A quick description of the chat bots ecosystem and an introduction to bots on Facebook Messenger. (Originally presented with a demo on how to create a FB Messenger bot, in May 2016) twitter.com/soganmageshwar

1. Creating Chat Bots on
Facebook Messenger

2. Smart Messaging Platform
About me
Leads 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
2

3. Smart Messaging Platform 3
WHAT IS A
CHAT BOT?

4. Once-in-decade paradigm shift
4

5. The problem with apps
• App discovery is difficult in a crowded app store
• User Acquisition costs are high
• Bots are the new apps
5

6. 6
?
Messaging Apps are opening their APIs

7. 7As of April 2016. From statista.com

8. Facebook launches
chat bots
• Facebook launched Chat
Bots on Messenger during
F8 2016.
• Since then 10k+ developers
have built chat bots on FBM

9. FB Messenger Features
• Chatting with a bot is similar to chatting with a Facebook user
• A bot can send:
• text and images
• Structured Messages
9

10. 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.
10

11. • What can a user send to your bot:
• Text and Image
• Location
• Video or audio attachment
11

12. 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
12

13. 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.
13

14. 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
14

15. Examples of good FB Bots
• Esther
15

16. Examples of good FB Bots
• Where
16

17. Examples of good FB Bots
• Hi Poncho
17

18. Common reasons for rejection/removal
• Incomplete documentation
• Unexpected behaviour
• 4% of users block the bot.
18

19. Gupshup offers tools for the entire bot lifecycle
19

20. Smart Messaging Platform
Thank You!
20