Messenger/Instagram: Retrieve and display the Contact name accurately
Xi Han
Business problem:
- As a customer service agent using Respond, I want to automatically see the contact's name when they message via Messenger / Instagram, so that I can avoid asking for it again and create the Contact and address the Contact accurately
Desired outcome:
- Auto-populate contact name from Meta
- Reduce manual contact data entry
- Improve customer experience and personalization
Use Cases:
- Avoid toggling between Meta Inbox and Respond
- Avoid asking Contact for their name
The current workaround:
- Manually ask for the name or check Meta Inbox and update manually
Important note footer:
This is a limitation from Meta due to policy. We are working with Meta closely to help address this issue. Refer to the official documentation here.
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A
Alyaa See
Merged in a post:
Instagram: Capture & display Instagram handle
Srivhiinesh Muniandy
Business Problem
Currently, when contacts originate from Instagram, respond.io primarily stores the Instagram ID (a technical identifier). While this is required for the integration, it is not useful for day-to-day operations or marketing activities.
Teams rely on the Instagram @username (handle) to identify, verify, search, and engage users effectively. Without the handle, agents and marketers face difficulty recognizing contacts, auditing conversations, or re-engaging users outside the platform.
Desired Outcome
Automatically retrieve and store the Instagram @username (handle) — alongside the existing Instagram ID — for all Instagram-originated contacts.
A
Alyaa See
Merged in a post:
Store and display instagram usernames in respond.io contacts
Steven Thiel
Please add support for storing and displaying usernames directly in respond.io contact profiles.
Why this matters:
This is a high-priority feature, especially for teams using AI Agents or external workflows via n8n and similar tools. If a message needs to be corrected, withdrawn, or reviewed quickly, users need immediate access to the correct profile. Without the username being stored and visible, identifying the right contact becomes much slower and less reliable.
At the moment, I still have to keep ManyChat running and maintain a complex message-matching workflow in n8n just to get the username into respond.io. That creates unnecessary technical overhead for something that should be handled natively by the platform. If respond.io is meant to serve as the main communication hub, usernames needs to be stored and visible directly within the contact profile.
Expected Behavior:
Usernames should be automatically stored as part of the contact data and clearly visible inside the profile view.
Steven Thiel
This needs to be implemented ASAP. Storing the username should be a highest-priority feature in respond.io, especially for anyone using AI Agents or integrations like n8n. If a message needs to be withdrawn or corrected quickly, getting to the user’s profile fast is essential
A
Alyaa See
Hi Steven Thiel, thank you for flagging the urgency and the AI Agent / n8n context. We've noted this down and will keep you updated on any progress 🙏
N
Nabilah Binti Salleh
Merged in a post:
Show Instagram username as contact field
RM SKIN
N
Nabilah Binti Salleh
Merged in a post:
Implement Capture and Storage of Instagram @ (username) for Later User Location
V
Vithor
Description/Context:
Currently, the platform only stores the Instagram ID (technical information returned by the integration). The problem is that with this ID, it's not possible to locate the user later in a practical/operational way (e.g., manual search, verification, customer service, auditing), because the @ (username) is the identifier that allows direct identification and search.
Request (what to develop):
Capture at the time of integration/lead entry:
Username (display name, when available)
Instagram @ (username/handle) — e.g., @fulana
Save this data in the database, linked to the existing user/lead record (along with the ID).
Display these fields on the lead registration/details screen for quick reference by operations/support.
Objective:
Ensure that it's possible to locate and identify the user in the future by their @, even if the platform already only has the ID registered. Acceptance Criteria:
Every new record originating from Instagram must store ID + @ + name (when available).
The @ must be searchable/visible in the dashboard (clearly identified field).
It cannot overwrite existing data without control (e.g., if the @ changes, record the update or keep the last value — as per system standard).
If you want, I can also create a "short" version of the ticket (Jira/ClickUp standard) and an "impact/urgency" section for prioritization.
Scott Zhang
Yes, the user always change their name, so use username would be important for to identify the user
Amalia Putrieka
Hi Xi Han thanks for bringing this up!
The issue with displaying contact names from Facebook Messenger is due to a limitation from Meta. Their User Profile API doesn't support retrieving profile information for Messenger accounts created using a phone number, resulting in a generic contact number being shown.
For more details, you can refer to Meta's documentation by visiting below link:
If you have any further input or related needs, please let us know :)
Xi Han
Amalia Putrieka Alright noted , thank you so much🙏