Adding Operator Connection to a Bot¶
By connecting Hotline in parallel to an existing bot, you can conveniently organize operator communication without needing to create a separate support bot. Expand the functionality of bots created on any platforms and bot builders with Hotline's powerful arsenal of features.
- Convenient interface for communication through Telegram topic groups — supports all major message formats
- Saving outgoing messages from your bot to users in the Hotline backend group (including those with buttons)
- Ability to activate dialogues only when receiving keywords (operator,
/chat,/operator,/help, etc.) or by operator command - Many important modules for operators: quick replies, broadcasts, internal comments, statuses, analytics, and more
The free version of the system is excellent and available for any period
Hotline CRM Capabilities¶
Thanks to Hotline's parallel connection mechanism, the system can be connected to existing bots. Sending your bot's token to connect to Hotline does not disconnect the BotAPI connection for other systems. An example bot with parallel connection is presented in our documentation.
After connection, support operators can see all incoming messages from users and respond to them on behalf of the connected bot, using the convenient native interface of Telegram topic groups.
Learn more about Hotline's operating principles and capabilities.
Parallel connection allows you to see any incoming messages from users to your bot and outgoing messages from your bot to users with whom a topic for dialogue has already been created on the backend group side (including messages with buttons).
Thus, Hotline can be used not only for communicating with users upon their request, but also for active "manual" interaction with them: sending notifications, mass broadcasts, testing hypotheses, or even as an additional interface for switching modes and settings of your bot for a specific user using custom commands and external integrations.
By default, after connecting a bot to Hotline, the system creates topics for dialogues upon receiving any incoming message from new users, and also records all outgoing messages from your bot to users as intercepted messages. However, there are several parameters that allow you to change this behavior.
For example, you can activate dialogues only with those users who sent the bot a command specified in the PRIVATE_KEYWORDS parameter.
Meanwhile, operators can at any time create a topic with the desired user using the /new *USER_ID command through the General topic of the backend group.
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Quick self-service setup via bot in 5 minutes (1)
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Connection takes no more than 5 minutes through our setup bot. All connection settings are configured directly in the bot.
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Unlimited managers, operators and dialogs (1)
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The system has no limits on team size. The number of employees doesn't affect cost at all. Everyone added to the backend group can work with dialogs with assigned roles.
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Perfect even for small teams or solo work (1)
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The system isn't a huge, cumbersome machine and works great even when you're working on a project alone.
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All Telegram media: photos, videos, files, voice messages, video messages (1)
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Full support for all types of content that can be sent and received in Telegram, including media grouping.
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Native Telegram features: search, pins, notifications, scheduled messages, etc. (1)
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Inherits many Telegram features available in forum groups, making work familiar and convenient.
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Privacy protection and data hiding features (1)
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Built-in tools for hiding sensitive information, controlling access to customer data and restricting information leaks.
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High reliability and message delivery guarantees (1)
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Messages are queued and guaranteed delivery even during temporary connection issues or Telegram API problems.
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Quick replies and message templates (1)
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Create and use templates for frequently used responses to speed up operator work and standardize communication.
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Broadcast messages and mass mailings (1)
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Send messages to multiple contacts or segments simultaneously using the broadcast module.
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Contact segmentation and filtering (1)
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Create dynamic segments based on contact properties, tags and interaction history for targeted communications.
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Analytics and reporting (1)
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Track key metrics, response times, operator performance and customer satisfaction levels.
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Data export and backup (1)
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Export dialog history, contact data and analytics in various formats for backup or integration with other systems.
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Flexible configuration and customization (1)
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Over 20 connection parameters allow you to fine-tune system behavior for your specific needs.
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API and webhooks for integrations (1)
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Connect external systems via webhooks and API to automate workflows and integrate with your existing tools.
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Connection Parameters¶
Connection parameters determine the system's required behavior for various cases, set through the setup bot @hotlinetg_bot after selecting the desired connection.
Main parameters used when configuring Hotline parallel connections to other bots:
Disabling or setting the system greeting:
WELCOME
Welcome message that user receives on first contact and when their request was closed (switched to /close status). Can be completely disabled on paid version. Free version requires Hotline link in welcome message.
Default value: standard welcome message in English.
Setting keywords or commands in incoming messages for activating topics:
PRIVATE_KEYWORDS
Array of keywords and phrases for filtering private messages. Activates only when keywords are detected in the user's message.
Default value: OFF (no filtering).
Disabling sending bot outgoing messages to the backend group:
INTERCEPT_EXTERNAL
Disables duplication to the backend group of outgoing intercepted messages from parallel sessions of connected bots or accounts.
Default value: TRUE (messages are duplicated).
Disabling messages about possible errors:
SILENT_MODE
Whether to show clients possible errors when processing their messages.
Default value: show errors.
Disabling automatic topic close timeout:
AUTOCLOSE
Dialog auto-close period after last operator response, specified in hours.
If topic with user was closed, they'll receive welcome message from WELCOME parameter on next contact. Free version has maximum auto-close period of 48 hours.
Default value: 48 hours.
Testing Parallel Connection¶
You can independently try the parallel connection operating principle on the free version of the system before implementing in production. This functionality is fully described in the system documentation.
If necessary, you can order a configuration consultation for help in configuring parallel connection for your tasks.
Disabling Copyright in Greeting
For production use, it may be important to disable welcome messages with Hotline copyright. This option is available on paid plans.
Modules for Operators¶
In addition to basic commands on the backend group side, Hotline has a number of modules that can be useful in support operator work.
Quick replies with /say command
Quick creation and sending of prepared messages in topics. Supports text, media, albums and message forwarding.
User broadcasts with /send command
Mass broadcasts to all or selected clients with scheduling capability.
Tags and sales funnels with /mark command
Assign visible tags to topics for segmentation, organizing sales funnels and automations.
Client base export with /export command
Export client data to CSV file for backup or analysis.
Team analytics
Detailed operator performance statistics, customer request analysis and reports for various time periods.
Related Cases¶
Learn more about ways to use Hotline through examples from other cases: