Handoff alerts and replying from Telegram
The bot handles routine, but sometimes a customer needs a person: they ask for a manager, want a big discount or the bot does not know the answer. At that moment the conversation is handed to your team. This guide shows how the assignee is alerted in Telegram and how to reply from the BotB2B mini app without opening the site.
How a handoff works
- The bot meets a condition from When should the bot ask for help? in its settings, or hits the Maximum number of responses
- It sends the customer the handoff message (What the bot says when it calls a human) and pauses in that chat; in Chats the conversation is marked Chat interrupted. Bot needs help
- The group notification ‼️ The bot needs help and has been paused goes to the channels from Notifications and CRM
- Auto-assignment picks the person on duty by the team schedule, and that person gets a personal alert in Telegram
Step 1. Link Telegram to your account
- 1
Open Settings → Profile
Every team member does this once. In the Accounts section press Link Telegram. The platform shows a button Open Telegram and a one-time code that lives 10 minutes.
- 2
Press Start in the bot
Telegram opens the platform bot @botb2b_ai_bot. Press Start: the bot replies Welcome! Your account is now linked to Telegram and lists what it can do. Back on the site the section shows Telegram linked.
The same bot is used for signing in with Telegram, so you can also log in to app.botb2b.ai in one tap.
Step 2. What alerts you receive
| Event | Message in Telegram |
|---|---|
| A conversation is assigned to you, including after a handoff | 📋 A new conversation has been assigned to you with a preview of the customer's message |
| New customer message in your conversation | 💬 New message in your assigned conversation with the quoted text. Not sent while you are online on the site |
| You have not replied for an hour | 📋 Reminder: a customer is waiting for a reply |
| Events while you were off shift | 📋 While you were off shift: a digest of assignments and messages delivered when your shift starts |
Every alert has an 💬 Open conversation button. Without Telegram linked the same alerts go to the notification email from your profile.
Step 3. Reply from the mini app
- 1
Press Open conversation
The BotB2B mini app opens right inside Telegram on that conversation: the customer's name, the account, the status Needs attention and the whole message history. Chat details shows contacts and the lead; Other chats switches to the list of all conversations.
- 2
Take over and type
Press Take over so the conversation is handled by you, type in Operator message… and press Send. The customer receives your reply in the same channel where they wrote: the Telegram bot, your personal chat or the website widget. Attachments work in Telegram and the widget.
- 3
Return the conversation to the bot or close it
When the question is solved, press Return to bot so the AI continues by the script, or Close request to mark the conversation as completed. Pause stops the bot without assigning anyone.
The Dialogs button and the group link
The bot's keyboard has a 💬 Dialogs button that opens the mini app with the list of all conversations, filtered by account and status: Bot is replying, Paused, Lead created, Needs attention. In a team group with Per-conversation notifications switched on for the account, each new conversation is posted with an Open conversation button as well; it opens the same mini app through the bot.
On the website the same happens in Front Desk → Chats: the Assign to me button, the Write to chat field and the Bot answers in this chat toggle. Telegram is simply the fastest way to react from your phone.
Can I reply by answering the Telegram notification message?
No. Replies go through the mini app, so the customer gets them in their own channel and the conversation stays in the BotB2B history.
Alerts do not arrive
Check that Telegram is linked in Settings → Profile, that you are on the front desk in Front Desk → Schedule, and that you are on shift. Off-shift events arrive as a digest at the start of the shift.
Does the bot keep replying after I take over?
No. After Take over or after any manual message the bot stays quiet in that conversation until you press Return to bot.
See also
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