--- title: "Telegram bot for business: connect it to your team inbox and AI" description: Connect a Telegram bot to SaleMag with its BotFather token, answer every chat from a shared inbox, and let an AI chatbot reply and take cash-on-delivery orders. url: https://salemag.net/platforms/telegram-bot language: en published: 2026-10-21 updated: 2026-10-23 author: SaleMag Team tags: - telegram bot - telegram for business - shared inbox - ai chatbot - bangladesh --- # Telegram bot for business: connect it to your team inbox and AI > SaleMag connects a business's Telegram bot to a shared team inbox and an AI chatbot: create the bot with @BotFather, paste its token, and SaleMag sets the webhook. Telegram messages then arrive next to WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram, where your team replies from a browser and the AI answers from your products and takes cash-on-delivery orders. - Connecting takes a bot token from @BotFather; there is no app review. - Text, photos, video, voice, documents, stickers, locations and shared contacts arrive in the inbox. - Each bot gets its own secret webhook address, and SaleMag checks Telegram's secret header on every delivery. - The same AI chatbot and order taking you use on WhatsApp work on Telegram. - SaleMag does not send broadcast campaigns on Telegram; the channel is for conversations. Most Bangladeshi customers buy through Facebook and WhatsApp, but some audiences live on Telegram: tech buyers, students, people who buy digital products or follow a shop's Telegram channel. SaleMag connects a Telegram bot to the same shared inbox as your other channels in a few minutes. ## What is a Telegram bot for business, and what does SaleMag do with it? A Telegram bot is an automated Telegram account that a business runs through software, and customers message it like any other contact. SaleMag connects that bot to your team inbox and AI chatbot. The table shows what each part does: | Part | What it does | |---|---| | Inbox | Messages to your bot appear in the [shared inbox](https://salemag.net/features/shared-inbox) with your other channels | | Media | Photos, video, voice notes, documents, stickers, locations and shared contacts come through | | Replies | Your team answers from the browser; agents can also react with Telegram's emoji set | | AI chatbot | Answers from your knowledge base and product list | | Orders | The bot can build a cart and send a secure order-form link | ## How do I connect a Telegram bot to SaleMag? You connect a Telegram bot to SaleMag by creating it with @BotFather, Telegram's official bot for making bots, and pasting its token into Channel Setup: 1. Open @BotFather and send `/newbot`. 2. Pick a display name and a username that ends in "bot". 3. Copy the token BotFather sends you. 4. In SaleMag, go to **Channel Setup**, choose Telegram and paste the token. SaleMag checks the token with Telegram, reads the bot's name and sets the webhook. There is no Meta-style app review or business verification. ## Is the SaleMag Telegram connection secure? Yes. SaleMag gives each connected Telegram bot its own webhook address, stores only a hash of that address, and rejects any delivery that lacks a separate secret Telegram sends back. Media files are downloaded and stored when they arrive, because Telegram's file links expire and contain the bot token. The token never ends up in a stored link. ## Can an AI chatbot answer Telegram messages? Yes. Link a SaleMag [AI chatbot](https://salemag.net/features/ai-chatbot) to the Telegram account and it answers from the same knowledge base you built for WhatsApp or Messenger: products, delivery charges, return policy, files, web pages and FAQs. It replies in the customer's language, including Bangla and [Banglish](https://salemag.net/glossary/banglish), and answers only from your data. When it cannot help, or the customer asks for a person, it can hand the chat to your team and notify them. ## Can I take orders on Telegram? Yes. With SaleMag's [AI order taking](https://salemag.net/ai-agents/ai-order-taking) switched on, the Telegram chatbot looks up products before it quotes a price, builds the cart, and sends a secure order-form link. The customer picks a delivery area, such as Inside Dhaka or Outside Dhaka, enters name, phone and address, and places a [cash-on-delivery](https://salemag.net/glossary/cash-on-delivery) order. Your team sees a numbered order in SaleMag. ## What can't a Telegram bot do in SaleMag? A Telegram bot in SaleMag cannot message people first or send broadcasts. The table lists each limit: | Topic | How it works | |---|---| | Starting a chat | A customer must message your bot first; bots cannot message people who never wrote to them | | Broadcasts | Campaigns are not available on Telegram in SaleMag | | Messages from your own app | Telegram does not send them to the bot, so they do not appear in the thread | | In-chat order form | The in-WhatsApp form is WhatsApp only; Telegram customers get the link | ## Telegram vs WhatsApp vs Messenger: how do they compare in SaleMag? In SaleMag, Telegram is the simplest channel to connect and has no 24-hour reply window, while WhatsApp is the only one of the three with broadcast campaigns and an in-chat order form. The table compares them: | | Telegram | WhatsApp (official API) | Messenger | |---|---|---|---| | How you connect | Bot token from @BotFather | Meta embedded signup | Facebook login | | Meta review or verification | Not needed | Meta's rules apply | Meta's rules apply | | 24-hour reply window | No | Yes | Meta's Messenger rules apply | | Broadcast campaigns in SaleMag | No | Yes, with approved templates | No | | Order form | Secure link | In-WhatsApp form or link | Secure link | | AI chatbot | Yes | Yes | Yes | All of them share one inbox, one contact list and the same chatbot, so a customer's question gets the same answer wherever they ask it. ## Who should use a Telegram bot for business? A Telegram bot suits a business that already has a Telegram channel or group where customers ask questions, or that sells to audiences who prefer Telegram. Put a link to your bot (t.me/yourbot) on the channel, in your Facebook bio and on receipts. If most of your buyers are on Facebook, start with [Messenger](https://salemag.net/platforms/messenger-chatbot) and [WhatsApp](https://salemag.net/platforms/whatsapp-business-api), and add Telegram later. ## Get started Create the bot, paste the token, and send a test message. Then link the chatbot you already use on other channels, and give the bot a clear profile photo and description in @BotFather so customers know it is your shop. [Create an account](https://salemag.net/register) or see [pricing](https://salemag.net/pricing). ## Steps 1. **Create the bot**: In Telegram, open @BotFather, send /newbot and copy the token. 2. **Connect it**: In SaleMag, open Channel Setup, choose Telegram and paste the token. 3. **Test it**: Send a message to your bot from your own Telegram account and check that it appears in the inbox. 4. **Add AI replies**: Link an AI chatbot to the Telegram account so it answers when your team is busy. ## FAQ ### How do I create a Telegram bot for my business? Open @BotFather in Telegram, send /newbot, choose a name and a username ending in 'bot', and copy the token it gives you. You paste that token into SaleMag to connect the bot. ### Do I need a developer to connect a Telegram bot to SaleMag? No. Paste the bot token in SaleMag's Channel Setup; SaleMag checks it, reads the bot's name and sets the webhook. ### Can SaleMag's AI chatbot answer Telegram messages in Bangla? Yes. A SaleMag AI chatbot linked to the Telegram bot replies in the customer's language, including Bangla and Banglish, and answers only from your knowledge base instead of making things up. ### Can a person take over a Telegram chat from the AI? Yes. SaleMag's chatbot hands the chat to your team when it cannot answer or the customer asks for a person, and your team replies from the SaleMag inbox. ### Can I send broadcast campaigns on Telegram with SaleMag? No. SaleMag campaigns run on WhatsApp, SMS and email. Telegram is for conversations in the inbox. ### Will I see messages I send from my own Telegram app in SaleMag? No. Telegram does not pass those messages to the bot, so reply from the SaleMag inbox to keep the thread complete. ### Is there a 24-hour reply window on Telegram like on WhatsApp? No. The 24-hour window is a WhatsApp rule. A Telegram bot connected to SaleMag can reply in an existing chat at any time. ### How much does a Telegram bot cost with SaleMag? Creating a bot with @BotFather is free. SaleMag charges for its plan, listed on the [pricing page](https://salemag.net/pricing), and the AI chatbot uses your workspace's own AI provider key, so the provider bills AI usage directly.