Connect your bot to Facebook Messenger

This article covers all necessary steps to setup automation for your Facebook Messenger if you have your Facebook page up and running already. If you don't, please refer to this Facebook article, How do I create a Facebook page, to setup a Facebook page first. 

Here are the steps to follow to setup Facebook Messenger automation:

1. Create a Facebook app
2. Create Test App
3. Add Messenger as a product to the app
4. Configure Messenger
5. Enter Integration Parameters and Turn on Automation Engine in Ultimate
6. Back to Facebook to Configure Webhooks and Add Subscriptions
7. Test integration
8. Set up the main Facebook app
9. Prepare to Submit for App Review
10. Submitting for Review
11. Launch the Bot

Note - If this is your first time creating a Facebook App, please have a look at Step 9: Prepare to Submit for App Review first to understand all the materials requested by Facebook. 

Step 1: Create a Facebook App

First, create an app in Facebook. This is the main Facebook app, as opposed to the Test App, and it will be the final app to use when we launch the bot. 

1. Log in to https://developers.facebook.com/. 
   1. If it says Get Started in the top right corner, that means you need to register aa a developer first. Here's Facebook's guide on How to register as a Facebook Developer. 
   2. Select Manage Business Integrations, click Continue.
      1. Go to My Apps and click Create App.
      2. Enter the App Display Name for your app and Contact Email.
      3. If applicable, select App Purpose and Business Manager Account.
2. Click Create App.
3. This will be your main facebook app. 

Step 2: Create Test App

Now that you have the main facebook app, we need to create a test app version of it as well. The test app is to test the integration before going live with the bot. It can be deleted once the bot is live.

• In the left panel, click the drop-down menu in the top left corner and click Create Test App.

Step 3: Add Messenger as a product

We will first set everything up for the Test App, then once all goes well, step 3-6 will need to be repeated for the actual app.

1. In the left panel click the + sign next to Products

2. Look for Messenger on the right then click Set up

3. Messenger should now appear under Products in the left panel

   

Step 4: Configure Messenger 

1. In the left panel, go to Messenger > Settings

2. In the right panel, scroll down to Access Token

3. Click Add or Remove Pages and add your Facebook page

4. Choose the Facebook page and click Generate Token. Copy the Page Token for the next step.
5. Leave this page open as we will come back here.

Step 5: Enter Integration Parameters and turn on Automation Engine in Ultimate

1. In a separate tab, login to your Ultimate's Dashboard.
2. Go to Settings > Chat Platforms
3. Add Integration > Facebook
4. Click Integration Parameters and a drawer will pop out from the right. Enter the Page ID and Page Token. They can be found in the Facebook settings page that you were on in Step 4.   *In the drawer you wold also see Escalation App ID. This is only needed if you already have an existing Facebook App connected to a third party CRM platform. e.g. salesforce, Clarabridge, etc. 
   By adding this Escalation App ID, the bot will redirect the conversation to the human agents once an escalation is requested.
   
   
5. Turn on Automation Engine under Connection Status.

6. Copy your Bot ID for the next step.

Note - Your bot ID is the string of numbers and letters in the URL. For example: https://dashboard.ultimate.ai/bot/BOT-ID/platform-settings

Step 6: Back to Facebook to Configure Webhooks and Add Subscriptions

1. Go to Webhooks section below Below Access Tokens
2. Add Callback URL and Verify Token
   1. Callback URL: https://chat.ultimate.ai/api/facebook
   2. Verify Token: Your Bot ID that was copied in the previous step
3. Click Verify and Save
4. Once saved, click Add Subscriptions

• • Select messages and messaging_postbacks 
  • Click Save.

Step 7: Test Integration

✅  Congrats! Now that you've tested the test app and the bot is working. We just need to do the same for the main Facebook app.

Step 8: Setup the main Facebook app

1. First, remove the test app. 
   1. Select the test app in the top left dropdown menu. Then Settings > Advanced, Click Remove App.

2. Go to your Ultimate's Dashboard and turn off Automation Engine.

3. Select the main Facebook App, then repeat Steps 3 Add Messenger as a product to Step 7 Test integration.

Step 9: Prepare to Submit for App Review

There are a few things to do here to prepare your main Facebook App for review: 

1. Read the Facebook Before You Submit guide.
2. Prepare screen recordings - this will act as a guide for Facebook to test your App.
3. Confirm the materials below are complete in the Settings > Basic tab in Facebook.

Step 10: Submitting for Review

As Facebook has specific steps to follow, please refer to their article on submitting app for review. 

Note that once you accept the terms and submit, your submission will be queued and you should receive a decision within a week.

Step 11: Launch the Bot

Once Facebook informs you their acceptance of the app, follow the steps in Step 7 Test Integration to see if you bot is chatting.

If your app was rejected, please follow their instruction and provide information as instructed by them.