Building a Facebook Chatbot from Scratch vs using a No-Coding Bot Building Platform

Time and time again my students asks me this question : 

Should I build chatbots from scratch or use a No-Coding Bot Building Platform?

To most people that know me, I have a software engineering background. Hence, working with programming code is "in my blood" so to speak.

However, when it comes to building Facebook Chatbots, I would say it's best to build a chatbot using a "no coding" bot building platform.

No-Coding Bot Building Platforms in the Market Today

When I first started building chatbots, there was just a handful of chatbot building platforms in the market.  

Within the last year, I have also seen how some platforms "died out" due to :

• Unable to keep up with Facebook Messenger's Platform changes
• Server loading issues
• Poor maintenance due to lack of proper platform architecture and developer skills

Thankfully, those who do survive are the ones with industry experience, healthy developer team and supportive community.

If I were asked to name a few stable no-coding bot building platforms that I have worked with, I'd highly recommend Chatfuel, ManyChat & MobileMonkey.

Then... should you build a chatbot from scratch?

If you are a software developer / programmer who is familiar with the Facebook Messenger Platform Application Programming Interface (API), then you'd probably would want to get your hands wet and try to build a basic bot. You can find out more information at https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform.

You will get the opportunity to build chatbots module by module, adding custom features (the correct term here is "Bot Skills") that links to / integrates with in-house or internal CRM / ERP / Custom solution systems.  

One thing to note here is that you won't be able to change the User Interface of the Facebook Messenger Platform. Buttons, Text Bubbles, Menus on a Facebook Messenger Chatbot is standardised so that you can focus more on the Customer Experience.

If you are keen to explore using advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a Chatbot, there are ways to connect it to a functioning chatbot. You can consider online services such as DialogFlow and LUIS that can help train your chatbot's language understanding.

Having this kind of flexibility also means you can build a rather complex chatbot for specific business cases such as flight / hotel booking, secured account login and access and product recommendation systems.

Caveat : Just be prepared to spend more time to get the hang of the programming side, server setup and hosting considerations before you even launch your chatbot to the world...

I Aint Got Time For That...

If you just need a Facebook Chatbot for :

• Running an Event, and managing RSVP / Registrations
• Selling Small Items (anything less than $50)
• Introduce yourself to Prospects / Recruiters (Automated Job Interviews)

A No-Coding Bot Building Platform is more than enough to get your started.

I run a hands-on workshop on How to Build Facebook Chatbots using Chatfuel.

Special mention here to Digital Marketing Consultancy Sdn Bhd for providing the training location and facilities for the best learning experience.

Here's a short promotional video about the workshop.

If you are interested in my next Chatbot Building Workshop, feel free to contact me via email [email protected] or message me on LinkedIn.