The Welcome Message is your business’s first impression — a friendly handshake that sets the tone for the entire user experience. It’s the very first automation that greets your audience when they interact with your account for the first time, providing an opportunity to introduce your brand, set expectations, and guide users toward their next steps.
Currently available for Messenger and Telegram, the Welcome Message helps you deliver a seamless experience on these platforms. Whether you want to share essential information, provide quick navigation options, or simply create a warm and friendly greeting, the Welcome Message ensures every user feels valued and supported.
In this article, we’ll guide you through how to set up and replace the Welcome Message, explain the role of the Get Started button, and cover all limitations and troubleshooting tips to make everything effective and aligned with your goals.
- How to set up the Welcome Message
- How to replace the Welcome Message
- What’s the role of the Get Started button for the Welcome Message?
- Limitations and troubleshooting
How to set up the Welcome Message
The Welcome Message setup process is consistent across all applicable channels. For demonstration purposes, we’ll use Messenger as the example channel.
To set up the Welcome Message, navigate to Settings > select the channel where you want to configure the Welcome Message (in this case, Messenger).
From there, you can either create a new automation for your Welcome Message or choose an existing one.
If you choose to create a new automation, you’ll be redirected to the Flow Builder, where you can build custom automation specifically for the Welcome Message.
If you choose to use an existing automation, a pop-up window will appear where you can select the desired automation. You’ll also have the option to preview the automation in the same window before making your selection.
Alternatively, you can configure the Welcome Message by navigating to Automations > Basic. This method is available for all channels that support this feature.
When you click on the added trigger, a panel will open on the left where you can activate the Welcome Message by toggling on the switch in the bottom left corner.
Once you have successfully set up everything, click the Set Live button to publish the automation.
In this Welcome Message example for a vet clinic, the Quick Reply buttons play a crucial role in creating an organized and user-friendly experience. These buttons act as clear, actionable prompts that help guide users toward the information or assistance they need, reducing confusion and streamlining navigation.
Each Quick Reply is connected to a Start Automation step, which launches the relevant automation designed specifically for that button. For example:
- Book an appointment directs users to an automation where they can select a time and date for their visit.
- Emergency assistance connects users to immediate resources for urgent situations.
- Contact our team starts an automation that provides contact details or enables users to leave a message.
- Our services triggers an automation that provides a detailed overview of the clinic's offerings.
By linking each Quick Reply to a dedicated automation, you ensure that users are quickly redirected to the appropriate workflows, keeping the overall experience organized and efficient.
Long story short, with the right Welcome Message in place, you’re setting the stage for stronger engagement and a more organized communication experience.
How to replace the Welcome Message
To replace the current Welcome Message with a new one, click the x icon next to it in the Settings section.
Then, follow the previously outlined setup steps to create or select a new automation.
What’s the role of the Get Started button for the Welcome Message?
The Get Started button is the gateway to the first interaction between your business and a user. It appears when someone opens your Messenger for the first time and serves as the starting point for initiating a conversation.
It is a mandatory feature for business pages in Messenger and cannot currently be disabled. This requirement is set by Meta to ensure that users explicitly opt in before interacting with a bot.
In Telegram, this functionality is handled by the Start button, which serves the exact same role as the Get Started button in Messenger — it triggers the Welcome Message for the Telegram channel and initiates the first interaction.
The Get Started button directly connects to the Welcome Message by acting as its trigger. It sets the stage for a smooth and professional experience by ensuring users are greeted with a structured Welcome Message immediately.
Without this button, the Welcome Message cannot be delivered, as it’s designed to activate only after the user opts into communication by clicking it. This ensures compliance with messaging platform policies.
While the design of the Get Started button itself cannot be changed, the Welcome Message it triggers can be fully customized to suit your business needs.
⚠️ Note: If the Welcome Message is not set up, clicking the Get Started button will not display any content, leaving the user without direction.
By understanding the role of the Get Started button, you can ensure your bot makes a great first impression and guides users seamlessly into meaningful interactions.
Limitations and troubleshooting
The Welcome Message is a simple feature designed to greet new users, but it comes with a few limitations and potential issues. In this section, we’ll go over these and provide solutions to help you address any problems effectively.
Limitations
The Welcome Message is designed to be sent to contacts only once, at the very beginning of their interaction with your Messenger or Telegram, triggered by clicking the Get Started or Start button. It cannot be triggered again during the conversation.
The only way for the Welcome Message to be sent once again is if the contact deletes the entire conversation on their end and starts fresh by re-engaging with your account from the beginning.
Troubleshooting
- If the Get Started button doesn’t appear in Messenger
First, refresh the permissions of your Manychat account through the Help button as outlined in this article. Next, navigate to the automation connected to the Welcome Message, deactivate it, and then reactivate it by toggling it off and on in the settings bar.
⚠️ Note: Ensure these actions are performed by a team member who is either the Owner or an Admin with full control over the Facebook business page connected to the Manychat account.
This process will restore the connection between Manychat and Facebook, after which the Get Started button should appear.
- If the Welcome Message is not triggered
Start by refreshing permissions, as outlined earlier, and ensure you follow the steps and requirements mentioned above.
Next, confirm that the automation linked to the Welcome Message is published. Look for a small yellow dot next to the automation title, which indicates there are unpublished changes that need to be addressed.
Finally, ensure that the Welcome Message is enabled in the settings tab, as demonstrated in the screenshot below.
If everything is correctly configured, check the Handover Protocol setup. The most common reason Messenger automation isn’t sent is that Manychat does not have ownership of the conversation on Facebook.
To ensure Manychat can deliver messages accurately, the Handover Protocol must be set up as detailed in this article. Make sure to refresh permissions once again after setting it up.
- If an incorrect automation is triggered for the Welcome Message
If this message wasn’t configured in Manychat, it’s likely being sent by another software connected to your Facebook business page or by a Facebook automated response, if one has been set up.
To disable Facebook automated responses, navigate to Meta Business Suite → Inbox → Automations section and ensure all toggles are switched off.
Additionally, check your Business Integrations to see if any other apps are connected to your Facebook page that might be responsible for these messages appearing instead of the Welcome Message. If necessary, you can disable the connected applications from that section.
By understanding the limitations and addressing potential issues, you can ensure that the Welcome Message works as intended to create a seamless first interaction with your audience.
Whether on Messenger or Telegram, this feature provides a great starting point for engaging users and setting the tone for their experience with your bot. A well-configured Welcome Message ensures your users feel guided and supported right from the start.
If you are encountering any issues with the Welcome Message, please contact our Support Team.