Facebook Messenger Automation: Auto-Reply to Your Page Messages

Facebook Messenger automation means replying to messages sent to your Facebook Page without being there yourself, based on the flow you built. In UlakChat, Messenger works in the same panel as Instagram: the same flow editor, the same product catalog and the same inbox.

How does Facebook Messenger automation work?

Facebook passes messages sent to your Page to authorized apps through Meta's official Messenger API. UlakChat receives the message, decides which branch of your flow should run and sends the reply back through Meta on behalf of your Page.

Nothing changes for the customer. They message your Page on Messenger and see the reply in Messenger under your Page's name.

The flow logic is the same as on Instagram:

• The incoming message is matched by keyword or with the AI Intent Detector.
• The matching branch runs and sends text, a button menu, an image or a file.
• Product questions are answered from your catalog, and when needed the conversation is handed to you with the Live Support step.

Connecting your Facebook Page

You connect your Page through Meta's own permission screen. UlakChat doesn't ask for your password.

1. Open the Account Manager page in the panel.
2. Under Add New Account, choose Connect with Meta. This option connects your Facebook Pages and the Instagram accounts linked to them in one go.
3. In the Meta window that opens, log in with your Facebook account and approve the permissions for UlakChat.
4. In the Connect Facebook Pages window, tick the Pages you want to connect, plus any linked Instagram accounts.
5. Press the Connect button. The Page appears in your list of connected accounts.

After you connect, the panel asks whether you want to import conversations from the last 15 days. With Import History, your older Messenger conversations move into the inbox as well. You can skip this and do it later from the account card.

The person connecting the Page needs permission to manage messages on that Page in Facebook. Meta requires access granted by a user with this permission before messages can be sent.

Same panel and same catalog as Instagram

Running Messenger in a separate tool means setting everything up twice. UlakChat avoids that.

One flow, two channels. When you create an automation on the Message Automation screen, your Instagram accounts and Facebook Pages appear together in the account list. If you attach both to the same automation, the flow answers each message on the channel it came from. Someone who wrote on Instagram gets the reply on Instagram, and someone who wrote on Messenger gets it on Messenger. If you want different wording or a different offer per channel, you can build separate automations.

One catalog. The products you add on the My Products page are used on both channels. When a customer asks on Messenger "do you have the black dress in M?", the product is looked up in your catalog and size and color options are offered, just like on Instagram.

One inbox. The Chats screen lists Instagram and Messenger conversations together. You pick up any conversation the automation couldn't resolve from there.

Example: a product question on Messenger

Picture a clothing store. It has posted its new season jackets on its Facebook Page, and questions come in on Messenger in the evening. The flow could look like this:

1. The Trigger receives the incoming message. The AI Intent Detector works out whether it's a product question, a shipping question or something else.
2. On the product question branch, the Product Detection step finds the product mentioned in the message in your catalog. "Do you have the brown leather jacket?" and "is the leather jacket still available in brown" lead to the same product.
3. The Variant Selection step offers size and color options as buttons. Once the customer chooses, the price and stock status of that variant are sent.
4. If the customer asks about a detail like fabric or fit, AI Product Q&A answers from your product information. If the information isn't there, it won't make something up.
5. A customer who wants to order, or who asks something the flow can't answer, is handed to you with the Live Support step. You take over the conversation from the Chats screen.

What the customer sees on Messenger:

Do you have the leather jacket?

Leather Jacket2,499 ₺Choose size

Choose size

Which Color?

BrownBlack

Brown

Which Size?

SML

M

Status of Color: Brown, Size: M: In stock. Price: 2,499 ₺.

If the same flow is also attached to your Instagram account, the same question coming from Instagram follows the same path. You build it once and it runs on both channels.

If a customer sends several short messages in a row, UlakChat waits a few seconds and treats them as one question. The customer gets a single reply instead of several partial ones.

How Messenger differs

The steps in a message flow work the same way on both channels. There are a few differences worth knowing:

Topic	Instagram	Facebook Messenger
Story reply trigger	Available	Not available, does not fire for Facebook Page messages
How it connects	Through Instagram or through Meta	Only through Connect with Meta
Monthly active contacts	Instagram contacts count	Messenger contacts count separately
24-hour window	Applies	Applies

The When a user sends a message option in the trigger works on Messenger too. The When a user replies to your story option is for Instagram stories only. If an automation has both an Instagram account and a Facebook Page attached, the story branch runs only for story replies coming from Instagram.

Plan limits are calculated from monthly active contacts. People who message you on Messenger count toward that number, separately from Instagram. There's no limit on the number of messages.

Meta's Messenger rules

Messenger automation follows Meta's official rules. The most important one is the 24-hour messaging window.

Rule	What it means
24-hour messaging window	You can reply freely within 24 hours after the person messages your Page. Once the window closes, the person has to write again before you can send a new message.
No promotions outside the window	Meta doesn't allow messages with campaigns, discounts or coupons outside the window.
Private reply to a comment	You can message someone who commented on your Page post once on Messenger. That message must go out within 7 days of the comment. The conversation opens when the person replies.

If you already know the window rule from Instagram, there's nothing new to learn here. The rule is the same. For the details, see our post on Meta's 24-hour rule.

The window rule also shapes how you set up your automation. Replying the moment a customer asks means you finish the job while the window is open. A message you answer by hand hours later lands in a window that's about to close.

Who is it for?

• Stores with an active Facebook Page: Price, stock and shipping questions from the Page are answered from your catalog, just like on Instagram.
• Businesses that also run ads on Facebook: Someone who sees your ad and messages you on Messenger gets an answer even at midnight.
• Businesses already using UlakChat for Instagram: Attach your existing flow to your Facebook Page. You don't need to build a new one.
• Local businesses: Repeated questions about opening hours, address and appointments.

To see what you can do on the Instagram side, visit our Instagram DM automation page.