Creating a Business Bot
In this guide we will tell you in detail how to create your own Business Bot using the @MenuBuilderBot constructor.
At this stage, a fee of 1 Token of Group is charged for the operation of one Business Bot, in all other aspects these bots are created and operate on a general basis. The monetization model may change in the future.
❖ Premium account and Telegram for business
At the time of writing this guide, the «Telegram for Business» functionality is TEMPORARILY included in the Premium subscription. We do not know whether it will be possible to purchase the Business functionality separately without purchasing Premium, and whether the Business functionality will be included in Premium at the time you read this guide. One way or another, choose for yourself how you activate the «Telegram for Business» functionality.
In general, you need to go to your account Settings, click «Telegram for Business» or «Telegram Premium» and make sure that you can use the Business functionality.
❖ Creating a bot in BotFather
In general, any Menu-bot created on the @MenuBuilderBot constructor will do for creating a bot. However, for Business Bots, we RECOMMEND creating a separate bot and optimizing its menu for this task.
Later, when you learn all the limitations and features of working with Business Bots, there will be nothing wrong if you use your regular Menu-bot to work as a Business Bot, but at the initial stage this can cause confusion and misunderstanding of why certain functions do not work.
Therefore, once again, BEGINNERS - we strongly recommend creating a separate bot (address) in @BotFather to work as a Business Bot.
More information on how to create a new bot is written in the guide "How to create your first bot".
After (following the instructions above) you have created your new bot - there in @BotFather , you need to switch it to Business Bot mode. To do this:
1. Select your bot from the list of created ones
2. Click «Bot Settings»
3. Click «Business Mode»
4. Click «Turn Business Mode ON»
After switching your bot to Business Bot mode, you may have to wait a little while for Telegram to activate this setting. Usually from a few minutes to half an hour.
IMPORTANT: for OLD BOTS (previously used in the constructor), it is necessary to restart them in the main bot @MenuBuilderBot. Otherwise, the bot may not work as a Business Bot.
❖ Connecting a business bot to a Telegram account
Once your bot is created, you need to connect it to your Premium Telegram account. To do this:
1. Go to your account Settings
2. Click «Telegram for Business»
3. Select «Chatbots»
4. Enter @ the name (address) of the bot you've created
5. Select the chats where your bot should work
6. Don't forget to leave the «Replies to messages» setting enabled.
Your bot can work in several Premium accounts at once.
❖ Creating business bot logic
Connect your bot to the MenuBuilderBot bot constructor
In order to create Business Bot logic on the @MenuBuilderBot constructor, your bot must be added as a Menu-bot.
How to add your bot to the constructor is described in the guide «Create a New Bot».
Creating Bot Responses
As we write this guide, we assume that you already have an idea on how to create a Menu-bot.
If this is not the case, then first familiarize yourself with the basic features:
• Creating buttons
• Adding messages
• Commands
• Formatting text in Telegram
Approach 1
The Business Bot responds to the user only by commands and words that he "knows".
This is the simplest option, both in the aspect of creating a bot and in its capabilities. It is most suitable for beginners in working with the constructor, for creating bots with simpler logic, and also if you are more likely to expect information from the user, rather than assume that the bot will lead the user according to a rigid scenario.
To create such a bot, add several buttons to it, the names of which can serve as keywords to the information they contain. Add the corresponding messages to the buttons.
For example :
The «Schedule» button may contain a message with your work schedule.
Thus, if the user sends the word "Schedule" in the personal chat, the bot will respond with the message specified in this button.
In Business Bot mode, all user messages are CASE-INDEPENDENT. That is, for the bot it does not matter whether a word is written with a capital letter or a lowercase letter.
In order to initially inform the user on Keywords or Commands available to him, you can use the "Greeting Message". To set a greeting message:
1. Go to your account Settings
2. Click «Telegram for Business»
3. Select «Greeting Message»
4. Set the message itself and indicate the desired keywords in it.
When creating a Greeting Message, you can also specify how often it will be displayed.
Approach 2
The Business Bot, using Keywords or Commands, guides the user through a given scenario, responding with a default message to ANY unknown message from the user.
Use this approach if you want to STEP-BY-STEP guide your user, through the information you need, at the same time it is not implied that the user will write something by himself - because the bot will always respond with a default message, to any unknown user's responses.
Creating bot responses is done in a similar way - as described above - using buttons and messages. We will not dwell on this separately.
In order to set a "default" message that will be shown to the user in response to any unknown command (and return him to the beginning of the script), you need to purchase an extension for customizing messages and, in particular, the unknown message (Error Message).
« 33. Custom Messages»
To connect, go to your bot:☞ 🔐Admin | 🧩Extensions | 📂Customization
Then set up the error message command:☞ 🔐Admin | 🎚Bot Customization | 🚯 Wrong Command Message
1. Set your error message (without it, adding a command option is not available)
2. OPTIONAL - click «Do not show message» to enable this option (enabling it will prevent the bot from showing the standard error message if the command is set).
3. Set the command itself (for example /main).
IMPORTANT: System commands like /start and /home do not work in the Business Bot.
Now if the user sends the bot an unknown command or a message to which the bot has no answer, the bot will call the command specified here.
In order for the command to work, you need to create a button with this command (/main) and add a message to it that will be the beginning of your script and contain the Key Words or Commands necessary for the user to start communicating with the bot.
For information on how to add a button command, see the Guide on Commands.
To create a consistent scenario, each subsequent message must contain Key Words or Commands that will allow the user to choose the further direction of the dialogue with the bot.
❖ Additional information
If desired, the menu buttons can be hidden in two ways.
1. Switch them to the «Admin Only» mode, in which case the button message will be available only by command if it is set for this button.
2. «Invisible Button» mode - in this case the button message will be available both by its name and by command if it is added.
The Invisible Buttons functionality is available in Extensions and is added separately.
«36. Invisible Buttons and Messages»
To connect, go to your bot:☞ 🔐Admin | 🧩Extensions | 📂Buttons
Design of Keyword and Commands
Since commands in private chats are not displayed as commands and cannot be clicked, for the convenience of the user it is advisable to highlight the desired Keyword and Commands as copied text.
For information on formatting text in Telegram, see the markdown guide.