Since launching support for bots a few months ago, there are over 11,000 of them on Facebook’s Messenger platform. To further support developers and help them create more engagement and build better bots, Facebook has just released an update called Messenger Platform 1.1, adding support for ratings, quick replies, account linking, and more.
Let’s have a closer look at the update and its features
Quick Replies
Quick replies allow for better interaction between bots and users, by offering “a more guided experience for people”. Facebook explains that this “helps set expectations on what the bot can do”.
Developers can now include up to ten dynamic buttons that better facilitate automated conversations – they align with the last thing a business had sent a user, so that a user doesn’t have to think about what to answer. Like multiple choice.
According to the announcement of the update,
[quote]They allow for simple state management for developers — no need to manage button taps from ten messages ago — and make chat history cleaner, by only showing the selected responses.[/quote]
Persistent Menu
Bots usually have a “settings” option or “menu”. Users don’t need to remember text commands and can easily restart the communication flow with a bot, being able to control it to a certain extent.
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A bot’s menu
[quote]…can be accessed by an icon in the message composer, and will support up to five custom actions.[/quote]
GIFs, Audio, Video, and Files
Brands can now get their Messenger bots to send users different content types like GIFs, audio, video and other files. This makes interactions a lot more interesting and businesses are able to better convey their brand. Media content types will play natively for users within Messenger!
Account Linking
This is my favourite new feature of the lot! Users will now be able to connect to the account they have with the business they are talking to. Say you’re talking to an Amazon bot… You simply connect to your Amazon account to get a better, more personalised experience with the brand and its bot.
As Facebook explains,
[quote]We’re launching a secure protocol for businesses to connect their customers’ accounts with Messenger accounts, enabling a deeper and more personal experience. People will have to opt in to this experience.[/quote]
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More Control: Manage / Mute / Ratings
Users will now be able to customise their experience with each bot. They can mute a bot “just like they can mute a conversation with their fiends” – they can also rate the bot based on its performance and review it. Reviews may not be public for now – they are only shared with developers to let them know what they need to improve.
If you’re a developer and interested in what Messenger Platform 1.1 can offer you, have a look here.
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