Linked Helper is now able to scrape messaging history and export it into a CSV file / send to a web-hook. This functionality though it is implemented in Scrape messaging history action, is still may be a bit obscure as it is also integrated with some other already existing actions as well.

In this article, we`ll review this new feature for you to have a better understanding of how it works and how to use its full potential. Scraped messaging history can be at hand for recruiters when checking whether an offer to candidate was already sent manually or when checking what the answer to that offer was after previous reach out attempt.

Scraping messaging history
Viewing chat history (sent messages and replies)
- Where can I check sent/replied messages of a certain campaign?
- Where can I find the full messaging history?
Exporting sent messages / replies or full chat history

Scraping messaging history

What Linked Helper actions can scrape messaging history?

Currently, chat messaging history of any profile can be scraped via Scrape messaging history action. Apart from that, any action that sends a message, like Message to 1st connections, InMail to 2nd & 3rd contacts, Message to group members, Message to event attendees, can do that, as well as Check for replies action when searching for replies.

Linked Helper saves messages sent by any messaging action into CRM (available with Built-in CRM plug-in) and built-in Inbox (available with Inbox plug-in) as well.

How to start scraping messages into Linked Helper?

If you have a campaign that sends messages, then there is nothing you need to do, messaging history is automatically scraped either from the Basic / Premium LinkedIn or from Sales Navigator / Recruiter inbox when Linked Helper is about to send a message or when it's checking for replies.

If you don't have a campaign and want to get messaging history from profiles you didn't interact with via Linked Helper, simply create a campaign using 'Scrape messaging history' template:

Please note that:

only PRO license allows you to download messaging history into a CSV file or send it to web hook;
messaging history is scraped only once, it is not auto-updated every time you start chatting manually with a person processed in the campaign;
chats with several participants are not scraped;
to scrape or update messaging history of a recent chat, you need to add a profile to the Queue (or retry it if it was already processed) and start the campaign;
Linked Helper scrapes chats only from the platform on which a profile is being processed in case (when scraping during messaging) or from which a profile was collected (in case of Scrape messaging history action); to get messages from other platforms, you can add extra Scrape messaging history actions, install Override platform plug-in, and change the platform of the following actions to Sales Navigator / Recruiter.

What chats can be scraped?

Linked Helper can scrape any chat in any platform (regular LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, or Recruiter) except for chats with three or more participants.

When processing a profile via Scrape messaging history action, Linked Helper scrapes all chats visible chats (except for group chats).

When processing a profile via messaging action, Linked Helper scrapes only the current chat with the profile.

In case of messaging action, all chats with a profile can be scraped via messaging action if the following conditions are met:

the profile is being processed by Message to 1st connections action;
chat with the profile is visible in the LinkedIn messaging popup as it is shown on the screenshot below.

Can Linked Helper scrape and save attachments?

No, attachments cannot be scraped and saved, but Linked Helper detects them and mentions the fact of the attachment being sent or received:

Viewing chat history (sent messages and replies)

Where can I check sent/replied messages of a certain campaign?

Each reply to a certain message is displayed under the profile's name in the Replied list of the Linked Helper Action / Campaign. Just go to the campaign's Workflow, find the needed Action, click the Replied list of the Check for replies or Message to 1st connections, InMail to 2nd & 3rd contacts, Message to group members, Message to event attendees actions and check the responses:

The message you sent can be found in the Successful list under the profile's name:

The same applies to Invite 2nd and 3rd level contacts action:

Where can I find the full messaging history?

Your full messaging history of every scraped chat with a profile can be found in their profile's CRM card:

There can be several chats with one person:

Exporting sent messages / replies or full chat history

How can I export full messaging history into a CSV file?

Important: messaging history export is available only for PRO license users.

You can export full messaging history (provided that it was scraped by Linked Helper) when downloading the profile from CRM, or any campaign / action list, just enable the option highlighted in the screenshot below:

How can I export campaign messaging history into a CSV?

Important: messaging history export is available only for PRO license users.

You can export campaign messaging history (provided that it was scraped by Linked Helper) only when downloading the profile from any list of the Campaign or from any Linked Helper Action inside this Campaign:

Select from where you want to download profiles from (lists of the campaign or certain action within it - you can check from where you can download profiles here):
Manually select profiles that you want to download by clicking on the checkboxes near their names or press “Select all":
Select needed delimiter, what message history you want to download (you can download full messaging history at this step as well), and click on "Download":

Please note that:

You cannot export campaign messaging history when downloading profiles from CRM, this option works only when downloading from within a campaign.
Campaign message history always starts with the message sent by Linked Helper (all previous messages are not included) and ends with the last message associated with this campaign i.e. profile's reply to the last message sent by you prior to the moment of scraping.
The message that starts the campaign history must be sent by Linked Helper version #1.11.1 or above, otherwise, such message won't be detected as part of the campaign messaging history and hence won't be included in it. Here is the example: you sent three follow-up messages to a profile, the first one was sent via version #1.11.0, the second - via #1.11.1, and the third - 1.11.5. In this case, Linked Helper will include all messages starting from the second follow-up, the first follow-up won't be included as it was sent via version lower than #1.11.1

CSV file column headers explained

At the end of your CSV, you can find the columns associated with messaging history, which also can be sent to the webhook. So it is important to understand what each column brings in order to implement integrations via webhook or upload CSV into other CRM in a correct way.

"full_messaging_history" - in this column you can see the whole messaging history with this profile, including manual messages. It may contain several chats if you had more than one with that person:

"campaign_messaging_history" - in this column you can find the messaging history of a certain campaign you exported profile(s) from:

You probably already noticed the difference in layout between the full and the campaign messaging history. That's because in the former case Convert multi-line values into single line: option was switched to No, and in the latter case it was switched to Yes before downloading:

"last_sent_message_from", "last_sent_message_text" and "last_sent_message_send_at" are columns that define name of the profile from whom you received last message and when you received that message:

"last_received_message_from", "last_received_message_text" and "last_received_message_send_at" are columns that define the last message that you sent to a profile:

add_to_target_date denotes the time when the profile was added to the Queue of the Action from where you downloaded the profile (or if you download profiles from CRM, the time when the profile was added to its first campaign); result_created_at shows the time when the profile was processed, i.e. got into Processed list;
message_1_from, message_1_text, and message_1_send_at are columns that define the message sent by the action from which you downloaded the profile:

replied_message_1_from, replied_message_1_text, replied_message_1_send_at are columns that define the message received from which you downloaded the profile:

How to send sent/replied messages or full/campaign history to webhook?

All the columns that were reviewed in the section above (please read it if you haven't had a chance yet as it will help you a lot) can be sent to the webhook as well, so you can add a Send person to webhook action into your campaign and send there what you need.

If you want to send full messaging history to webhook, just make sure that:

messaging history is scraped (check how to do that here and here) before the profile is sent to a webhook;
this option is enabled in the Send person to webhook action:

If you want to send campaign messaging history to webhook, just make sure that:

you send profiles to webhook from the campaign which messaging history you want to export;
messaging history is scraped (check how to do that here and here) before the profile is sent to the webhook;
the option of exporting campaign messaging history is enabled in the Send person to webhook action:

Please note that you can enable both options at the same time to send full and campaign messaging history at once.

If you want to send a reply to your previous message from a campaign, you need to install Send replied to Webhook plug-in and enable this option in Check for replies, or messaging actions:

And make sure the "last_sent_message_from", "last_sent_message_text" and "last_sent_message_send_at" columns are received on the other end.

To send a message which a profile received from you, you need to put "Send person to webhook" right after the "Message to 1st connections" or any other messaging action, so you can get the last message sent by you via last_received_message_from, last_received_message_text, and last_received_message_send_at field:

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