---
name: tg-notify-bot
title: A Telegram bot that talks to your customers
summary: Get every new lead on your phone in seconds, and let a bot welcome, verify and update customers for you.
tags: [dev, automation, telegram]
---
# A Telegram bot that talks to your customers

## What it does
- **Instant alerts to you:** every new form, order or application arrives on your phone in seconds, with all the details and buttons such as *Approve / Decline*.
- **Talks to customers for you:** when someone opens your bot from your website, it welcomes them, explains the next step, answers common questions with commands like `/help`, and sends them updates (approved, new offer, order shipped).
- **Customers reply with one tap:** buttons like *Interested / Not now* come back to you as a message, so you know who to follow up.

## How to set it up
1. In Telegram, open **@BotFather** (blue check), send `/newbot`, pick a name and a username ending in `bot`.
2. Keep the token secret. Put it in your server as a secret variable, never in your website code or in chat.
3. Open your bot and press **Start** once, so it is allowed to message you.
4. Point the bot's webhook at your server (`setWebhook` with a secret token) and check the secret on every request.
5. On your website, link to `https://t.me/<yourbot>?start=<id>` after a form is sent, so the bot knows which customer it is talking to.

## Rules that keep it safe
- A bot can only message people who pressed Start. Ask for it right after the form.
- Say in the bot's description which website and accounts are official.
- Never ask for passwords, private keys or payments inside the bot.
- Anything sensitive (like a new payout address) needs a confirmation button in the bot.