Setting the Greeting Text (on FB Messenger)

(Matt Durr) #1

Has anyone done this successfully?

The thread here got me started, and I used the API as described here:
https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/messenger-profile/greeting-text

I was able to set and retrieve the greeting with the API, but it doesn’t seem to show on the bot itself (just blank).

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Any suggestions?

(Karen Barker) #2

Hi Matt,

What you’re doing there should have set the message.

Just to double check the steps here:

  • Go to the Facebook Graph API Explorer and get the Access Token for your page.

  • Set up a HTTP Post request to:
    https://graph.facebook.com/v2.6/me/messenger_profile?access_token=YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN_HERE
    Don’t forget to add your access Token and you will need to set the headers to: Content-Type > application/json

  • There’s an example JSON to copy at messenger but I’ve included a sample below and this needs to go in the body of the request:

{"greeting":[
    {
      "locale":"default",
      "text":"Hello!"
    }, {
      "locale":"en_GB",
      "text":"Add your text here."
    }
  ] 
}

FYI - My location is set to GB but there are different Locales to choose

Once you receive a success response from your request then your Greeting will be shown on your bot.

The greeting message does only show on mobile messenger the first time you talk to the bot, but you can delete your message history and re-add the bot to test this.

(Matt Durr) #3

Thanks for the reply Karen!

What I have discovered is that the greeting text never shows on the desktop browser version of Facebook messenger (which is where I was testing).

Even with deleting the conversation (I tried with multiple accounts too).

It does, however show in the FB Messenger mobile app.

And it seems to be a queued process - doesn’t change immediately when you update the text.

Also, it looks like Facebook made a way to change this now directly within the Page settings:
https://www.facebook.com/[YOUR_PAGE_NAME/settings/?tab=messaging

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(Karen Barker) #4

Hi Matt,

Yes you are correct, the web messenger unfortuantely doesn’t seem to support this feature, it is mobile messenger only.

Just to let you know we have now also released this feature in the Flow XO UI as well. On the page to set up a facebook bot you will now also see a text box for “Greeting Text” which you can use to update/set the Greeting Text on your bot. :slight_smile: