Channels · Messenger · Coming soon
An AI chatbot for your Facebook Page inbox, coming soon
We are building AI replies and bookings for Facebook Page messages. Messenger is coming soon. NextReply already answers and books customers on WhatsApp, live on every plan, so you can start there today.
Why your Facebook Page inbox still matters in 2026
Facebook Pages are not glamorous, but they keep producing customers. Local families message a dental clinic's Page about weekend hours. Older customers prefer Messenger to Instagram. Click-to-Messenger ads put a chat button in front of thousands of people in your area. In some markets, the Philippines among them, Messenger is the main way customers reach a business. A Messenger chatbot for business is meant to make sure none of those messages wait until the next morning.
We are building that chatbot into NextReply, using the same AI front desk that already runs on WhatsApp. Messenger is not live yet. This page sets out what it will do, how Meta's rules shape it, how to prepare your Page, and how to stop losing Page enquiries today by moving them to WhatsApp. To hear when Messenger launches, email hello@nextreply.io. The channels page shows where every channel stands.
- WhatsAppLive
- InstagramComing soon
- MessengerComing soon
- TelegramComing soon
Setup guide video · 2 min
See the whole setup in 2 minutes
A two-minute walkthrough of the real app: connect WhatsApp, set up your receptionist, start the free trial and go live.
What the video shows
- Connect your WhatsApp number through Meta
- Set up your AI receptionist: name, tone, language, opening hours and handover to a person
- Choose a plan ($29, $59 or $99 a month) and start the 7-day free trial, with checkout by Stripe
- You’re live: the AI replies 24/7 and books appointments into your calendar
Live today vs coming soon
- Live on all plans: WhatsApp AI replies, booking into Google Calendar, replies in the customer's language, handoff to your team and owner notifications.
- Live on WhatsApp only: voice note and photo understanding.
- Coming soon: Facebook Messenger, Instagram DMs and Telegram.
- Coming soon: appointment reminders, which are built and waiting on Meta's template approval.
If your Page sends you a steady stream of enquiries, the practical answer right now is to route them to WhatsApp, where NextReply can book them. The steps are below.
What the Messenger AI chatbot will do
- Answer Page messages 24/7 from your own services, prices, hours, policies and FAQs.
- Book into Google Calendar: name, service, date and time, confirmed in the chat, as appointment booking already does on WhatsApp.
- Reply in the customer's language, automatically.
- Hand off to staff with an instant notification when a chat needs a person.
- Work with your ads. Chats from click-to-Messenger ads will get an answer within seconds, day or night.
Your team will keep using the Page inbox in Meta Business Suite or the Messenger app. The AI will not lock anyone out.
Booking flows Page messages will follow
Real estate: viewing requests from ads
Customer: "Is the 2-bedroom on the ad still available? Can I see it this week?"
AI: "Yes, the 2-bedroom apartment is available. Viewings this week: Thursday 5:30pm or Saturday 11:00am. Which suits you? May I have your name for the agent?"
Customer: "Saturday, John Reyes."
AI: "Booked: viewing on Saturday at 11:00am, John Reyes. Your agent will meet you at the lobby."
This is the flow NextReply runs on WhatsApp for agencies today. Price negotiation, financing and legal terms go to the agent. See our page for real estate.
Home services: quotes and visits
A homeowner writes: "My kitchen sink is leaking under the cabinet, can someone come tomorrow?" The chatbot will share your call-out fee and visit windows, collect the address and book the technician. Photo understanding works on WhatsApp only today, which is one more reason to move quote requests there for now. See home services.
Clinics, salons and studios
Price questions, weekend availability and "can I bring my child?" are the usual Page messages. Clinical or sensitive questions will always go to staff.
- Customer message: “Any slot tomorrow afternoon?”
- AI receptionist: Reads service, date and time
- Checks your calendar: Offers only free slots
- Confirms in the chat: Name, service and time
- Booked: In Google Calendar, owner alerted
How to book Facebook Page enquiries on WhatsApp today
Meta already lets you send people from Facebook to WhatsApp, where NextReply answers and books around the clock:
- Change your Page action button to WhatsApp. A Page can show a "Send WhatsApp message" button linked to your business number. New visitors start on WhatsApp instead of Messenger.
- Point ads at WhatsApp. Click-to-WhatsApp ads run from the same Ads Manager as click-to-Messenger ads. Every click opens a WhatsApp chat the AI can book. Our guide to click-to-WhatsApp ads covers the setup.
- Set an instant reply in Messenger. Meta Business Suite lets you send an automatic first reply. Use it to share your WhatsApp link: "Thanks for your message! For instant prices and booking, message us on WhatsApp: [link]."
- Add the link to posts and your About section, so people who read before they message see the fastest route.
None of this needs NextReply's Messenger support. It works today, and when Messenger launches you can decide whether to keep both routes open.
The 24-hour window and the human-agent tag
Meta's Messenger Platform rules shape what any Messenger AI can do:
- The standard window. Businesses can reply freely, with automated or human messages, within 24 hours of the customer's last message.
- Human follow-up. After 24 hours, a human agent can still reply for a limited period, up to seven days, using Meta's human-agent tag. A good chatbot hands chats over before the window closes so staff can use it.
- No promotional follow-ups. Sending offers or "come back" messages outside the window is not allowed.
So a Messenger chatbot has to work fast: answer in seconds and book in a short exchange. Anything days later belongs on WhatsApp, which supports approved templates. Appointment reminders are coming soon to NextReply on WhatsApp. Our guide to the 24-hour messaging window links to Meta's documentation.
Who Messenger will suit best
Messenger is often the right second channel after WhatsApp, and in some places the first:
- Local and family audiences who follow your Page rather than your Instagram.
- Older customers who have used Facebook for years.
- Ad-driven businesses running click-to-Messenger campaigns for viewings, consultations or quotes.
- Markets where Messenger leads, such as the Philippines.
If you are unsure where your customers message from, count your last hundred enquiries by app, or read our comparison of WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and Telegram for business.
Handoff rules for a Page inbox
You will decide which messages need a person, just as you do on WhatsApp now. Typical Messenger rules: complaints that arrive as messages, refund and billing questions, price negotiations, job applications, partnership requests, clinical questions and anyone who types "agent" or "human". When a rule fires, the AI tells the customer a person will reply, notifies your team and steps back from that thread.
- Unusual request: Complaint, refund or special case
- AI receptionist: Knows when to step back
- Answers from your FAQs: Services, hours and prices / Hands the chat over: Your team is notified
- Your team replies: Same chat, full history
Prepare your Page and your answers now
Page messages often come from people who know you only from a post or an ad, so they ask basic questions. Getting these answers written now pays off on WhatsApp straight away and makes the Messenger launch quick:
- Admin access to the Page, held by the owner rather than a former agency.
- Location and coverage area. For home services, list the neighbourhoods you cover and any call-out fee by zone.
- Prices and what they include. Starting prices with honest ranges beat "message us for a quote".
- Hours, including weekends and holidays, so the AI never offers a closed day.
- What happens next. For viewings: who meets the customer and where. For home visits: the arrival window.
- Payment methods and deposits, if you take any. NextReply shares your instructions but does not process payments.
- Your tone. Page audiences are often older and local. Plain, polite and specific works best.
The plan is for Messenger to use the same knowledge base and calendar you set up for WhatsApp, so nothing written now is wasted.
Measure your Page enquiries before launch
Take a baseline now. Note how many Page messages you get a week, how long the first reply takes, how many arrive outside office hours and how many become bookings. After you route Page traffic to WhatsApp, compare the same numbers. For ad-driven businesses, divide ad spend by bookings. These figures will also tell you whether turning on Messenger at launch is worth it, or whether your customers are happy on WhatsApp.
Customer data on Messenger
Names, phone numbers and addresses collected through Messenger are personal data under the privacy laws of most countries. Collect only what the booking needs, tell customers an assistant handles bookings and that a person is available, and do not add people to marketing lists without consent. Meta's own platform policies also restrict how businesses may use data from Messenger conversations. Our privacy policy explains how NextReply handles conversation data.
Pricing, free trial and launch updates
NextReply plans are priced in US dollars: Starter $29, Pro $59 and Business $99 a month, for up to 500, 1,500 or unlimited bookings. Every plan includes WhatsApp and starts with a 7-day free trial. Prices are in US dollars. At checkout, your card or bank may show an estimate in your local currency. Local taxes may apply. See the pricing page for each plan's features.
Start the WhatsApp trial today, and email hello@nextreply.io to be told when Messenger goes live. The Instagram AI agent and the Telegram bot are coming soon as well. For the full product overview, visit the home page.
Questions people ask
Is the NextReply Messenger chatbot live?
Not yet. Facebook Messenger is coming soon. NextReply works today on WhatsApp, on every plan. Email hello@nextreply.io and we will let you know when Messenger launches.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. Every NextReply plan starts with a 7-day free trial, so you can connect WhatsApp, add your services and see the AI book real customers before you pay.
How can I handle Facebook Page enquiries today?
Switch your Page button to WhatsApp, run click-to-WhatsApp ads and set a Messenger instant reply with your WhatsApp link. NextReply then answers and books those customers on WhatsApp.
Can a Messenger chatbot message customers after 24 hours?
Automated messages are limited to 24 hours after the customer's last message. A human can still reply for up to seven days using Meta's human-agent tag, but promotional follow-ups are not allowed.
Will it send appointment reminders on Messenger?
No. Meta's 24-hour rule makes Messenger unsuitable for reminders. Appointment reminders are coming soon to NextReply and are planned for WhatsApp.
Will my team still see Page messages?
Yes. Your team will keep using the Page inbox in Meta Business Suite or the Messenger app, and will get a notification whenever the AI hands over a chat.
Will the Messenger chatbot understand photos and voice notes?
Voice notes and photos currently work on WhatsApp only. We will confirm what Messenger supports at launch instead of promising it in advance.
Every WhatsApp message answered, every free slot offered
Start your 7-day free trial, connect your WhatsApp number and add your services and hours. NextReply answers and books around the clock.