Telegram for Business: Step-by-Step Guide for Better Customer Communication

Assessing the messenger's potential for real-time communication with customers.

The audience of almost a billion users, advanced features, and even its own cryptocurrency — all of this is about Telegram, one of the most popular messaging apps in the world at the moment. It is likely that you have used the app yourself to chat with friends and also encountered branded channels helmed by marketing strategists at various companies. If you are considering employing Telegram to strengthen ties with the audience of your brand and increase sales as well, this article is for you. In it, we are going to discuss the benefits of using Telegram for business, its standout features, and best usage practices.

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What Is Telegram Business?

Telegram Business is a cloud-based messaging and desktop communication software that provides seamless synchronization across devices and rich real-time customer communication capabilities for companies.

With Telegram Business features, a company can set up around-the-clock prompt customer support via a convenient text-based channel as well as establish efficient marketing communication and monitor its key metrics such as views, subscriptions, mentions, and reposts.

Telegram benefits for business

Telegram comes with a number of benefits that can contribute to an organization's efforts in customer communication and engagement. The messaging platform offers both essential and non-essential capabilities that help companies implement a diverse marketing strategy, improve sales conversion, and provide prompt solutions to customer inquiries.

Wide popularity

Over the past 3-5 years, the Telegram app has grown in popularity as a method of communication due to its strong emphasis on security, wide support of multimedia, easy-to-use bot builders, as well as channels for content distribution. With a 900 million audience of monthly active users, Telegram seems strongly appealing to organizations that aim to amp up their customer communication and reach a global audience without incurring high message rates, attributed to SMS, and avoid low engagement rates associated with emails.

High-end security

Telegram's end-to-end encryption keeps business communications secure and private, safeguarding sensitive data and confidential information from unauthorized access or interception. This encryption function gives firms peace of mind while discussing proprietary issues, financial transactions, or sensitive customer information.

Large file sharing

In contrast to other messaging apps, Telegram allows its users to share large files of various formats, including documents, images, and videos up to 2GB in size. This feature facilitates seamless communication and is particularly beneficial for industries like design, marketing, and media, where sharing high-quality media files is essential for project management and client communication.

Dedicated business features

In April 2024, Telegram launched Telegram Business, which allows users to transform their regular accounts into business accounts. Businesses can now share their operating hours and location on a map, making it simpler for users to locate them and verify their availability. They can also personalize the start page for new chats, offering details about their products and services, or welcoming customers with custom artworks. The new Quick Replies feature allows for the creation of shortcuts for sending canned responses. Also, businesses can set up an automatic greeting message for users who are contacting them for the first time and an away message when they are closed or on vacation.

Support for multiple devices

Telegram supports numerous devices, allowing users to access their accounts and messages at the same time. This functionality is useful for business personnel who need to stay connected and responsive across multiple platforms, such as desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones, ensuring constant communication and accessibility regardless of the device being used.

Useful Telegram features for business

Explore the myriad of functionalities Telegram presents to boost communication and teamwork within businesses. From enabling real-time discussions via group chats to facilitating integration with bots for task automation, Telegram equips businesses with a variety of tools aimed at elevating both efficiency and engagement during interactions.

• Channels. Telegram channels enable businesses to distribute messages to a vast subscriber base effortlessly, facilitating the sharing of news, product launches, and promotional materials with a broad audience in real time. This greatly amplifies brand presence and engagement.
• Stickers and emojis. The support of stickers allows Telegram's users to add creativity and personality to business communications, making them engaging and expressive. This fosters an amiable atmosphere for both clients and employees.
• Group chats. Telegram's group chat feature facilitates seamless collaboration among team members. Creating dedicated groups for different departments, projects, or teams establishes an environment that promotes effective communication, idea generation, and decision-making, ultimately improving internal operations.
• Chatbots. Integrating Telegram chatbots automates tedious tasks and provides instant customer service, enhancing productivity and enabling round-the-clock engagement with customers. Personalizing experiences through chatbots significantly boosts customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Scheduled messages. The ability to schedule messages for future delivery is invaluable for businesses aiming to maintain consistent communication. This ensures timely delivery of information and marketing content, aligning perfectly with communication strategies and catering to audiences in various time zones.
• Voice and video calls. The support of high-quality real-time calls enables businesses to host virtual meetings, perform interviews, provide client consultations, and hold team sessions directly through the platform, facilitating instant communication and strengthening connections, making physical distances inconsequential.
• Insightful analytics. By analyzing message performance, engagement rates, and audience demographics via Telegram's built-in analytics or external services, businesses can fine-tune their strategies to ensure their content aligns with audience preferences and maximizes interaction and conversion rates.

Telegram vs WhatsApp: which is better for business

When it comes to choosing a messaging app for business, the decision often comes down to Telegram and WhatsApp. Both platforms have their strengths and can be beneficial for different types of companies. If you value a larger user base and advanced integration features, WhatsApp might be the better choice. However, if you prefer more customization and monetization options, Telegram could be the preferred option.

In the end, the choice between Telegram and WhatsApp should be based on your specific business needs and the preferences of your target audience. It’s always a good idea to evaluate both platforms thoroughly before making a decision.

Is Telegram safe for business?

Since the question above worries a lot of business owners, it deserves an elaborate answer. When considering Telegram for business use, it’s important to note that it can be secure for corporate communication due to its encryption features. Many users have switched to Telegram seeking a less intrusive messaging option following changes to WhatsApp’s privacy policy.

Telegram offers a variety of security features. These include end-to-end encryption for private conversations, secret chats with additional encryption layers and self-destructing messages, robust encryption that has been tested through contests challenging users to crack it, a bug bounty program that rewards those who identify flaws in its app or protocol, encryption for files stored in the Telegram cloud, and a Bot API that allows developers to create custom bots for chats. Still, businesses should implement best practices and additional security measures to enhance protection. For companies that allow employees to use Telegram, robust enterprise messaging solutions can further secure business communication.

Can one use Telegram to make money?

Here goes another frequent question from business-minded people. Telegram indeed can serve as an effective channel for revenue generation. With its dynamic and diverse user base, Telegram provides an optimal platform for implementing marketing initiatives that provide hefty financial returns.

Telegram ads are displayed only in large public channels and never appear in your chats, chat lists, or other interfaces. They are not based on user data but depend solely on the channel in which they are seen, directly benefiting channel owners. For those who prefer an ad-free experience, Telegram offers a Premium subscription with dozens of exclusive features.

The introduction of one of the most generous reward systems in social media history has further enhanced Telegram’s potential for monetization. Owners of public channels with at least 1000 subscribers can now receive 50% of the revenue from ads displayed in their channels. These rewards can be withdrawn without any fees or reinvested into Telegram ads, collectible usernames, or Premium giveaways.

To facilitate this, in March 2024, the developers introduced a new type of ad that users can purchase with Toncoins, a cryptocurrency powered by the TON Blockchain. Now, anyone can promote their bot or channel with budgets as low as a few Toncoins, choosing the exact channels where their ads will appear.

With the right strategy and enough commitment, Telegram can indeed serve as an effective channel for revenue generation for individuals and companies in various spheres.

How to create Telegram account for business

Setting up a Telegram account for communicating with customers is quick and easy. Let's go through the process step by step.

1. Open the Telegram app on your laptop or mobile device. Navigate to the drop-down menu by clicking the three bars. Select "New Channel." Give your channel a name, then click the "Create" button.
2. Add a concise and engaging description for your business channel and don't forget to add a profile picture. Both of the elements should serve to make the channel easily recognizable and associated with your brand.
3. Invite contacts to subscribe to the channel to gain the initial user base and put the word-of-mouth principle to work. Navigate to your channel and then click the "Invite" option on the right side. Choose your contacts and click "Add."

Done! Use your channel to engage with customers, offer help, and share updates. Also, don't forget to promote the channel on other social media platforms, print materials, and physical stores (if you have ones).

Tips on how to use Telegram for business

Whether you are a small business or an established corporation, consider these practical tips on how to make the most of Telegram for your business.

Ensure prompt customer support

Telegram allows businesses to interact with customers in real time. Such nature of the messaging platform leads to customers setting up relevant expectations in terms of response time. Invest resources into shortening average response time by working out optimal agents' schedules, using bot automation, and processing Telegram inquiries via a dedicated messaging platform, such as Umnico.

Create a consistent content plan

Use the Telegram channel to broadcast messages, updates, promotions, and engaging content to your subscribers. To do this efficiently, plan content ahead, taking into consideration the latest trends, and shifting user interests and business goals. While the exact frequency of publishing content depends on the type of business, 2-3 publications per week is generally a safe average number. Also, make some of your Telegram content unique to all other platforms, to motivate people to subscribe to the channel.

Set up automation

Keep in mind that Telegram allows you to create custom bots that can automate various tasks. These bots can handle repetitive inquiries, provide instant responses, and even process orders. Consider setting up a chatbot to enhance the efficiency of customer communication, sending them updates on their orders and requests right away.

Use Telegram Groups

Telegram can also be a great tool for in-team collaboration. Set up a group in the messenger and invite your team members to discuss projects and work-related issues or, alternatively, plan team-building activities and share funny everyday moments.

Summing things up

All in all, Telegram appears to become one of the essential messengers for private and business communication globally, especially as it gradually catches up with WhatsApp in terms of business features and popularity. A rich set of features, high-end security, and dedicated apps for mobile and desktop devices make Telegram an essential channel for establishing regular and meaningful brand-client interactions.

Telegram integration by Umnico provides an easy way for companies to up their text-based customer communication. Not only does it streamline the work across multiple communication channels into a single easy-to-use platform, but also enhances the potential of Telegram as a business tool. With Umnico, brands can leverage automation and GPT-powered chatbots, explore analytical insights, and monitor each employee’s quality of work. Every new user is welcome to test the capabilities of Umnico’s Telegram CRM and other capabilities for free during a trial period.