Answer customers on Telegram with your own bot

Telegram is the messaging app you can connect to Allinaa today. Your business creates its own bot in Telegram, connects it in the Allinaa cabinet on Premium, and the assistant answers customers there from the same approved knowledge as your website chat. We confirmed the connection with real messages on Allinaa's own bot in October 2026.

Who reaches businesses on Telegram

For many US businesses, Telegram is not the main channel. It matters when your customers already live in it: clients abroad who prefer messaging to e-mail, communities you run on Telegram, immigrant and expat customers, tech-savvy audiences, or buyers who simply do not want to fill in a form. If a noticeable share of your inquiries starts with "can I message you on Telegram?", a bot gives them a place to write that answers outside business hours.

Your own bot, created with BotFather

The bot belongs to your business, not to Allinaa. Customers see your bot's name and photo. You create it in Telegram itself with @BotFather, Telegram's official tool for making bots:

1. Open a chat with @BotFather in Telegram and send /newbot.
2. Choose a display name, for example "Harbor Dental Help".
3. Choose a username ending in "bot", for example harbordental_help_bot.
4. BotFather replies with a token. Treat it like a password: do not post it in a chat or a screenshot.

BotFather can also set the bot's profile photo and description. Telegram's own instructions are on its bot features page.

Connecting it to Allinaa (Premium)

1. Sign in to your Allinaa cabinet as the owner or an administrator.
2. Open Connections, choose Telegram and paste the token.
3. Allinaa checks the token with Telegram and sets up the message delivery itself. The token is stored encrypted and is never shown again in the panel.
4. A new connection starts in Human only mode unless you pick another mode in the connect form: messages arrive in your inbox, but the AI does not reply yet. When you are happy with your knowledge, switch the connection to AI. Off stops it completely.

Disconnecting removes the token and Telegram's delivery settings; the conversations stay in your inbox. One note: if Allinaa already sends you owner alerts through a separate Telegram bot, that alert bot cannot be reused as your customer bot. Create a new one for customers.

Customers write first

Telegram does not let a bot start a conversation with someone who has never messaged it. That is a good rule for customers, and it means you need to tell people where your bot is. Practical places for the t.me/yourbot link: your website footer and contact page, your e-mail signature, order confirmations, printed menus or business cards with a QR code. The bot cannot be used for cold outreach, and Allinaa does not try.

The same knowledge as your website assistant

There is one knowledge base per business. When you update your hours or add an answer, the website chat and the Telegram bot both use it. That avoids the classic problem of a messaging bot quoting last season's prices.

Customers can also send photos and documents, which appear in the conversation for your team. When product cards are switched on, the assistant can reply with a product photo and a link button.

Replies in the unified inbox, with takeover

Telegram conversations appear in the Premium unified inbox next to your website chats. The owner, administrators and operators can open a conversation, press Take to pause the AI and reply themselves, then hand it back. While a person holds the chat, the AI stays quiet, so the customer never gets two answers to one question.

What the Telegram connection does not do

• Telegram does not give bots read receipts, so the inbox cannot show whether the customer read your reply.
• If a customer edits a message, the edit is saved as a note rather than replacing the original.
• Button presses inside Telegram are not used to drive conversations; customers type.
• The connection is a standard bot chat. It does not reply from your personal Telegram account.

Fees: none from Telegram for the Bot API

Telegram's Bots FAQ says bots can message their users at no cost. Telegram offers optional paid broadcasting for very high message volumes, which a customer-service bot does not need. Your cost is the Allinaa Premium plan.

Questions

Can I connect my personal Telegram account instead of a bot?

No. Allinaa connects a bot that your business creates with @BotFather. Your personal account stays private, and customers talk to the business bot.

What happens to my conversations if I disconnect the bot?

Disconnecting removes the token and stops new messages, but the conversations already in your inbox stay there.

Can the AI message customers first, for example with promotions?

No. Telegram only lets a bot reply to people who wrote to it, and Allinaa does not send unsolicited messages.

Why does a new connection start in Human only mode by default?

So you can watch a few real messages arrive and check your knowledge before the AI answers anyone. Switching to AI is one setting on the connection, and you can also pick AI right away when you connect.