Connect Telegram
Let your AI agent receive and reply to Telegram messages automatically.
Overview
Empfio connects to Telegram through a bot you create with BotFather. Customers message the bot; the AI agent handles the conversation, collects their information, and books appointments — just like any other channel.
Setup
Step 1 — Create a bot with BotFather
- Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
- Send
/newbot - Choose a display name for your bot (e.g. "Müller Salon")
- Choose a username (must end in
bot, e.g.mueller_salon_bot) - BotFather will reply with your bot token — it looks like
123456789:ABCdefGHI-jklMNOpqr
Copy the bot token immediately. You can regenerate it later via BotFather, but regenerating invalidates the old one.
Step 2 — Connect in Empfio
- In Empfio, go to Settings → Channels → Telegram
- Paste your bot token
- Click Connect
Empfio automatically registers a webhook with Telegram so your bot receives messages in real time. No manual webhook configuration needed.
Step 3 — Test it
- Open Telegram and find your bot by its username
- Send "Hello"
- The agent should respond within a few seconds
- Check Dashboard → Conversations to see the new lead and conversation
Features
- Interactive buttons — the agent presents service options and time slots as tappable inline keyboard buttons
- Text messages — standard conversational AI replies
- Automatic lead creation — every new Telegram user who messages the bot becomes a lead in your CRM
Bot privacy mode
By default, Telegram bots only receive messages sent directly to them. If you add the bot to a group chat, it won't see messages unless:
- The message starts with a
/command - You disable privacy mode via BotFather: send
/setprivacy→ select your bot → choose Disable
For most use cases, keep privacy mode enabled and let customers message the bot directly.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Bot doesn't respond | Verify the token in Settings matches what BotFather gave you |
| "Webhook registration failed" | Check that your Empfio backend is accessible from the internet (Telegram needs to reach your webhook URL) |
| Delayed responses | The AI model may need a few seconds to generate a reply — this is normal |
| Bot responds in wrong language | The agent matches the language the customer writes in. Update your business profile language to change the default |