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Telegram bot for business: types, tasks, three ways to do it
Telegram bot is the most common first bot for small businesses: the audience is already in the messenger, registration takes two minutes, and the script can be assembled without code in an evening. At the same time, there is a lot of confusion around bots: they are confused with channels, they are expected to send broadcasts “to everyone,” they are afraid that “a programmer is needed.” Below is what a Telegram bot is technically, what it can do within the framework of the messenger rules, what types of bots exist, what tasks it covers in different niches, and how to choose between a designer, a freelancer, and custom development.
What is a Telegram bot technically?
A Telegram bot is a special account that is controlled not by a person, but by a program on the server. Any user creates it through the service bot @BotFather: command /newbot, name, unique username ending with “bot” - and Telegram issues a token, a long line like 123456789:AAH…. Whoever owns the token controls the bot: it is the one that is entered in the constructor to link the account with the script.
The following scheme is simple. The client opens a chat with the bot and writes something or presses a button. Telegram sends this event to the server specified by the owner (webhook), the server decides what to respond and sends the response back through the Telegram API. For the client, everything looks like a regular correspondence, only the interlocutor answers instantly and at three o’clock in the morning. In CHBT, the role of the server is played by the constructor: you insert a token in the “Channels” → “Connect Telegram” section, and the webhook is configured automatically, with a secret key, so that no one can slip someone else’s messages to the bot.
Three features that follow from this diagram determine what the bot can and cannot do.
- The bot does not write first. Until the person clicks “Run” (command /start) or writes it himself, the bot does not know about its existence. Therefore, “distribution to all Telegram users” is not about bots: only those who have already opened a conversation can write.
- The bot lives in PM. The main work is in a private chat “client - bot”. You can also add a bot to groups, but for business tasks this is rare; The bot in CHBT does not read comments under channel posts.
- The bot tracks where the person came from. Link
https://t.me/ваш_бот?start=saitpasses the “sait” tag to the script - this is how one bot distinguishes between transitions from a website, from an advertisement, and from a QR code on a business card. In CHBT this is the “Deep Link” trigger.
If the token is revoked in @BotFather or entered with an error, the bot will become silent; CHBT checks the health of the webhook and if there is an authorization error, sends a letter to the owner. How to get a token without errors - in help about BotFather.
What a bot can do in Telegram - and what it can’t do in CHBT
The bot’s capabilities come from two sources: what Telegram allows and what is implemented in the constructor. The first list is broad, the second is specific, and it’s more honest to talk about the second.
What is. Text messages with customer data substitution (“Hello, {{name}}”). There are two types of inline buttons under the message: callback (clicking leads to a branch of the script) and URL (opens a link - website, payment page, map). The /start command as input and deep links as source marks. The indicator “prints...” while the script prepares the response. Collecting name, phone and e-mail with format checking. Transferring the conversation to an operator who responds to the client from the CHBT account, without logging into Telegram from the phone.
What is not. The bot in CHBT does not send photos, videos and files to Telegram - only text and buttons. If the price list exists in PDF, provide a URL button to the file in the cloud. There are no card payments inside Telegram (Telegram Payments): the “Payment” block and the shop in your bot lead to your provider’s page or accept Telegram Stars, which Telegram requires for digital goods and services; after payment the bot learns about it. More in the article on Telegram Stars payments. There is no work with channel comments and no connection to Telegram Business - a “secretary” bot from your personal account in CHBT is not created. Checking a channel subscription via the API does not work yet: the “Subscription Check” template asks you to join and confirm with a button, without a hidden check.
Separately, about a limitation that is not visible in the interface: Telegram has limits on the sending speed, so sending to the bot’s database goes through a queue - no faster than 20 messages per second. For a base of 5,000 people, this is a few minutes, not an instant; for 100 - imperceptible. The newsletter itself is a function of the Basic and higher Plans; it is not available on the Free plan.
Three types of bots based on how they respond
There are many classifications, but to decide “which one do I need” one is enough: who determines the answer.
- Push-button (script). The answers are written in advance, the client moves with buttons and short answers. Predictable, free to use, works on any plan plan. The weak point is a free question outside the menu: it is caught by the “Any message” trigger and taken to the operator.
- AI bot. The neural network answers the question based on your knowledge base - text describing services, prices, conditions. In CHBT this is the “AI Agent” block in the script and the “AI Agents” section, where the role, base and model are specified. The answer to the default models costs one AI credit, more expensive on powerful models (150 credits per month on Basic, 500 on Business). The strength is free formulation; weak - you need base text and response control.
- Hybrid. Menu with buttons for typical requests, “AI agent” for the rest, “Operator” for when the agent is not sure. Buttons do not spend AI credits, and the agent takes what does not fit in the menu.
There are almost no specifics here for Telegram - the same types work in MAX and VK. Pros, cons and cost of ownership of each type - in a separate article; Below - about the tasks.
Niche tasks: what comes first
The table is compiled according to the templates CHBT - that is, according to tasks that have already been launched, and not according to theoretical capabilities.
| Niche | First task for the bot | Template |
|---|---|---|
| Salon, studio, master | Recording: service by button, time by text, telephone; notice to administrator | "Customer registration" |
| Online school, tutor | Sign up for a trial, issue a lead magnet, register for a webinar with a tag | “Sign up for a trial”, “Lead magnet” |
| Online store | Request for a product from the chat, answers about delivery and returns | “Online store”, “Autoresponder FAQ” |
| Cafe, delivery | Menu with buttons, order for pickup or delivery - order for the kitchen | "Menu and ordering" |
| Real estate | Selection: type, budget, area using buttons - lead to the realtor for viewing | "Object selection" |
| B2B services, agency | Qualification: 2-3 questions, then contact and transfer to manager | “Quiz-bot”, “Collection of applications” |
| Seller on Ozon or Wildberries | QR in the insert → bot: warranty, instructions, request for feedback, buyer contact | “Buyer bot” |
| Any business with a lot of questions | Autoresponder for standard questions, the rest goes to the operator | "Autoresponder FAQ", "Support" |
General principle: the first bot does one thing. The salon does not need an AI hair care consultant; it needs a record that is not lost while the administrator is busy with the client. The seller does not need a catalog in the bot - he needs the buyer’s contact, which the marketplace does not give away. The second task is added as a second script in the same bot when the first one has started working.
A separate category is service bots for the owner: notification of a new order on the marketplace, digest of reviews. In CHBT, the “Marketplaces” section sends such digests by e-mail using the Ozon Seller API and Wildberries API keys - with the number of new orders, reviews and questions. The bot from the site does not receive the status of a specific order by number: if the buyer asks in the chat, the operator answers.
Bot, channel and group: not to be confused
Telegram has three entities with similar names, and businesses regularly start the wrong one.
- Channel — one-way broadcasting: you publish, subscribers read. Suitable for content and announcements; You cannot reply to the channel, only in the comments if they are enabled.
- Group (chat) - everyone writes to everyone. Suitable for a community of clients, bad for applications: they drown in the general flow.
- Bot — personal conversation “client - script”. The only one of the three who collects contacts one by one, asks questions and transfers the conversation to the employee.
The working connection looks like this: the channel brings the audience and puts in the post a link to the bot with a tag (?start=post12), the bot collects an lead or issues material, the group - if needed at all - lives separately for communication. What to start first if you don’t have a channel or a bot yet is a separate conversation; One thing is important here: leads are collected by a bot, not a channel. A channel without a bot is traffic without a form of capture.
Constructor or code: how to choose an assembly method
For the tasks in this article - requests, recording, FAQ, support, lead magnet, notifications - there is only one default method: the constructor. Everything that fits into text, buttons, data collection, conditions and an HTTP request to an external system is collected in CHBT in an evening and then edited independently, without a task for the developer. Your own code is needed when the bot must do something that is not in the designer: synchronize with a warehouse in real time, accept card payments inside Telegram, work with media in Telegram. A freelancer is not a third option, but a way to speed up the first two: most often the performer assembles the script in the same constructor, and you then edit the texts and buttons yourself.
We discussed the timing, prices, hidden costs of support and why a self-written bot does not have an operator account separately - in the article how much does a chatbot cost. One conclusion from it is important here: choose a method according to the task, and not according to the budget. A typical code task is more expensive and slower, not because of the greed of the developers, but because along with the script you will have to write an inbox, contact cards and a newsletter.
What to prepare before the start
An hour of preparation saves an evening of rework. A list of things to collect before opening the constructor.
- One task and its metric. “Take notes at night”, “answer questions about prices without me.” Metric – the number of records per week or the number of questions that reached the operator.
- Last 50 customer messages. From personal messages, from mail, from chat on the site. Group by topic - the largest groups become menu items.
- Answer texts. Short, up to 300–400 characters per message: long ones are not read in the messenger. Prices “from”, address with landmark, schedule.
- Who is the operator? The name of the person who will open the “Conversations” section, when the bot will transmit the conversation, and at what hours. Without this, the flow with the “Operator” block turns into a black hole.
- Telegram account and bot username. He must be free and recognizable:
salon_lumiere_botbetter thanbot12345_bot. The bot name (not username) can then be changed in @BotFather. - Where should leads go? “Contacts” and a letter are enough - or you need to transfer it to your CRM via an HTTP request. The second can be postponed until the second week.
If the first four items in this list are filled in, the script is assembled almost mechanically: topics become buttons, texts become “Message” blocks, and the operator becomes an “Operator” block at the end of each thread.
Launch at CHBT: route for one evening
The assembly itself takes six steps, each of which takes minutes.
- @BotFather → /newbot → copy token.
- Account CHBT → create a “Bot” → “Channels” → “Connect Telegram” → insert a token.
- “flows” → “Use a template” for your task or an empty script in the “Steps” mode.
- Replace texts and buttons with your own. On the Basic plan, you can ask the AI to rewrite the script with a phrase like “add a choice of service after the greeting.”
- “Check script” - test chat directly in the editor, then /start in real Telegram from your phone.
- Check that the test request appears in “Contacts” and turn on notifications in “Account → Notifications”.
Detailed instructions for each step are in the article how to create a Telegram bot; if the bot is silent after connecting, there is analysis of reasons — from a revoked token to the exhausted limit of 30 conversations on the Free plan. When the Telegram bot started working, the same script connects to MAX and VKontakte in five minutes - without transferring and without a second bot. What is a chatbot in general and how does it differ from a mailing list? basic cluster article. You can start with a free plan on the page Telegram bot designer or directly in the office: create a Telegram bot for free →
Telegram bot constructorHelp: BotFather tokenHow to create a Telegram botPush-button, AI or hybridChatbot for business: what is it?How much does a chatbot cost?