Connecting Telegram
Chato connects Telegram two ways — they cover different needs, so choose deliberately. Each way is a separate channel at 9,000 ₸ a month with unlimited dialogs; the first 3 days are free.
| Bot | Personal account | |
|---|---|---|
| What you need | A bot token from @BotFather | A phone number or a QR code |
| Message first | No — a Telegram rule | Yes, carefully |
| Ban risk | None | Yes, if used carelessly |
| Best for | Taking inquiries, support via a "Message on Telegram" button | Sales, where you need to message the customer first |
Either way, messages arrive in the shared Chats inbox along with your other channels, and the history is kept in Chato and sent to your connected CRM (Bitrix24 or amoCRM).
Connecting a bot
- Open Channels → Add channel → Telegram → Bot.
- If you don't have a bot yet, create one in Telegram with @BotFather using the
/newbotcommand and copy the token. - Paste the token into the connection field and click Connect bot.
The bot runs on the official Bot API — Telegram doesn't restrict it for activity, but like any bot it can't message a person who never started a conversation with it. That's a Telegram rule, not a Chato one.
Connecting a personal account
- Open Channels → Add channel → Telegram → Personal account.
- Choose how to log in:
- By phone number — enter the number and the code Telegram sends to the app or by SMS;
- By QR code — open Telegram on your phone: Settings → Devices → Link Desktop Device and scan the code on the screen.
- If the account has two-step verification, Chato asks for your Telegram cloud password.
A personal account can message first, but Telegram watches messages sent to strangers. We recommend messaging no more than 20 new contacts a day first from one account. Before you start, read How not to lose your personal Telegram account — it covers the risks and how Chato protects the number automatically.
Which way to choose
If answering inbound inquiries is enough (a "Message on Telegram" button on your site or in ads), connect a bot — it's safer, with no ban risk. If your process requires messaging the customer first (for example, after a CRM request), you need a personal account, with its limits in mind. You can connect both.