SabNode
    ProductsFeaturesEnterpriseCustomersPartnersResourcesPricing
    AllConversationsAutomationCustomer DataGrowthAnalyticsCommerceDeveloperExplore products
    1. Home
    2. Features
    3. Conversations
    4. Instagram DM Inbox
    Wachat · Instagram DM

    Stop losing leads in the IG primary tab

    Wachat connects your Instagram Business account via the official Graph API and pulls every DM, story mention, story reply and post comment into the same shared inbox your team already lives in. No more "did anyone reply to that DM about pricing?" at 11pm.

    • DMs, story mentions and comments in one queue
    • Auto-reply to common DMs in 5 seconds
    • Hide or report spam comments inline
    • Convert DM threads into CRM contacts
    Feature signature
    SabNode . Wachat
    Instagram DM Inbox

    Reply to DMs, story mentions and comments in the same shared inbox.

    Live
    90s
    Median response time on Instagram DMs after Wachat goes live
    5×
    More story mentions captured and converted into CRM contacts
    73%
    Reduction in moderator time spent hiding spam comments
    The problem

    Instagram is your sales floor, not just social

    For most consumer brands in India, Instagram is the highest-intent inbound channel — higher than the website contact form, higher than email. A new follower asks "is this in stock in size M?" and you have maybe 4 hours before she goes to a competitor. The official Instagram app has no assignment, no SLAs, no notes, and the primary/general/requests split means hot leads sit in "Requests" for days. If two team members are replying from the same handle, they routinely send duplicate messages — or worse, contradict each other on price.

    Story mentions are even more thinly handled. A micro-influencer with 8,000 followers tags your brand in a story and you have a 24-hour window to react before the story disappears. Most teams find out on Monday morning that they missed three story mentions over the weekend, including one from a verified account.

    Comment moderation has its own failure mode. Negative comments under boosted ads tank the ROAS because new viewers see the complaint before they see the product. Hiding or replying to comments requires opening the post in the app one by one — there is no bulk workflow, no keyword auto-hide, no tag-and-route. By the time a community manager catches up, the damage is done.

    What it is

    Instagram DM Inbox, in depth.

    Wachat's Instagram inbox uses the official Instagram Graph API via Meta Login for Business, which means everything you can do in the native app — and several things you cannot — is available with full audit and multi-user support. Direct messages, story replies, story mentions, post comments, ad comments and Reels comments all flow into the same queue as your WhatsApp and email, with the contact deduplicated by Instagram username and any matched phone or email.

    Auto-replies and rules run server-side. You can configure a rule like "if a DM contains the word 'price' AND the sender does not follow us yet, send a list message with our top three SKUs and a discount code". For story mentions, an auto-reply can thank the user, request UGC permission and tag them as a potential ambassador in the CRM — all within seconds of the mention, well inside the 24-hour message window Meta allows for ice-breaker replies.

    Comment management is built for teams. Comments stream into a dedicated section of the inbox with the parent post visible. Agents can reply, like, hide or report a comment without leaving the page. Keyword rules auto-hide profanity, competitor mentions or spam DMs containing links, and the audit log shows which agent took which action — critical when a customer complains that their comment was hidden.

    Because Instagram DMs share the same shared-inbox machinery as the rest of Wachat, every routing rule, SLA timer, canned reply and AI suggestion you have configured applies here too. A returning customer who DMs about a refund gets routed to the same senior agent who handled their last WhatsApp ticket. A new follower asking about sizing gets a flow-generated reply with the size chart PDF and a "Talk to a stylist" button.

    Capabilities

    Everything you get with Instagram DM Inbox.

    7 capabilities
    01

    Unified IG event stream

    Direct messages, story replies, story mentions, story shares, post comments, ad comments, Reels comments and Live comments all land in the same queue with type icons and parent-content previews. Filter to any subset with one click.

    02

    Story mention auto-reply

    When a user tags you in their story, Wachat can auto-thank them, request UGC permission with a button, and tag them in the CRM as a potential ambassador — all within the 24-hour reply window Meta allows for story mention events.

    03

    Comment moderation rules

    Keyword and regex rules auto-hide profanity, competitor names or link spam on any post or ad. Allow-lists protect known customers and verified accounts. Every hide/report action is logged with agent ID for community manager accountability.

    04

    Ice-breakers and persistent menu

    Configure Instagram's ice-breaker questions and persistent menu directly from Wachat — no need to dig through Meta Business Suite. Updates push live to your account in under 60 seconds, with version history and rollback.

    05

    Quick replies and saved replies sync

    Native Instagram quick replies and Wachat's richer canned replies live side by side. Agents can use either, and the AI layer suggests the best match based on the DM content and customer history.

    06

    DM to deal conversion

    One click turns an Instagram DM thread into a CRM contact and a deal in the sales pipeline, with the Instagram handle, follower count, location and profile bio captured as attributes. The DM history stays linked for context.

    07

    Multi-handle support

    Connect multiple Instagram Business accounts — main brand, sub-brand, regional handles — and assign each to a different team or routing rule. Agents see all queues they have access to, and admins can scope visibility per handle.

    Use cases

    Built for the way teams actually work.

    E-commerceCase 01

    Beauty brand handling sizing DMs

    A cosmetics D2C brand auto-detects DMs asking about shade or skin type and replies with a list message linking to the shade-finder quiz. Conversion from quiz to purchase is 28%, and agents only handle DMs that fall outside the rule set — roughly 35% of inbound, down from 100%.

    HospitalityCase 02

    Restaurant table reservations

    A multi-outlet restaurant routes DMs asking for reservations to a flow that captures date, party size and outlet. Bookings flow into the CRM and into the POS, and the customer receives a WhatsApp confirmation. Manager DMs from Instagram-driven reservations have grown 4× in six months.

    Real EstateCase 03

    Real estate enquiry capture

    A property developer turns every IG ad comment that mentions "price" or "site visit" into a CRM lead, with the comment text, ad ID and creative version recorded. Sales call-back happens within 12 minutes during business hours, and the close rate from IG ads has doubled.

    EducationCase 04

    Edtech course enquiries

    A test-prep institute auto-replies to Reels comments asking about course start dates with a DM containing a list message: select the exam (CAT, GMAT, GRE, IELTS). The selection routes to the relevant counsellor queue with the Reel ID as context, lifting enrolled leads from Reels by 51%.

    Travel & HospitalityCase 05

    Travel agency itinerary requests

    A boutique travel agency converts story-mention DMs into trip enquiries: a flow asks destination, dates, group size and budget. The completed enquiry creates a deal in the CRM with an assigned trip designer; response time has dropped from 9 hours to under 12 minutes during business hours.

    How it works

    From signup to first send in minutes.

    Instagram DM Inbox is included on every SabNode workspace. No separate billing, no extra setup, flip it on from your workspace settings.

    1. 01

      Convert to a Business account

      Your Instagram handle must be a Business or Creator account linked to a Facebook Page. Wachat walks the admin through the conversion in 2 minutes if not already done.

    2. 02

      Connect via Meta Login

      Click "Connect Instagram", complete Meta's OAuth flow granting Wachat the messaging, content_publish and manage_comments permissions. Connection takes about 60 seconds.

    3. 03

      Set up auto-replies and rules

      Build keyword rules for common DMs (price, size, shipping), a story-mention thank-you flow, and comment moderation rules for the handles you connected. Test in sandbox before going live.

    4. 04

      Route to teams

      Assign DM routing — for example, all DMs from accounts with >10K followers go to a senior agent. Tie SLAs to the IG channel: 30 minutes during business hours, auto-template after-hours.

    5. 05

      Monitor and iterate

      Watch the dashboard: DMs received, response time, story mentions handled, comments hidden, deals created from IG. Tune rules weekly based on the top inbound keywords and ad performance.

    Plays well with

    Works with the tools you already ship on.

    Connect directly with your existing stack or leverage the Platform Core tools to extend capabilities natively.

    Instagram Graph APIMeta Login for BusinessMeta Commerce CatalogueShopifyHubSpot CRMSalesforceGoogle SheetsSlack

    Platform Core Tools

    Enhance this feature with deep integrations into our core infrastructure. Connect via API, utilize webhooks, or embed directly using our SDKs.

    • Unified Dashboard Apps

      Manage all settings seamlessly within the core UI.

    • Developer APIs and Webhooks

      Extend functionality with custom automated workflows.

    Frequently asked

    Questions about Instagram DM Inbox.

    Can't find what you're looking for? Talk to our team.

    Does this work with personal Instagram accounts?
    No. The Instagram Graph API only supports Business and Creator accounts that are linked to a Facebook Page. The conversion is free and reversible, takes under 2 minutes in the Instagram app, and does not change the username, followers or content. Wachat detects account type at connection time and guides you through conversion if needed.
    How many DMs per second can be sent?
    Instagram's API enforces per-user and per-app rate limits — roughly 100 messages per second per page-scoped account, with bursts capped to protect deliverability. Wachat handles rate limiting transparently with a token-bucket queue, exponential backoff on 429s, and per-handle visibility so you can plan campaigns without hitting Meta's ceilings.
    Can I reply to story mentions and how long do I have?
    Yes. Meta opens a 24-hour message window when a user mentions you in their story, replies to your story, or sends you a DM. Inside that window you can send any message type — text, media, list, button. After 24 hours, you can no longer message that user until they message you again. Wachat tracks the window per contact with a live countdown.
    Will hiding comments hurt my reach?
    No. Hiding comments removes them from public view but does not affect the post's reach or engagement signals to the algorithm. The original commenter still sees their comment when logged in, which avoids the "why was I muted" backlash. Wachat's audit log records every hide action with agent and timestamp for transparency.
    Can I run promotions or contests over DMs?
    Yes, with care. Meta's policy allows promotional DMs only inside the 24-hour message window opened by an inbound message or mention. Wachat's flow builder makes it easy to run a "comment-to-DM" contest: a user comments a keyword on your post, gets an auto-DM with the entry form, and the conversation continues inside the allowed window.
    How do I manage multiple brand handles?
    Connect each Instagram Business account separately under the same Wachat workspace. Each handle becomes its own queue with its own routing rules, SLAs and team scopes. Agents only see handles they have permission to access. Cross-handle reports show aggregate response time, DM volume and conversion across the portfolio.
    Does it support Reels and Live comments too?
    Yes. Reels comments, Reels DMs, Live comments and Live DMs all stream into the same inbox in real time via Meta's webhook events. Live comments are especially useful — community managers can hide spam during a live broadcast, pin a CTA reply, and convert engaged viewers into CRM contacts the moment the Live ends.
    Related features

    Stronger when stacked.

    Browse every feature
    Shared Inbox
    Every channel in one queue. Assign, route, resolve — together.
    Read more
    WhatsApp Business API
    Official Cloud API access with templates, rich media and list/button messages.
    Read more
    Web Chat Widget
    Embed a chat bubble on your site — inherits the AI layer automatically.
    Read more
    Chat Labels
    Color-coded labels, auto-tagging rules and per-label SLA timers.
    Read more
    Wachat · Instagram DM

    Ship instagram dm inbox into production this week.

    No credit card. No sales call required. Spin up a workspace, plug in a number, and your team is live in under an hour.

    Start free Book a demoSee pricing
    SabNode

    SabNode is the operating layer for customer conversations. Chat, automation, CRM, broadcasts, commerce and AI in one workspace.

    Talk to sales
    Conversations
    Browse
    Automation
    Browse
    Customer Data
    Browse
    Growth
    Browse
    © 2026 SabNode. All rights reserved.
    PrivacyTermsStatusContact