In order to improve the customer service experience provided through Messenger, Facebook enforces a policy for direct message (DM) conversation response time limits on Facebook and Instagram. Please note that since this is a Facebook policy, there is no option to remove or adjust it in Social Media Management.
The policy includes rules and regulations on response windows for when you can reply to DMs and what the content can be included. The policy in place primarily to prevent spam to customers, such as excessive automated bot messages or promotional offers. Furthermore, it promotes a timely and professional customer service experience for users.
This policy took effect on March 4, 2020. This article will describe the changes on Facebook and Instagram, as well as within the Social Media Management platform.
Replying to Instagram direct messages in Engage
Any time an Instagram direct message is received in Engage, the response window is set to 7 days.
Once 7 days pass after you received the last message in the conversation, you cannot make any further replies to the conversation.
If you receive a message in the conversation again from the customer's side, will you have another 7 days to send them a response.
Replying to Facebook direct messages in Engage
For Facebook, Social Media Management will help you navigate the responses policy by introducing a combination of response windows and response types for Facebook direct messages. Meaning, the reply you can send through Social Media Management depends on the elapsed time since you’ve received the last DM, and the content of your intended reply.
Response windows
- Within 24 hours
- You can freely respond while the last message you received in the DM thread is less than 24 hours old. There are no limitations to the content or amount of replies that you can send. This means promotional content and automated bot replies are allowed.
- 24 hours to 7 days
- After 24 hours but within 7 days, your replies can only relate directly to the subject(s) of the conversation thread. Automated bot replies or promotional content are not allowed.
- After 7 days
- If the latest message was received more than 7 days ago, your reply options are limited to three response type message tags. Your response content must fit one or more of these three categories: event update, purchase update, or account update. We’ve described each response type in detail below. Automated bot replies or promotional content are not allowed.
Response types
If you’re responding to a Facebook DM more than 7 days after receiving it, you are required to limit the subject of your message to one or more of the following three message tags:
- Event update
- Reminders or updates for an event the user has registered for (e.g. RSVP'ed or purchased tickets). May be used for upcoming events and events in progress.
- Purchase update
- Notify a user of an update on a recent purchase.
- Account update
- Notify a user of a non-recurring change to their application or account.
Before drafting a response, please select the message tag that fits your intended reply. If no tag fits your message, your response may not be sent according to Facebook’s policy. In that case, the conversation can only be continued if your customer sends a new reply.
More information on the policy change can be found here and more information on the message tags can be found here.
Policy violations
Should your DM replies frequently violate the new policy, your Page might temporarily or permanently lose the permission to send direct messages. In those cases, Facebook will send warnings with further details. They can be found in your Page Support Inbox on Facebook natively, under the Settings menu of your Page.
Please bear in mind that the response window policy is primarily meant to deter spam coming from promotional offers and automated bots. If your company uses DMs purely for responding to customer inquiries, it is unlikely that your Page is at risk of a policy violation.