Other Channels Setup

What it is

Beyond WhatsApp, BotBat supports five additional channel types: Telegram Bot, Facebook Messenger, SMS, Webchat, and Email. Each channel connects to its respective messaging platform through a dedicated setup flow that collects the required credentials and configuration. Once connected, messages from all channels are normalized and delivered to the unified BotBat Inbox, where agents handle them alongside WhatsApp conversations.

This page provides complete setup instructions for every non-WhatsApp channel. Each section below covers prerequisites, step-by-step configuration, and channel-specific considerations. The following table summarizes what you need before starting each channel setup.

Channel	External Account Required	Key Credential	Webhook Configuration
Telegram Bot	Telegram account with BotFather bot	Bot API token	Automatic (BotBat registers it)
Facebook Messenger	Facebook Page with admin access	OAuth authorization	Automatic via OAuth flow
SMS	Twilio, Vonage, or local gateway account	API Key / SID + Auth Token	Manual (paste URL in provider dashboard)
Webchat	None (self-hosted widget)	None (embed code snippet)	Not applicable
Email	Email account with SMTP and IMAP access	Server credentials	Not applicable

When to use

Adding Telegram as a support channel. Telegram is popular for technical communities and regions where WhatsApp is less dominant. The Telegram Bot API supports rich interactions including inline keyboards, media groups, and callback queries. If your customers are active on Telegram, connecting a bot lets you serve them without leaving BotBat.

Engaging customers on Facebook Messenger. Messenger is tied to your Facebook Page, making it ideal for businesses that already have a social media presence. Customers who discover your Page through ads, posts, or search can start a conversation directly. Connecting Messenger to BotBat centralizes those conversations alongside your other channels.

Sending SMS notifications. SMS is the most universally accessible messaging channel since it does not require the recipient to have any app installed. Use it for time-sensitive alerts, appointment reminders, one-time passwords, and transactional notifications. SMS typically has the highest delivery rate across all demographics.

Embedding live chat on your website. The Webchat widget converts anonymous website visitors into identifiable contacts. It supports pre-chat forms, greeting messages, and operating-hour schedules. For e-commerce sites, Webchat enables real-time assistance during the purchase process, which can reduce cart abandonment.

Handling email communication. Email remains essential for formal business correspondence, support ticket threads, and compliance-sensitive communications. Connecting Email to BotBat lets you manage email threads in the same Inbox where you handle messaging conversations.

Steps

Telegram Bot

1. Create a bot with BotFather. Open Telegram and message @BotFather. Send the /newbot command, choose a display name, and choose a unique username ending in bot. BotFather responds with an API token.

2. Add the Telegram channel in BotBat. Navigate to Channels > Add Channel > Telegram. Paste the BotFather API token into the token field and click "Save."

3. Webhook registration is automatic. Unlike WhatsApp, BotBat registers the webhook URL with Telegram's API on your behalf during setup. You do not need to configure anything in the Telegram developer settings.

4. Test the connection. Open Telegram, search for your bot by username, and send it a message. Confirm that the message appears in the BotBat Inbox within a few seconds.

5. Configure bot settings (optional). You can customize the bot's description, about text, and profile photo either through BotFather commands (/setdescription, /setabouttext, /setuserpic) or through BotBat's channel settings page.

Facebook Messenger

1. Ensure you have a Facebook Page. Messenger conversations are scoped to a Facebook Page. You must have admin access to the Page you want to connect. If you do not have a Page yet, create one in the Facebook business tools.

2. Add the Messenger channel in BotBat. Navigate to Channels > Add Channel > Facebook Messenger. Click the "Connect with Facebook" button to launch the OAuth authorization flow.

3. Authorize BotBat. Log in to Facebook when prompted, select the Page you want to connect, and grant the required permissions: pages_messaging and pages_manage_metadata. Both permissions are necessary for sending and receiving messages.

4. Complete app review if required. For advanced features such as sending messages outside the standard 24-hour response window, your Meta app may need to pass app review. BotBat provides guidance on the submission process within the channel settings.

5. Test the connection. Send a message to your Page on Messenger from a personal Facebook account. Verify that the message appears in BotBat's Inbox.

SMS

1. Set up an SMS provider account. Create an account with a supported SMS provider such as Twilio, Vonage, or your local SMS gateway. Obtain the required API credentials. The specific credentials vary by provider; the table below shows common ones.

Provider	Required Credentials
Twilio	Account SID, Auth Token, Messaging Service SID or phone number
Vonage	API Key, API Secret, virtual number
Local gateway	API endpoint URL, API key, sender ID

2. Add the SMS channel in BotBat. Navigate to Channels > Add Channel > SMS. Select your provider from the dropdown and enter the API credentials.

3. Configure the sender number or ID. Enter the phone number or alphanumeric sender ID that will appear as the message sender. This identifier must be registered and approved with your SMS provider.

4. Set the webhook in your provider. Copy BotBat's webhook URL from the channel settings and paste it into your SMS provider's inbound message webhook configuration. This step is required for BotBat to receive incoming SMS replies.

5. Test the connection. Send a test SMS from BotBat to a personal phone number. Reply to the SMS and confirm that the reply appears in the BotBat Inbox.

Webchat

1. Add the Webchat channel in BotBat. Navigate to Channels > Add Channel > Webchat. No external credentials are needed; the widget is hosted by BotBat.

2. Customize appearance. Configure the widget's primary color, background color, position (bottom-right or bottom-left), greeting message text, and offline behavior. A live preview shows how the widget will look on your site.

3. Set operating hours (optional). Define the business hours during which the widget displays an "Online" status. Outside these hours, you can show a custom offline message, display an email capture form, or hide the widget entirely.

4. Copy the embed code. BotBat generates a JavaScript snippet. Click the copy button to copy it to your clipboard.

5. Add the snippet to your website. Paste the snippet just before the closing </body> tag on every page where you want the chat widget to appear. For single-page applications built with React, Vue, or Angular, add it to the root HTML file (typically index.html).

6. Test on your website. Visit your website, click the chat widget icon, and send a test message. Verify it appears in the BotBat Inbox.

Email

1. Add the Email channel in BotBat. Navigate to Channels > Add Channel > Email.

2. Configure SMTP for sending. Enter your SMTP server details: host, port (typically 587 for TLS or 465 for SSL), username, password, and encryption method. Click "Test Connection" to verify that BotBat can authenticate and send through your mail server.

3. Configure IMAP for receiving. Enter your IMAP server details: host, port (typically 993 for SSL), username, password, and the folder to monitor (usually "INBOX"). BotBat polls this folder for new messages at a regular interval.

4. Verify your domain (recommended). Add the SPF, DKIM, and DMARC DNS records provided by BotBat to your domain's DNS settings. Domain verification significantly improves email deliverability and prevents your messages from being flagged as spam by recipient mail servers.

5. Set the "From" address. Configure the sender display name and email address that recipients will see. Use a recognizable address such as support@yourdomain.com to build trust.

6. Test the connection. Send a test email from BotBat to a personal email address. Reply to it and verify that both the outbound delivery and the inbound reply are captured in the BotBat Inbox.

Common pitfalls

Telegram token revoked. If you regenerate the BotFather token (using the /token command), the existing BotBat connection breaks immediately. Update the token in BotBat's channel settings right after any token regeneration.

Facebook Page permissions not granted. Skipping a required permission during the OAuth flow prevents Messenger from working. If messages are not arriving, re-authorize the connection and ensure both pages_messaging and pages_manage_metadata are granted.

SMS provider webhook not set. Adding your SMS provider credentials in BotBat only enables outbound sending. Without the inbound webhook configured on the provider side, BotBat cannot receive replies. This is a separate, manual step.

Webchat snippet blocked by CSP. If your website uses a Content Security Policy, the Webchat widget script may be blocked. Add BotBat's domain to your script-src and connect-src directives to allow the widget to load and communicate.

Email going to spam. Without proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records, emails sent through BotBat are likely to land in spam folders. Complete domain verification before sending any customer-facing emails at volume.

tip

When setting up multiple channels, use a consistent naming convention such as "Support - Telegram" or "Sales - Webchat" so team members can quickly identify channels in the Inbox and routing configuration.

• Telegram Setup
• Messenger Authorization
• SMS Provider Setup
• Webchat Embed Code
• Email Configuration