Creating Chat Bots on Facebook Messenger

Smart Messaging Platform

About meLeads Developer Relations at gupshup. Prior to gupshup worked as a Senior Developer Evangelist at InMobi. Plays Ultimate Frisbee and reads comic books in his free time.

Twitter: @soganmageshwar

Smart Messaging Platform

WHAT IS A CHAT BOT?

Once-in-decade paradigm shift

The problem with apps• App discovery is difficult in a crowded app store• User Acquisition costs are high

• Bots are the new apps

?

Messaging Apps are opening their APIs

As of April 2016. From statista.com

Facebook launches chat bots

• Facebook launched Chat Bots on Messenger during F8 2016.

• Since then 10k+ developers have built chat bots on FBM

FB Messenger Features• Chatting with a bot is similar to chatting with a Facebook user• A bot can send:

• text and images• Structured Messages

Structured Messages• Button Template - Present simple text with options.• Generic Template - Allows for an image, title, subtitle, description

and buttons. Supports multiple bubbles per message and displays them as a horizontal list like a carousel.

• What can a user send to your bot:• Text and Image• Location• Video or audio attachment

Approval process• Facebook has a strict bot approval process• Follow the Platform Policy section on Messenger• What you need to provide:

• Page used to test your bot. Make sure the bot is properly connected and functional, otherwise your submission may be rejected.

• Description and screencast of how you're using the Send/Receive API (pages_messaging) to communicate with people

Approval Process - Guidelines

• Don’t contact people in Messenger unless they've agreed to be contacted by you

• Respect all requests by people to block, discontinue, or opt-out of using Messenger to communicate with them.

• Don't request or share individual payment card or any cardholder data within Messenger.

Smart Messaging Platform

Tips to build a well-behaved chat bot• Always introduce yourself • Never leave a user hangin’• Account for typos • Give easy access to ‘help’• Offer levels of customization

Examples of good FB Bots• Esther

Examples of good FB Bots• Where

Examples of good FB Bots• Hi Poncho

Common reasons for rejection/removal• Incomplete documentation• Unexpected behaviour• 4% of users block the bot.

Gupshup offers tools for the entire bot lifecycle

Smart Messaging Platform

Thank You!