How to Respect Your Customers (And Facebook’s Chatbot Policies)

Respecting your customers and respecting Facebook’s chatbot rules are more entwined than you might think. Here’s how you can deploy a respectful chatbot.

Facebook Messenger is one of the best marketing tools in your arsenal. After all, there are 1.2 billion people actively using Messenger — and that number is rapidly increasing. With a Messenger bot, you can reach those prospective customers directly, and you can personalize all your content, thanks to the first-party data a chatbot provides. It’s a hugely potent way to engage people and keep them engaged.

But given how many chatbot platforms are out there, brands are unknowingly building and deploying chatbots that don’t comply with Facebook’s chatbot rules. These bots not only disrespect Facebook, they also disrespect Messenger users. Facebook, after all, is a fundamentally customer-oriented business; their mission is to connect people and provide them with a great user experience. The reason Facebook enacted a chatbot policy in the first place was to shield users from bot spam, thus allowing people to focus on the friends and brands they really wanted to hear from.

Here are four ways your brand can ensure your chatbot is respecting Facebook’s policies — and, in turn, respecting your customers:

(1) Obey the 24+1 rule.

Facebook’s 24+1 rule is simple: standard Messenger bots can only respond to users who initiate conversations. They have a 24-hour window to respond, and can respond once more outside that window for reengagement. Each time the person responds, the 24+1 clock resets. The 24+1 rule is, quite simply, Facebook’s way to mitigate bot spam and stop brands from sending out unwanted Messenger blasts. It’s also a best practice for any brand employing a chatbot. Spam doesn’t help you engage users; instead, it alienates people and makes your brand look disreputable and rude.

Unfortunately, some chatbot platforms are disregarding the 24+1 rule and spamming Messenger users outside the 24+1 window, or they’re messaging users who didn’t opt into a chat. This doesn’t only disrespect Facebook and the customer, it also harms your brand. Furthermore, it harms all the reputable, rule-following chatbot platforms. Spamming people gives chatbots a bad name, and it gives Facebook ammunition to impose more rules. Don’t ruin it for everyone else. Instead, only send messages inside the 24+1 window. It’s an easy way to show respect for your customers, Messenger users at large, and Facebook itself.

Don’t ruin it for everyone else. Instead, only send messages inside the 24+1 window.

(2) Give people the chance to opt out…and respect it.

Just because someone opted into a chat doesn’t mean they want that chat to stay open eternally. That’s why you should give people the option to opt out of your conversation with a clearly marked button. (Facebook also allows people to block you or delete your conversation.)

But it’s not enough just to let people disengage from your chat. You also need to respect the wishes of those who opted out. That means making sure you stop sending people messages when they opt out. You need to set up your platform to identify those users who’ve opted out and exclude them from future messages. Even if you do so errantly, messaging people who’ve opted out makes you look at best not careful, and at worst disrespectful.

(3) Don’t send too many messages.

No one likes to be messaged too often — especially not prospects and customers who are still getting to know your brand. Spamming those new customers is a surefire way to ensure they block you. Unfortunately, some chatbot platforms are messaging people 4+ times a day. That is an awful user experience, one certain to piss off both prospective buyers and your most loyal customers. 73% of people who have a bad experience with a chatbot won’t use it again, which means it behooves you to ensure your user experience is a great one.

(4) Choose the best chatbot partner.

We’ve said it before and we’ve said it again: choosing the right chatbot partner is the best way to make sure your brand is trusting your most valuable assets — your people and their data — to a partner you can trust.

The right chatbot partner will be aware of all of Facebook’s updates and policies, and will help you build a Chat Marketing strategy that avoids spamming people. They’ll guide you to deploy your chatbot in a way that won’t piss your customers, or Facebook, off. Ultimately, with the right chatbot partner, you will attract customers, engage them, and keep them engaged over the long term.

Learn more about how Chat Marketing can help your brand at Chatkit.com.