Facebook is doing everything it can to increase the popularity of Messenger and to make every Facebook user use it. Recently, Facebook introduced features like sending money, booking Uber cabs (mostly in the US), ‘other Messages’ tab to see messages sent by a non-Facebook friend, and much more in Messenger, to convince its users to use Messenger. In the same path, now comes the turn to introduce Facebook Messenger Bots, to allow smooth conversation between its users and businesses. Simply, talking to bots is just like talking to your friends. Let us see what bots are and what is best among the available bots.
What are Facebook Messenger BOTS
To be simple, Messenger Bots are Facebook accounts of pages or businesses which respond to your queries using an Artificial Intelligence algorithm. There are many bots being developed for Messenger to make the life of the user easier. You can access Messenger bots on mobile and the web. If you have a business, then Facebook allows you to create your bot using the Messenger Platform. This is one of the best ways to interact with clients and to maintain long-term relationships. Anyway, I will not be discussing the creation but will let you know how to use the best Facebook Messenger bots as a normal user like me.
Accessing Messenger Bots
As said earlier, using bots is like talking to your friend. So, tap on “+” button and click on “Write Message”. Now, head over to the search bar, type “@” and give the bot name as shown below.
There are many Facebook Messenger bots available. In this article, I will introduce some of the best bots you can start using right away.
1. CNN
If you want to get top stories of the day, then you need to try the CNN Messenger bot. Just by typing a few words, you can ask CNN to give you the top stories so that you can read the story and get a summary of it.
WSJ bot uses WSJ newsroom to bring you the live markets data and break the business news. You can get information on top news, markets, live market overview, and turn on alerts for the latest headlines.
3. theScore
The theScore bot is for sports lovers like you. It gives you the latest score updates, and scheduled matches and updates everything about your favorite games. This bot gives you updates regarding soccer leagues NBA, NHL, MLB, and more. Just type team name to follow, and you can unfollow teams, update alerts, etc. through settings.
4. Where
If you are a food lover, then Where is Messenger Bot for you? It lets you know about nearby restaurants, hotels, lounges and more. You can start typing ‘Help Me Decide’ and it helps you by showing the suggestions. You can search hotels and restaurants using a pin code, city name, address, or landmark or by typing “Nearby”. It even shows you the suggestions based on the type of food you search for.
5. LazySet
LazySet Messenger bot comes under the category of entertainment. It creates a playlist of songs of your favorite artist on Spotify. To do so, just start typing the name of the artist and click the link to sign in to Spotify to save the songs of that artist to a playlist.
6. Instalocate
Instalocate is the real-time flight tracking bot. You can track flight status, the exact location of the flight, time of departure, arrival and more. Start typing the flight name and simple questions like where is [flight name], and it shows you the required information. It also shows you airport directions and allows you to do online check-in. Combinations like Track [Name][Number], [Flight Name][Number] and more are possible using this bot.
7. Poncho
If you are planning a tour and want to know, weather conditions of any place, then the Poncho Messenger bot does the job for you. Type the city name or zip code, and it shows you the weather of that place. Simple, if you want to know the weather outside, then start using the Poncho bot. Do not forget to check the Poncho bot before planning to go out.
8. Zodia.cc
Start your day by knowing your scope. Zodia lets you know the daily horoscope on Messenger. Type your zodiac sign and will tell about today’s prediction. It gives more information on how it is going to be tomorrow, health predictions and rates the day on a scale of 5.
How to create your own Bot without any Coding?
As we know, Messenger bots help interact with users using AI, so there is a lot that can be done. The main advantage of using bots is that there is no need to install any other app when the job is done with the already installed application.
So, if you have a brand or any business and want to create a Messenger bot, then you can use bot-building services like Manychat.com, MobileMonkey.com, and Chatfuel.com. Using these services does not require you to have any coding skills, and start developing a Messenger bot to interact with your customers. These services offer a free plan too.
If you have anything to add, please do share it with us through comments.
