These best practices apply generally to both the Facebook bot as well as bots on other platforms. This list of best practices was generated through our review of the growing number of Facebook Chatbot applications as part of our ongoing series on Chatbot applications.
- Start with an intuitive welcome message then communicates different user options, if possible post your welcome message as soon as the user communicates with you
- Use personalization, such as the users' name
- Examples: 1–800–Flowers.com
- Collect information (contact, purchase, preferences) from the user to build and save a profile for later use
- Examples: 1–800–Flowers.com
- Provide multiple alternative workflows that make sense for your product or service (such as buying, support, subscribing)
- Examples: 1–800–Flowers.com
- Break out of chat to complete the purchase if necessary (more secure and easier to do), or use a previously saved payment method to make the purchase in-stream.
- Examples: 1–800–Flowers.com
- Confirm information you have collected
- Examples: 1–800–Flowers.com
- Integrate and use product images in-stream when possible
- Examples: Sequel Stories, 1–800–Flowers.com
- Make sure you support the HELP keyword
- Examples: HP Print Bot, 1–800–Flowers.com
- When asking for personal information, explain why you need it
- Examples: Assist
- Text-based came should provide context-sensitive HELP at each set of the game
- Examples: None
- Support multiple platform and allow users to save preferences across these platforms
- Examples: Assist
- When it makes sense (especially in games) provide clear user options at each step of the workflow
- Examples: Sequel Stories
- Don't be afraid to use a simple menu if it make sense
- Examples: Assist, HP Print Bot
- Dealing with privacy, health or financial issues? Have users accept your terms and conditions in-stream
- Examples: HealthTap