Viber Quick Start
Last updated
Last updated
Requirements:
A personal Viber account
To create a Viber Chatbot, read our guide.
Step 1: Go to Settings > Channels
Step 2: Click Add Channel > Viber > Connect an Existing Bot
Step 3: Sign in to Viber Admin Panel
Step 4: After signing in, select a Bot to connect to respond.io. If you don't have a Bot, create a Bot account
Step 5: On the Bot Info page, locate the Token and add it to the corresponding field on the respond.io platform
Step 6: Click Complete to complete the setup in respond.io
Connecting a new bot
Step 1: Go to Settings > Channels
Step 2: Click Add Channel > Viber > Create A New Bot
Step 3: Sign in to Viber Admin Panel
Step 4: After signing in, click Create Bot Account and add the required information
Step 5: Add the token to the corresponding field on the respond.io platform
Step 6: Click Complete to complete the setup in respond.io
Once you have completed the setup, any messages sent to your Viber Business Account will now be received in your Workspace.
Once the Channel is connected, scan the QR code to send a test message and make sure everything is working properly
The Viber Channel can be configured with a unique Channel name. This name will be used internally to identify the account.
Step 1: Click Settings > Channels
Step 2: Locate the Viber Channel > click Manage
Step 3: In the Viber Configuration page you will see the following configurations:
Chat Link - A click-to-chat link is a shortened URL that directs customers to start or continue a conversation with your Viber account. You can share this link to refer customers to a new or existing thread, based on whether the user has previously messaged your Viber account. You can also generate a QR code to share the chat link to your Contacts.
Channel Name - The Channel Name can be changed and is used internally to identify the Channel.
Important: Ensure the details are correct for messages to be received successfully in your Viber account.
Step 4: Click Save Changes to update the Viber Configuration page
To connect a Viber Channel a Viber bot account is required. You can create a Viber bot here.
When you make a Viber bot, by default it won’t automatically have a live landing page on viber.com and it won’t show up in Viber’s search results right away either.
You can create a link to open a private chat with your bot, but this works only for users who have Viber on their devices. To learn how to generate a Viber link, follow this guide.
Use respond.io's Pre-Filled Text feature to populate the message box with a default message when Contacts open a chat window with your business.
This saves Contacts' time from needing to think about what to write and just click send, encouraging Contacts to send the first message.
Here's how to add pre-filled text to your Viber link and QR codes.
On the respond.io platform, click Settings > Growth Widgets > Add Widget.
Select QR Code option and click Create Widget.
Create the QR Code.
Select “Viber” as the QR code type.
Select the connected Viber Channel that you want to create the QR code for.
Add the pre-filled text that will automatically appear in the message field when the QR code is scanned.
Click Generate Widget button to create your QR code with the pre-filled text.
Click Download and select the size of the QR code you want to save or follow the instructions here to get your Viber chat link.
When Contacts scan your QR code or click on your Viber link, they should automatically have the pre-filled text in the message box.
Seeing this error means the Contact has already unsubscribed from your business Viber bot.
Opting out stops a Contact from getting messages from a business. Often, Contacts do this due to spam, feeling the business sends too many promotions. Once unsubscribed, the business can't send any messages, like broadcasts or 1-to-1 messages, unless the Contact contacts the business again.
There are two potential reasons for this.
The first is when your account is blocked by Viber. This results in the error message publicAccountBlocked from Viber API being shown when you try and send a message from the platform. If this happens to you, contact Viber Support to unblock your account.
Another reason is because you’ve exceeded the maximum free messages from the Bot.
Example:
According to the Chatbot Commercial Model by Viber, the Chatbot has a limit of 10,000 free chatbot-initiated messages per calendar month. When this limit is reached, Viber will block new chatbot-initiated messages until the following month.
To send more than the allocated 10,000 free messages, you will need to agree to Viber’s Chatbot Commercial Model, and fill out this form.
The rate applied to each chatbot-initiated message is based on the country code of the phone number with which the chatbot subscriber registered to Viber.
Learn more about Viber Bot Pricing here.
Respond.io has partnered with Viber to enable more than 10,000 chatbot-initiated messages for our customers on a custom annual plan, as well as a credit-based system for Viber fees.
Check if the test message is sent to your personal number tied to Viber or to the Viber Bot’s URI. If you are sending it to your personal number, you will not receive any messages. Try sending a message to the Bot's URL instead.
Here’s how you can locate the Bot's URL:
Step 1: Log in to Viber Admin Panel
Step 2: Select the bot and navigate to the URL field
