5 Steps Tutorial to Create a Telegram Bot: A Complete Guide (No-Code)

Introduction

Instant messaging plays a critical role in digital marketing and customer service. Telegram has become one of the most widely used channels in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the United States. As the user base grows, more global merchants, SaaS teams and cross-border brands rely on Telegram to reach customers quickly and at scale.

This guide walks you through the entire setup process. You will learn how to create a Telegram Bot from scratch, connect it to your workflows and use it in real business scenarios.

At the end of this guide, you should be able to:

• Create your bot with BotFather
• Retrieve and manage your API token
• Configure bot functions
• Use API or Webhook methods if your team has developers
• Build no-code automation with tools like SaleSmartly
• Apply Telegram Bots to eCommerce, cross-border and SaaS operations

1. Why Create a Telegram Bot?

Before we start, let’s clarify what a Telegram Bot is.

A Telegram Bot is a mini application that runs inside Telegram. It can process messages, reply automatically, trigger workflows and call external APIs. It works 24/7 and behaves like an intelligent assistant for your customers and your team.

Why global teams use Telegram Bots

For cross-border teams, Telegram has become a core communication platform. Its appeal comes from three advantages.

High security: Telegram offers end-to-end encryption for secret chats and a strong privacy system. Users value anonymity and private communication, which leads to higher trust and response rates.

Open and developer-friendly API: Telegram’s Bot API is publicly available and widely documented. Businesses can integrate Telegram with automation platforms, CRM systems, support software and marketing tools.

Fewer restrictions, more flexibility: Compared with Meta-owned apps such as WhatsApp or Facebook, Telegram allows more flexibility in message types, menu design, automation triggers and community management. This makes it attractive for international eCommerce and SaaS companies that need fast, scalable communication.

2. What Can a Telegram Bot Do?

A Telegram Bot is more than an auto-reply tool. It is a powerful automation interface that can support customer service, marketing and operations. Here are the core functions businesses use most often.

Automated customer service: A bot can answer common questions in real time. It reads user intent, provides relevant information and hands off to a human agent when needed.

Campaign and notification pushes: Send new product updates, price drops, seasonal promotions or flash deals to subscribers. Telegram’s high message delivery rate helps merchants achieve better reach than email or SMS.

User data collection: Bots can send simple forms or guided questions to collect emails, phone numbers and product preferences. All data flows into one system and supports segmentation.

Workflow automation: Connect the bot to CRM systems, support platforms or internal tools. The bot can update records, trigger follow-up tasks or handle first-level filtering before agents step in.

Interactive experiences: Brands often use Telegram Bots to run giveaways, mini games, loyalty check-ins or task-based engagement campaigns. These activities increase retention and community activity.

Payment support: Telegram provides an official Payments API. Users can purchase items directly inside Telegram without leaving the app. This reduces friction and drives faster conversions.

...

Who benefits most: For cross-border eCommerce brands, marketplace sellers and SaaS teams, a Telegram Bot becomes an automation engine. It saves labor, increases response speed and improves the customer journey from the first message to repeat purchase.

3. How to Create a Telegram Bot

This section shows you the exact steps to create your bot using BotFather. The process takes only a few minutes.

Step 1: Find the official BotFather account

Open Telegram and search for @BotFather.
This is the only verified bot used to create and manage all Telegram Bots.

Step 2: Create your Telegram Bot

Follow this simple flow.

1. Start a chat with BotFather.
2. Send /start.

   

    

3. Click Create New Bot or type /newbot.
4. BotFather asks for a name. Choose a clear, friendly name that users can recognize.
5. Set a profile photo and description. This helps users understand the bot’s purpose.

Next, BotFather requires a unique username that ends with bot.
Examples:

• mybrandbot
• acme_support_bot

This username cannot be changed later.

Step 3: Get your API Token

After creation, BotFather generates an API Token.
This token identifies your bot and allows it to communicate with the Telegram Bot API.

Store it securely.
If it leaks, revoke it immediately through BotFather.

Step 4: Configure your bot’s functions

With the API Token, your developers or integration tools can call the Telegram Bot API to set commands, menus, welcome messages and more.

Business example: Group management bot

Many companies operate Telegram groups for customer communities, VIP buyers or internal teams.

A bot can help:

• Welcome new members
• Answer repeated FAQs
• Send group-wide announcements such as product releases or sales countdowns
• Moderate members and mute violators
• Share daily updates or pinned messages

This automation reduces manual work and gives the group a more professional experience.

Step 5: Build your automations

Once your bot is active, you can connect it to an automation platform such as SaleSmartly.

In SaleSmartly, you can set triggers, conditions and actions to create flexible workflows.

Connection steps

1. Go to SaleSmartly - Integration, select Telegram Bot.
2. Paste the API Token from BotFather.

   

    

3. Start creating automation flows.

Example automations

✅Product inquiry automation
When a user asks about a new item, the bot uses AI intent detection to reply with product details and related offers. This helps convert warm leads faster.

✅Re-engagement automation
If a user has chatted before but did not buy, the bot can automatically send follow-up campaigns such as featured items or discount alerts.

✅Location-based tagging
When a user from the United States places an order, the system tags them as “US region”.
Your team can later send targeted offers based on trending products in that market.

These automations help you reach users with the right message at the right time, increasing click-through rates and conversions.

4. How to Use Telegram Bot API and Webhooks

If your team has development resources, you can extend your bot with deeper custom logic. Telegram provides two main integration methods: the Bot API and Webhooks. These options allow you to build advanced features, automate responses and connect your bot to internal systems.

4.1 What is the Telegram Bot API

The Bot API is Telegram’s official interface that lets developers send messages, manage groups, create inline keyboards and process user actions.
You use it to control everything your bot can do.

Common tasks include:

• Sending and editing messages
• Adding buttons or menus
• Managing group permissions
• Handling images, videos or documents
• Linking your bot to CRM or order systems

The Bot API documentation is publicly available and updated regularly, which makes it simple for teams to start building.

4.2 What is a Webhook

A Webhook is a method where Telegram pushes updates to your server the moment a user interacts with the bot.
This differs from “polling”, where the bot repeatedly checks for updates.

Webhooks provide:

• Faster response times
• Higher performance
• Better stability for production-level bots

If you already have a CRM system, Webhooks allow you to build a smooth, event-driven experience.

4.3 How to Build a Basic Bot with Node.js or Python

Here are general approaches developers use to build Telegram bots. The libraries mentioned below are well-known in the community and make development easier.

Node.js

A popular choice is node-telegram-bot-api.
It supports both polling and webhook modes and wraps common API calls in simple functions.

Basic workflow for Node.js:

• Install the library
• Set your bot token
• Choose polling or webhook
• Define handlers for replies, keyboards or actions
• Deploy the bot to a server or cloud function

Python

Python developers often choose:

• python-telegram-bot
• telebot

Both libraries provide clean abstractions for receiving messages, sending replies and connecting with your business systems.

The typical workflow is the same as Node.js:
initialize the bot, listen for messages, process user input and return responses.

4.4 How Your Bot Receives and Processes Messages

Regardless of the tech stack, the process is straightforward.

Your bot can receive:

• Text
• Images
• Files
• Button clicks
• Menu selections

Your dashboard reads these inputs from the Bot API or Webhook payload.
Then it determines the appropriate action: answer a question, call your CRM, fetch an order status, or hand off to a human agent.

This structure ensures your bot keeps conversations smooth and relevant.

4.5 How to Send Automated Messages

To push messages automatically, your bot needs access to your business systems.

Examples include:

• New product launches
• Order shipped notifications
• Delivery exceptions
• Payment confirmations
• Account updates

When an event happens in your database, you trigger a Bot API request to send users the right message at the right time.

This creates a faster communication loop and helps your customers stay informed without waiting for manual support.

5. How to Use a Telegram Bot Without Coding

Not every team has engineers. Many cross-border sellers, eCommerce brands and customer support teams prefer a faster approach. In these cases, using a no-code Telegram Bot platform is the most efficient option.

These platforms provide a visual interface where you can connect your bot, design workflows and manage conversations without writing a single line of code.

The setup is fast and ideal for teams that need repeatable automation and unified messaging.

5.1 Popular No-Code Telegram Bot Platforms

Below is a simple comparison of common no-code tools. Each platform offers different strengths depending on your use case.

5.2 Why Many eCommerce and Support Teams Prefer All-in-One Platforms

While the tools above work well for simple use cases, many global merchants and support teams prefer an all-in-one platform like SaleSmartly.

This type of platform offers more complete capabilities:

• Connect Telegram Bot in one click
• Enable AI auto replies
• Build automation flows
• Manage WhatsApp, Facebook and Telegram messages in one shared inbox
• Track customer tags and conversation history
• Link campaigns with CRM and order data

For daily customer service and marketing operations, an integrated solution creates a full loop from conversation to conversion.

If your goal is to reduce workload, unify channels and improve automation depth, an all-in-one platform is easier to maintain than multiple standalone tools.

Common Telegram Bot Features Built With No Code

Below are the most frequently used features when teams connect Telegram to automation platforms like SaleSmartly. All of these can be created through visual workflows.

1. Welcome Messages

Welcome messages help set expectations and introduce your brand.

How to set it up:

• Trigger: “User starts a chat” or “First visit”
• Action: Send a welcome template with brand introduction, menu buttons or fast links

A simple welcome message improves user engagement and increases menu clicks.

2. Form Collection

Bots can collect structured information automatically.

You can gather:

• Email
• Phone number
• Product interest
• Order number
• Shipping information

All data goes into your database or CRM so your team can segment customers or trigger follow-up campaigns.

3. Keyword or Intent Auto Replies

You can predefine common keywords or let AI detect intent.
Useful examples:

• “Price” → send pricing details
• “Shipping” → show delivery time and carriers
• “Return” → show policy and steps

This reduces repeated questions and frees agents for more complex cases.

Create a Menu-Based FAQ

A menu-based FAQ gives users easy navigation.
Users tap a button and get answers instantly.
This is one of the best ways to reduce agent workload.

6. How eCommerce, Cross-Border Sellers and SaaS Teams Use Telegram Bots

Telegram Bots are now a core part of global customer operations. They help brands automate service, speed up responses and push targeted campaigns. Below are the most common use cases across eCommerce and SaaS teams.

6.1 Automated Order Tracking

Customers often ask about delivery status.
A Telegram Bot can automate the entire process.

Typical workflow:

1. User submits an order number.
2. Bot connects to your order system.
3. Bot replies with real-time logistics updates.

This reduces repetitive queries and ensures customers always get accurate information.

6.2 New Product Announcements and Promotions

Brands use Telegram Bots to send:

• New arrivals
• Limited-time deals
• Seasonal campaigns
• Price drops

Since Telegram has high message visibility, subscribers tend to respond faster than email or SMS.
This increases reactivation rates and boosts repeat purchases.

6.3 FAQ Menus to Reduce Support Load

Menu-based FAQs help customers navigate information quickly without typing.

Examples include:

• Shipping times
• Return or refund policies
• Sizing and product details
• Discount rules
• Payment instructions

When customers can self-serve, your support team can focus on more complex requests.

6.4. User Feedback and Review Collection

Bots can send short forms to collect:

• Product feedback
• Service ratings
• Feature requests
• Quick surveys

All data goes back to your system.
This helps your marketing and product teams find patterns and make better decisions.

5. Group Management for Communities

Telegram communities grow fast, especially for cross-border brands and SaaS products.

Bots can help maintain order in group chats by:

• Welcoming new members
• Posting pinned announcements
• Muting rule-breakers
• Sharing daily updates
• Sending scheduled community content

A well-managed group increases trust and makes campaigns more effective.

Conclusion: Build Your First Telegram Bot in Minutes

Creating and running a Telegram Bot is simpler than most teams expect.
The basic steps are:

If your team has developers, you can build advanced workflows using Telegram Bot API or Webhooks.
If you prefer a faster setup, platforms like SaleSmartly offer a complete solution that includes Telegram Bot connection, AI auto replies, visual automation and unified channel management.

A Telegram Bot can help unlock new channels for growth. It simplifies service, increases conversions and keeps your audience engaged across regions and time zones.

FAQ

1. Is a Telegram Bot free?

Yes. Creating and using a Telegram Bot is free.
Third-party platforms such as SaleSmartly provide free plans for basic needs and paid plans for advanced features.

2. What should I do if my API Token is leaked?

Open BotFather and send the command /revoke.
BotFather will generate a new token and the old token becomes invalid immediately.

3. How do I add a Telegram Bot to a group or channel?

Go to the group or channel settings, select Add Members and search for your bot’s username.

4. Can a Telegram Bot send broadcast messages?

Yes, but you must follow Telegram’s platform rules.
Using a platform like SaleSmartly allows you to send targeted broadcasts based on user tags, such as “Paid Customers” or “US Region Users”.

Further Reading

Telegram diversion link: Efficiently distribute user traffic of Telegram Bot

The Next Private Traffic Hub: A Complete Guide to Telegram Private Domain Operations

The secrets of Chatbot! What are the advantages and disadvantages of ChatGPT?

5 common misunderstandings in chatbot design summarized from 100+ customer cases. Don’t make them!