Step by step
- Step 1
Open @BotFather
In Telegram, search for @BotFather, Telegram's official bot for making bots, and send /newbot.
- Step 2
Name it
Choose a display name, such as “Northside Clinic”, and a username. Telegram requires the username to end in “bot”, such as northsideclinic_bot. Telegram: bot features
- Step 3
Copy the token
BotFather replies with a token: numbers, a colon, then a long code. It's the key that lets software run your bot, so keep it private.
- Step 4
Connect it to your AI agent
Paste the token into your chatbot platform. In HeyKiko that's Channels › Telegram, and the agent starts replying straight away.
- Step 5
Train the agent
Give it your website and documents, so it answers from your own content. See how to train a chatbot on your website.
- Step 6
Share the link
Your bot's t.me link and a QR code on your website, receipts, menus and social profiles, so customers can start a chat.
What Telegram allows, and doesn't
- A bot can't start a conversation. A customer has to message it first, or add it to a group. Telegram: bots
- Bots carry a “bot” label instead of an online status, so customers know they're talking to one.
- Once a customer has messaged it, there's no time limit on replying, unlike WhatsApp's 24-hour window.
- Telegram asks bots not to send more than about one message a second to the same chat, and limits bulk sending to about 30 messages a second. Telegram: bot FAQ
That makes Telegram a good channel for conversations customers start, and a poor one for cold outreach: you can't message people who haven't contacted your bot.
What an AI agent adds to a Telegram bot
A bot on its own does only what someone programs. Connected to an AI agent, it understands questions in the customer's own words and language and can act on them:
| Customers can | How it looks in Telegram |
|---|---|
| Ask anything about your business | A reply from your website and files, in their language |
| Book an appointment | Open times as buttons on a keyboard, then a confirmation |
| Find a product | A photo with the price and a button to your page |
| Send a photo or a PDF | The agent reads it, when your plan's model can read images and files |
| Ask for a refund or a repair | A case for your team, with a reference |
| Talk to a person | The chat moves to your team's inbox; the bot stays quiet |
Working it as a team
- Replies from your team go out from the same bot, so the customer stays in one chat.
- Telegram chats sit in one shared inbox with your WhatsApp and website chats.
- Team members can get their own alerts on Telegram: each one sends a short code to your bot to connect, which works with no time limit.
- Every customer who messages the bot becomes a lead, with their name from Telegram.
In HeyKiko
Connect your bot under Channels › Telegram by pasting the token from @BotFather, and print the QR code shown there for your counter or receipts. Changing the token keeps the same chats, and disconnecting stops replies at once while the bot stays yours in @BotFather. The bot uses the same knowledge, bookings and hand-off rules as your website chat and WhatsApp.
HeyKiko sends campaigns on WhatsApp and email, not as Telegram broadcasts. On Telegram your agent answers the conversations customers start.
See the Telegram AI bot, or try it free for 14 days with no card.
Sources
Checked on 5 November 2026. We make HeyKiko, which this guide uses as its example.
