Capturing information from a user in a Facebook Messenger chat conversation

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Capturing information from a user in a Facebook Messenger chat conversation

    This guide explains how ServiceNow Virtual Agent Designer integrates with Facebook Messenger to capture user input and deliver bot responses during chat conversations. Virtual Agent Designer enables you to create conversation blueprints (topics) that use supported input controls and bot response types specifically designed for Facebook Messenger interactions.

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    Supported User Input Controls

    The Conversational Integration with Facebook Messenger application supports several input controls in Virtual Agent Designer to gather user information effectively:

    • Text: Users can enter plain text up to 5000 characters.
    • Static Choice: Users select from predefined options presented as quick replies, with labels limited to 20 characters and a maximum of 13 visible replies per page (pagination applies beyond that). The maximum quick replies per page can be configured via the snvafbmessenger.maxquickreplies system property.
    • Boolean: Users respond with Yes/No type answers.
    • File Picker: Users can send JPG, PNG, BMP images (max 10 MB) or MP4 videos (max 200 MB).
    • Date Time: Users select dates and times, which reflect the user's time zone if configured, otherwise UTC is used.
    • Carousel: Users select an item from a carousel of images with titles (max 40 characters) and text (max 60 characters). Up to 10 images are shown at once, with pagination beyond that. The max carousel cards per page is configurable via snvafbmessenger.maxcarouselcards system property.

    These controls allow you to design rich, interactive conversations tailored to Facebook Messenger’s capabilities.

    Supported Bot Responses

    To respond to users, the Virtual Agent Designer supports various bot response types compatible with Facebook Messenger:

    • Text: Sends plain text messages.
    • Image: Sends images in the chat.
    • Link: Sends clickable web links displayed as URL buttons.
    • Card: Sends selected information from ServiceNow records as cards.

    Additionally, AI Search can return search results as bot responses when no relevant topics are found, enhancing the user experience.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    By leveraging these input controls and response types within Virtual Agent Designer, you can create powerful, engaging Facebook Messenger chatbot experiences that collect detailed user information and provide relevant, interactive responses. This integration helps streamline conversational workflows, improves user engagement, and supports efficient information capture directly through Messenger chats.

    Use the collection of input controls provided by the Virtual Agent Designer to prompt and capture information from the user in a Facebook Messenger chat conversation.

    Virtual Agent Designer is a diagram tool for creating and managing topics, which are blueprints for conversations between a virtual agent and user. For more information, see Getting started with the Asset library in Assistant Designer.

    The Conversational Integration with Facebook Messenger application supports the following user input controls in Virtual Agent Designer.

    Table 1. Supported user input controls
    User input control Description
    Text User enters a plain text string in the conversation.

    The maximum character limit is 5000 characters.
    Static Choice User selects an item from a predefined choice list.

    In a quick reply, the label has the maximum character limit of 20 characters. At a time, a user can view only 13 quick replies. If there are more than 13 quick replies, the pagination format is used to view more options. The default value of the maximum number of replies for a page is set in the sn_va_fb_messenger.max_quick_replies system property (location: System Property [sys_properties] table).
    Boolean User enters a Boolean response to the bot. For example, the user can reply Yes or No in a chat conversation.
    File Picker User sends a file to the bot.

    The supported file types are JPG, PNG, BMP, and MP4.

    Note the following points about the maximum size limit for a file type:

    • For images, the maximum size limit is 10 MB.
    • For videos, the maximum size limit is 200 MB.
    Date Time User selects a calendar date, time (hours and minutes), or both.
    Note:
    If your administrator has set the option to request time zone from the customer, the selected date and time reflect customer's time zone. Else, they appear in the UTC time zone. For more information about the time zone setting, see 1.f.
    Carousel User selects a single item from the carousel.

    In a carousel, the title for an image has maximum limit of 40 characters and the text for the image has maximum character limit of 60 characters. At a time, a user can view only 10 images. If there are more than 10 images, the pagination format is used to view more options. The default value of the maximum number of images in a carousel for a page is set in the sn_va_fb_messenger.max_carousel_cards system property (location: System Property [sys_properties] table).

    For more information about configuring user input controls, see Assistant Designer user input controls.

    The Conversational Integration with Facebook Messenger application supports the following bot responses in Virtual Agent Designer.

    Table 2. Supported bot responses
    Bot response Description
    Text Bot sends a plain text string to the user.
    Image Bot sends an image to the user.
    Link Bot sends a web link to the user.
    Note:
    The web link appears as a URL button in the conversation.
    Card Bot sends selected information from a record on your instance.
    Note:
    You can also return search results as bot responses in Facebook Messenger chat conversations when there are no relevant topics to display to end users. For more information, see Improving the user experience with AI Search.

    For more information about configuring bot responses, see Assistant Designer bot responses.