting Up Pronnel

Prerequisite

• The board in which you want to configure the communication channel of Google business chat must be connected with at least one contact type of board.

Configuring Pronnel

• Open the board, which is ready for communication integration as mentioned in the Prerequisite.

• Go to the settings, click 'Communication' and add a new communication channel such as Google Business Messages.

  

• Enter the Agent ID, Brand ID, Client Email, and Token number (Private Key) you gathered earlier.

  

Obtaining Webhook Details from Pronnel

• Once connected, Pronnel will provide a Webhook URL and Client token. Note these down, as you will need them for the next step.

  

Configuring Webhook in the Developer Console

Webhook Configuration in Partner Account Settings

• Return to the Business Communication Developer console.

• In 'Partner Account Settings', navigate to the bottom of the page to configure the Webhook.

  

• Enter the Webhook URL endpoint and Client token that you received from Pronnel.

  

Webhook Configuration in Agent detail page

• Go to the 'Integrations' section on the Agent detail page.

  

• Enter the Webhook URL and Client token details obtained from Pronnel.

  

• Verify these details to ensure the integration is successful.

Verify and Launching

Verify Agent

• Go to the Verify tab in the left menu of the agent detail page.

  

• Verify it, enter the brand contact, email of the brand employee and website URL along with messaging partner details like name and email address.

  
  

Launching Your Agent

• After verification from the Google side, launch your Agent. This will make the chat option available when customers search for your business on Google Maps.

  
  

• Sometimes, it takes a couple of days to reflect the chat option on your Google business page.

Testing the Integration

• Test the integration by sending a message through your Google business chat. This should now be accessible and manageable from Pronnel.

Conclusion

Congratulations on successfully integrating Google My Business Chat with Pronnel! This setup will streamline customer interactions, making them more effective and efficient. To connect your Google Business Chat with your website, remember to check out our tutorial on how to set up Google Business Chat on your website.