You can also deploy your automation strategy on third-party channels: WhatsApp, Messenger or AMB (Apple Messages for Business).

However, each channel may have its own specificities that will have to be taken into account when you install your bot on those channels, here is a review of WhatsApp.

1. MQC

On WhatsApp, the visitor composed area can never be locked whereas, on the chat, when a bot sends an MCQ, the visitor doesn’t have access to his composing area and can only click on one of the replies suggested by the bot.

Behaviour on WhatsApp: if the bot sends an MCQ, the visitor can send a free message, which triggers, again, the sending of the MCQ by the bot.

The number of characters for replies is 21 maximum. If the reply is longer, it is truncated with “…”

⚠ Limit on the number of multiple choices answers: 10 maximum (see: Bot Builder)

2. Carrousel rich content

There is no carrousel rich content, so all the cards of the carrousel will be displayed one below the other

3. Markdown

Markdown is the only feature not supported on WhatsApp. So if the administrator creates a bot for the chat that has markdown and want to use it also for a 3rd parties channel, the display at the visitor side will be dirty. To avoid it, create a bot with markdown for chat, duplicate & delete markdown, and used it for 3rd parties.

4. What are the core features available for the end-user(s)

Create a bot dedicated to 3rd parties or a specific channel
Create a bot that will be deployed on chat but also on 3rd parties
Access to the same reports as for classical bots

5. Create a campaign and targeting rule for WhatsApp

Go to the following path: Engagement > Campaign > Click on Create a targeting campaign

Then you just need to define a name for your campaign. For example "WhatsApp"
Then select the channel in the 3rd Party Messaging app

Save to proceed to the next step: Campaign objective
Select an objective for this campaign
Then, if you need, create a targeting rule to display a notification on your site. For example: "Btn - WhatsApp"

NB: It will not be necessary to add this rule (Btn - WhatsApp) to a distribution rule. In fact, as soon as it is created, the notification will automatically be displayed on your site according to the criteria entered in the targeting rule.

6. Create a listening rule

To receive conversations from WhatsApp, after selecting your campaign goal (and creating a targeting rule if applicable), you will proceed to the step of creating a listening rule. Click on "Create Rule".

Define the name of your rule
Then, add conditions for receiving messages from the channel

⚠ In your listening rules conditions (Facebook/Messenger, WhatsApp, SMS), make sure to respect these 4 elements:

add keywords in lower case and without accent
use negative conditions such as: "Content of the message does not contain" to facilitate distribution
do not use the ( | ) format

but use one word per condition *word*

Save your campaign as well as the created listening rules by clicking on "Save".

7. Add your listening rule to a routing rule

After creating your listening rule, add it to a new or existing routing rule, so that messages can be received by the dedicated agents. Click on "Engagement" > "Routing".