Telegram Login and Payments are the familiar entry points. For most businesses, other mechanisms deliver more impact: deep links, webhook-driven events, Mini Apps, and selective inline mode.
Here is a practical view — what each feature does for a salon, shop, or restaurant owner, not “for the technology itself.”
Deep links: context before the first message
A URL like https://t.me/your_bot?start=promo_spring passes a hidden parameter to the bot. The customer scans a table QR, clicks an ad, or opens an email — and the bot already knows the source, table, or offer.
Practice: one bot, many entry points. Separate payloads for each storefront, influencer, or sales card. Restaurant usage is covered in deep linking for restaurants. PHP payload mapping: start=payload guide.
Webhooks: react immediately, without polling
A webhook is an HTTPS request from Telegram to your server on every message, button tap, or payment. What matters for business is the outcome:
- leads reach a manager in seconds;
- order status updates without someone “checking the chat”;
- reminders and escalations can be event-driven, not “once per hour.”
Production usually uses webhooks; leave long polling for local debugging. Reliable intake (secret token, idempotency, queues) is an engineering task of its own.
Business rule: answer Telegram quickly (HTTP 200) and run heavy logic in the background. Otherwise the bot stalls during order spikes.
Mini Apps: catalog and cart inside Telegram
When button menus get tight (catalog, filters, slot calendar), open a Web App. The customer stays in Telegram, gets a familiar UI, and can pay without jumping to a separate site.
Common cases: restaurant menu, salon booking, storefront. For e-commerce flows see the online store bot post.
Inline mode: help inside someone else’s chat
A user types @your_bot query in a chat with a friend or in a group and picks a result card. The bot does not need to be a group admin.
Business examples: share a hotel or dish card, drop a promo code, send a service “business card.” Use it selectively — not every product needs inline.
What to ship first
- Deep links + QR if you have offline points or ads with different sources.
- Stable webhooks and manager alerts if response speed equals revenue.
- Mini App when catalog or booking no longer fits buttons.
- Inline when customers already share your content in chats.
Common mistakes
- one shared
start=for every venue — you lose source analytics; - Mini App without mobile layout — the catalog breaks on phones;
- webhook without secret token and idempotency — duplicate orders and fake updates;
- inline results without moderation — outdated prices land in other people’s chats.
Need deep links, webhooks, and a Mini App wired to your process? Talk it through at botservice.biz.
