Chatfuel: Build Your Own Bot

You need a bot for a channel, a shop or a community, but have neither time nor wish to write code? Chatfuel on Telegram builds the bot right from a chat, with no server and no programming 🤖

The bot calls itself an all-in-one builder: button menus, interactive forms, broadcasts to subscribers and built-in growth analytics. It has around four hundred users so far.

What you build and with what

• Button menus. A way around for visitors: price list, contacts, common questions.
• Forms. Requests, questionnaires and polls with step-by-step answers.
• Broadcasts. Messages to all of the bot's subscribers at once.
• Analytics. Audience growth shown in built-in reports.

Commands that run the show

Everything is done from the main chat: /start opens the main menu, /addbot connects a new bot, /mybots lists your bots, /help gives the help menu.

/ai opens the AI assistant, and /upgrade offers a plan upgrade. See prices and plan contents in the bot itself before paying 💳

Your first bot by evening

1. Create a bot with Telegram's official bot-creation service and get a token.
2. Open Chatfuel and send /addbot.
3. Paste the token and confirm the connection.
4. Put together a greeting and a main button menu.
5. Test the bot from your own account and only then invite people.

Plans and what to check

The bot's description lists paid plans: Basic, Advanced and Business. /upgrade shows what each contains.

The main Chatfuel site has lately focused on other channels, so before paying make sure the Telegram features you need exist in the plan you pick.

Making a bot people actually use

• Short greeting. One line on what the bot does.
• No more than six buttons per screen. Long menus scare people.
• A clear exit. A back button and a living person's contact.
• Respect for broadcasts. Do not write more often than people care for.

Guarding the token

A bot token is its password. Do not post it in chats or hand it to strangers. If it leaks, reissue it through Telegram's official bot service and update the connection 🔐

Mind subscribers' data too: collect only what the bot needs and tell people how you will use it.

For a small business, a blogger or a community a builder saves weeks. Complex logic with a database and payment integrations may call for a developer.

Start with a simple scenario, test it on real people and add complexity gradually.