What must be accomplished at least once before deploying a bot to channels like Microsoft Teams or Facebook?

Deploying a bot to channels such as Microsoft Teams or Facebook requires it to be published at least once. Publishing is the process that takes the bot from a development environment to a live environment, where users can interact with it. Without publishing, the bot remains in a state where it is not accessible to users; thus, it cannot respond to queries or perform its intended functions.

While testing the bot is critical to ensure it functions correctly and meets user needs, it occurs within a development context and does not necessarily mean the bot is live. Similarly, defining synonyms and creating entities are important tasks for ensuring the bot understands user input effectively, but these steps do not replace the need to publish the bot. Ultimately, publishing is the final step that enables the bot to operate as intended in real-world applications.