What each channel needs
| Channel | What it is for | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Telegram bot | Chats, automations and broadcasts through your own bot | Your own bot token from @BotFather |
| SMS | Two-way texts, SMS broadcasts and texts sent by your automations | Your own Twilio, Plivo or SMS gateway account |
| Website live chat | A chat widget on your website, answered from the inbox | Nothing extra: paste a snippet on your site |
Messaging channels come with messaging on Premium and higher plans. Messenger and Instagram connect with your Facebook Page or Instagram account, and WhatsApp has its own guide.
Connect a Telegram bot
- Create a bot in Telegram. In Telegram, open @BotFather, create a new bot and copy the token it gives you. Already have a bot? Use its token.
- Add it to Postocial. Go to Social Accounts, choose Add account, then Telegram: Connect a bot to chat & automate on Telegram. Paste the token, add a name if you like, and connect.
- Write the welcome and the menu. With the bot selected in WORKSPACE CHANNEL, open Salesbot > Settings > Bot setup. Write the welcome people see when they tap Start, add buttons under it and build the command menu.
- Test it. Open your bot from a personal Telegram account, tap Start and send a message. It should arrive in the Unified Inbox.
- Connecting points your bot's webhook at Postocial, so another tool that used the same bot stops receiving its messages.
- Telegram bots can only message people who started a chat with them, so broadcasts go to those people only.
- Share a t.me link with a start code, from Salesbot > Growth > Growth Tools, to drop people straight into a flow.
- Disconnecting removes the channel and its conversations. The bot itself stays in BotFather, and you can connect it again with the same token.
- Posting to Telegram channels and groups is a separate connection, which can run on a bot of your own too. Connect a channel or group.
Connect SMS
- Have your provider details ready. For Twilio: your Account SID and Auth Token, then choose a number or a Messaging Service. For Plivo: your Auth ID, Auth Token and a sender number. For any other provider, a custom HTTP gateway: its send URL, method, Authorization header and sender ID.
- Add the SMS channel. Go to Social Accounts, choose Add account, then SMS: Connect Twilio, Plivo, or a custom SMS gateway. Pick your provider and enter its details.
- Send replies back to Postocial. For Twilio or Plivo, copy the inbound and status URLs the set-up shows and paste them into your provider dashboard, so replies reach the inbox and delivery reports come back.
- Send a test text. Text your number from a personal phone, then reply from the Unified Inbox.
Connecting adds one SMS channel for your whole workspace: two-way texts in the inbox, SMS broadcasts and the Send SMS step in your automations. A custom gateway only sends texts: it brings back no replies or delivery reports.
Before you text anyone
- Consent is yours to collect. Postocial doesn't capture SMS consent for you. Text only people who agreed to hear from you, and stop when they ask, under the rules where they live, such as the TCPA and CTIA guidelines in the US, CASL in Canada and PECR in the UK.
- Register your sender where required. In the US, that means A2P 10DLC or toll-free verification through your provider.
- Respect quiet hours. Postocial doesn't enforce local quiet hours for you, so schedule broadcasts for daytime in each contact's local time.
- Your provider bills each text, by segment, and long texts are split into several segments. Read your provider's acceptable use policy too: Twilio Acceptable Use Policy or Plivo Acceptable Use Policy.
Add live chat to your website
- Create the widget. Go to Social Accounts, choose Add account, then Live Chat: Add a website chat widget. Give it a name, such as Website chat.
- Make it yours. With the widget selected in WORKSPACE CHANNEL, open Salesbot > Settings > Bot setup. Set your colors and layout, the agent name, a greeting, online and offline messages and up to four frequently asked questions.
- Install the snippet. Copy the install snippet and paste it just before </body> on every page where the chat should appear.
- Test it. Open your site in a private browser window, send a message and check that it reaches the Unified Inbox.
The widget customizer also lets you:
- Choose the Classic or Home layout, a gradient or solid header, the launcher text and a greeting teaser.
- Add buttons that open Messenger, WhatsApp or Instagram, and dock the widget on the left or right.
- Ask for an email before the chat starts, show the widget after a few seconds or on exit intent, pick the pages it appears on, and show it on desktop or mobile only.
Chats land in the Unified Inbox and run your automations, so a flow can answer first and hand over to your team. Visitors' messages and email addresses become contacts in your workspace, so mention the chat in your website's privacy notice. You can retire a widget, or erase its data, at any time.
Test each channel like a customer
- Use a personal phone or account, not the one you run the business with.
- Send a message, check that it arrives in the Unified Inbox, and reply from there.
- If you've built an automation, trigger it with one of its keywords.
- For SMS, check that your reply arrives and that its delivery status updates.
Next: build your first automation or send a broadcast.