Salesforce | Setup | Configure the Message Feed

The Message Feed provides you with a real-time, two-way messaging experience within Salesforce. This allows you to have 1:1 chat-like conversations with your leads and contacts. 

Message Feed

• Outbound messages are displayed as green boxes on the right-hand side of the feed.
  • You can easily see who has sent each message by the user initials.
  • You can also hover over the sender ID to display which account the message was sent from.
• Inbound messages are displayed as blue boxes on the left-hand side of the feed.
• WhatsApp messages will show a small WhatsApp icon on the sender initials to help easily identify between SMS and WhatsApp.
• The Message Feed works with the Lead, Contact, Account, Opportunity and Case Objects, and can be easily added to your preferred record page or page layout.

Salesforce Lightning Experience

The Message Feed can be added to Lightning record pages. This requires the use of the Lightning App Builder. 

1. Open the record page in the Lightning App Builder, or create a new record page.
2. In the Components menu in the left sidebar, scroll down to Message Feed. 
3. Click and drag Message Feed from the Components menu onto the record page. 
4. Save the record page and activate if necessary. 

Salesforce Classic - Embedded Message Feed

To embed the Message Feed into a page layout, you'll need to add the Visualforce Page (e.g. mercuryleadfeed, mercurycontactfeed) to the page layout for the specific object.

1. Navigate to the Setup page. 
2. From the left-side navigation, click on Customize and then click on the object e.g. Leads. 
3. Click on Page Layouts.

4. Click Edit next to the desired page layout(s) to open the page layout editor.

   If you want to use the Embedded SMS Feed for a custom object, you'll need to create the Feed Visualforce page (Custom Object Message Feed instructions below) before you can add it to the page layout.

   

5. Select the Visualforce Pages option from the selection section. We recommend adding a new section to your page by selecting the Section option and dragging it to the page where you'd like the feed to appear.

   

6. Give the section a name e.g. Message Feed and select single or double columns.

   

7. Select the message feed Visualforce page (e.g. mercuryleadfeed, mercurycontactfeed) and add it to your new page section. 

8. Once the Visualforce Page is added, click the Properties wrench icon on the Visualforce Page Component and set the Height value to 600 pixels. Click OK to save the property settings.

   

9. Save your page layout and you'll be able to view the embedded Message Feed.

Salesforce Classic - Pop out Message Feed

To use the Message Feed in a separate pop-out window, you need to add the SMS Feed Custom Button to the page layout on the Lead, Contact, Account, Opportunity and Case pages.

1. Navigate to the Page Layout Editor.
2. Select Buttons in the left side menu.

3. Click on the SMS Feed button and drag it into the Custom Buttons section of the page.

   

4. Click Save.
5. Click the button and open the Message Feed in a separate window.

Salesforce Mobile App Message Feed

You can use the Sinch SMS for Salesforce Message Feed in the Salesforce Mobile App by adding the feed to the Mobile Actions bar in the page layout of the relevant object.

1. Navigate to the Page Layout Editor.
2. Select Mobile & Lightning Actions in the left side menu.

3. Click on the SMS Feed button to add it as a Mobile and Lightning Experience Action.

   For Custom Objects, you must first create the Message Feed Visualforce page and button and make it available for Salesforce1 mobile apps and Lightning Pages.

   

4. Click Save.
5. Once the Feed has been added as a mobile action, you can access the Message Feed in the Salesforce mobile app by clicking on SMS Feed. You can then configure your message sending details, compose your message and click Send.

Custom Object Message Feed

To use the Message Feed feature for Custom Objects, you'll need to create a simple Visualforce page.

1. Navigate to the Setup page. 
2. From the left-side navigation, click on Develop and then click on the Visualforce Pages.
3. Click on the New button.

4. Configure the page details:

   FIELD NAME	FIELD VALUE
   Label	mercury[ObjectName]Feed e.g. mercuryBookingsFeed
   Name	As Above
   Available for Salesforce Mobile apps and Lightning Pages	TRUE

   Visualforce Markup:

   <apex:page showHeader="false" standardStylesheets="false" standardController="[ObjectName]">
   
   <mercury:mercuryFeed recordId="{!$CurrentPage.parameters.id}" ciRef="{!$CurrentPage.parameters.ci_ref}" ciHost="{!$CurrentPage.parameters.ci_host}"/>
   
   </apex:page>

   

5. Save the page.
6. Depending on your preferred Salesforce experience:
   • Salesforce Classic Embedded Feed and Lightning Experience Feed: You can now add the Message Feed to the page layout by following the instructions in the relevant sections above.
   • Salesforce Classic Pop Out Feed and Salesforce1: You still need to create a custom button before you can add the Message Feed to those page layouts by following the instructions below.
7. (Salesforce Classic pop-out feed and Salesforce 1 only): Navigate to Setup page.
8. From the left-side navigation, click on Create and then click Objects.
9. Select the object.

10. Scroll down to Buttons, Links, and Actions section and click New Button or Link.

    

11. Configure the settings:

    

12. Click Save.

13. Click on the Window Open Properties button, set the width to 300 pixels and click Save.

    

14. To add the button to the page layout, navigate to the Setup page.
15. From the left-side navigation, click on Create and then click Objects.
16. Select the object.
17. Scroll down to Page Layouts and click Edit.
18. Select the SMS Feed button you created in the previous step and drag it to the Custom Buttons section.
19. Click Save.