SHIPIT by Dzhura · Telegram
Why Telegram, and why this one
Overview · Why Telegram, and why this one · Kinds of bots and what you can do yourself · Your first bot: from an idea to /start · Reminders and automations · Talking to an agent in Telegram · Where the bot lives and why it is silent
A bot is a Telegram account run by a program instead of a person. It sends messages, shows buttons, takes answers and can pass them on: to a spreadsheet, to your private chat, or to an agent.
People pick Telegram not because it is the only option, but because it has the least extra weight for a bot.
Reasons
Why Telegram
- It is already on the phone. You and your customers install nothing and learn nothing. A bot is an ordinary chat.
- A bot is free. By default bots message users at no charge. There are limits: roughly one message per second to a single chat and up to 20 messages per minute in a group. For booking customers or sending notifications that is plenty.
- Buttons right in the message. People do not have to learn commands; they tap “Book”, “Prices”, “Contacts”.
- Phone notifications without an app. You do not write a mobile app and do not wait for a store. The message arrives like one from a person.
- A bot is quick to create. @BotFather issues the token in a few minutes. No company registration, no separate website.
- No public address needed. An ordinary bot asks Telegram by itself whether there are new messages, so it can even run on a home computer.
A bot versus email, a website and an app
| Way | What is good | What is awkward |
|---|---|---|
| Telegram bot | The answer arrives where the person already chats. Buttons, quick booking, notifications in your pocket. | Needs Telegram. A bot works only while its code is running. |
| Everyone has it; good for long letters and attachments. | Slow, easy to lose among other mail, no buttons. | |
| Website with a form | Visible in search, good for information. | The person must come and fill in the form. It does not write to you until you look. |
| Your own app | Full control over the look. | Development, stores, updates, installation. Too expensive for simple jobs. |
Telegram as a simple conversation with an agent
What is convenient for a customer is convenient for you. If you give an agent access to your bot yourself, it can take work from your phone, not only from your computer. That is not a built-in SHIPIT feature and it has its own risks. There is a separate guide: Talking to an agent in Telegram.
When Telegram is not the best choice
- The people you write to do not use it. Email or a web form suits them better.
- You need to pass sensitive data. Do not put passwords, card numbers or anything you would not send in an ordinary chat into a bot message.
- You need a guarantee that a message arrives within seconds at any moment, even when your computer is off. Then the bot must run on a server, not at home. See Where the bot lives.