When you finish testing your agent and determine that it's ready to interact with users, it's time to launch. Open the Business Communications Developer Console and submit a verification request to get things started. After (1) your brand contact verifies your right to represent their brand and (2) Google (and potentially carriers) review your agent and launch information, your agent will be able to reach RBM-capable users on the approved carrier networks.
Verify an agent
Before your agent can launch, Google needs to verify the agent with your brand contact. This verification only happens once—the first time you request to launch the agent. Before you submit the launch request, submit a verification request. Google will email your brand contact to verify your agent's branding and your right to represent the brand. So be sure your agent's branding information is accurate before you submit the verification request.
Prerequisites
In order to verify your agent, you need the following:
- Information about your brand contact:
- Name
- Email address
- Company website
- Contact information for the person at your company who is responsible for the agent
Submit a verification request
To verify an agent, follow these steps:
- In the Business Communications Developer Console, navigate to the Verify page.
- Click Update agent verification info.
- Fill out the information, and click Update agent verification info.
Before your agent can be verified, you'll need to submit a launch request. Click Proceed to confirm that Google should email your brand contact once you submit the launch request.
Your agent's verification status changes to "Ready for verification."
Click Go to Launch to submit a launch request.
Launch an agent
When you request to launch an agent, Google checks for the brand's approval and reviews the agent assets. This process typically takes 1-3 business days. When Google has approved and launched your agent, you'll receive a confirmation email. At this point your agent can begin sending messages.
Some launch requests require carrier approval. This depends on the carriers you select for launch. In the Agent Launch Questionnaire, the carriers marked with an asterisk (*) manage their own approvals. For more details on carrier requirements and review timing, please contact these carriers directly.
Prerequisites
Before you can launch your agent, you need to complete the following:
| Pre-launch tasks |
|---|
| Fill out all required agent information |
| Test the functionality of your agent and its associated infrastructure |
| Implement the STOP (or opt-out) flow |
| Implement a way for reviewers to access and test your agent |
With those tasks complete, gather the following information:
| Launch information |
|---|
| List of countries and carriers you want your agent to operate in |
| Name, email address, and phone number for the points of contact at your company who are responsible for the agent |
| How you obtain opt-in to message users |
| What actions or events trigger messages to users |
| The types of interactions your agent will have with users |
| The exact message the agent responds with when a user opts out of communications |
| (Optional) Screenshots at publicly accessible URLs |
Instructions for agent review; these could be
either of the following:
|
Countries and carriers
RBM may become available on new carriers and in new countries. When you're ready to launch, refer to the Business Communications Developer Console for the latest list of countries and carriers where you can launch RBM agents.
Generally, when RBM becomes available on a new carrier, Google identifies launched agents in that carrier's country and automatically launches those agents on the new carrier.
Some carriers review all the agents that want to launch on their networks. In those cases, you need to submit new launch requests to launch your agent on these new carriers.
Submit a launch request
To submit a launch request, follow these steps:
- Open the Business Communications Developer Console, sign in with your RBM partner Google Account, and click your agent.
- In the left navigation, click Launch.
- Click Get started.
- Answer some questions about the state of your agent. Your agent should be
ready to
- Communicate with users who aren't on test devices
- Allow users to opt out of communications
- Have reviewers test or review video of your agent's primary, secondary, and opt-out flows
- If your agent isn't ready for one or more of these tasks, it isn't ready to launch.
- Click Fill out questionnaire.
Fill out all fields for agent information, points of contact, agent experience, and agent review.
Make sure the information you input is accurate. This information may be reviewed by Google and/or carriers prior to the launch of your agent.
Click Save.
Click Select carriers.
Select the carriers you want to launch your agent on.
Click Confirm.
Review the next steps, then click Confirm.
After sending launch requests, the Launch page displays your agent's launch status on each of the carriers you selected. This page may take a while to update.
View an agent's launch history
The Business Communications Developer Console provides a record of the changes to an agent's launch status, including what the change was, who made it, and when.
- To view the most recent change to the agent's launch status, see the agent Overview.
- For a detailed list of changes to the agent's launch status across all relevant carriers, see Agent history.