P2P Outbound Messaging

Outbound Messaging allows organizations to intiate proactive communication with contacts through their preferred messaging channel directly from Rocket.Chat,without requiring the contact to start the interaction. It adresses a key gap for organizations that need to send critical communications such as legal reminders, appointment confirmations, social welfare updates, emergency alerts without relying on external tools or workaround.

This guide provides a comprehensive overview of how to configure and use the feature for personalized (P2P) outbound communication.

Key features

• Send messages through supported citizen-facing channels like WhatsApp.

• Use predefined, customizable template messages for consistent and professional communication.

• Assign responsibility for replies to specific agents or departments.

Configure outbound messaging

Workspace administrators are required to follow these steps to enable outbound messaging:

1. Contact the Sales team to purchase and enable the Outbound Messaging add-on for your workspace.

2. Set up a communication channel for outbound messaging. Currently, only WhatsApp 360Dialog (Cloud API) is supported.

3. Create Template Messages in your WhatsApp 360Dialog account. Only Meta-approved templates can be used in Rocket.Chat.

4. Assign the following permissions to the desired user roles in your workspace:

   Permission	Description
   Send outbound messages	Allows the user to create and send outbound messages through supported channels.
   Can assign agent to receive outbound message responses	Allows the user to designate a specific agent who will handle replies to an outbound message.
   Can assign departments to receive outbound message responses	Allows the user to assign a department where replies to an outbound message wil be routed to.
   Can assign self to only receive outbound message responses	Allows the user to assign themselves as the sole recipient of replies to the outbound message.

   By default, some are already assigned to defualt roles like agents, monitors, and managers.

Once configuration is complete and the required permissions are assigned, users with the appropriate roles can begin sending outbound messages directly from Rocket.Chat.

Send outbound message

There are two ways to create an outbound message:

1. From the main menu: On the Rocket.Chat main menu, click the Create New icon, then select Outbound Message.

2. From the contact’s profile: Go to the Omnichannel Contact Center, navigate to the Contacts tab, and select a contact. From the contact details panel, click the   Outbound Message icon next to the contact number you want to message. This option automatically pre-fills the recipient details for you.

Both options will open the Outbound Message modal, which will guide you through the following steps:

Step 1: Add the recepient details

1. Enter the following details:

   Field	Description
   Contact	The contact you want to message from your contact list.
   Channel	The communication channel. Currently, only WhatsApp 360Dialog (Cloud API) is supported.
   To	The contact’s phone number.
   From	The WhatsApp number connected to your workspace that will send the message.

2. Click Next to continue.

Step 2: Add the message

1. Select a message from the Template dropdown. All approved template messages from the associated contact number will be displayed in the dropdown.

2. If the template has variables, you'll be prompted to enter the Body parameters. Fill in the parameters manually or use the Placeholder button to insert data directly from the contact's information.

3. Check the Message Preview in real-time to see how the message will look to the recipient.

4. Click Next.

Step 3: Assign replies

Optionally, you can assign the default agent or department to handle any replies to this outbound message.

1. To assign replies, set the following fields:

   Field	Description
   Department	Select a default department to handle all replies to this message. If a department is chosen but no selected agent, the reply will be routed to any available agent within that department.
   Agent	Assign a specific agent in the selected department to handle replies.

2. Click Next to continue.

Step 4: Review and send

Confirm all details before sending the message.

1. Review the Template name, Recipient, Sender, Assigned department/agent, and the Message preview.

2. Click Send to dispatch the message. A confirmation message appears when the outbound message is successfully sent.

3. After a few seconds, the contact will recieve your message on WhatsApp.

You have now configured outbound messaging and learned how to create, review, and send P2P outbound messages. With these steps, you can now proactively engage with citizens and customers, ensuring they receive timely and relevant information.