Monitoring bot dialogs and user actions¶
By connecting Hotline in parallel to an existing bot, you can conveniently save all incoming and outgoing messages between the bot and users to a Telegram topic group.
Each user's dialog is transmitted to a separate topic, making it possible to communicate with users and use the full arsenal of Hotline modules for working with a customer base.
- Convenient interface based on Telegram topic groups — supports all main message formats
- Saving incoming and outgoing messages from your bot to users in the topic group (including messages with buttons)
- Many useful modules: quick replies, broadcasts, internal comments, statuses, analytics and much more
Use the free version of the system for testing right now!¶
Start now with Hotline Free CRM
Hotline CRM capabilities¶
Thanks to the parallel connection mechanism in Hotline, the system can be connected to existing bots. Sending your bot token to connect to Hotline does not break the connection with BotAPI from other systems. An example of a bot with parallel connection is presented in our documentation.
Parallel connection allows you to save any incoming messages from users to your bot to the Hotline backend group, as well as outgoing messages from your bot to users (including messages with buttons).
All members of the backend group can see the bot's dialogs with users and, if necessary, send them messages on behalf of the connected bot directly through the corresponding topics.
This is very useful for monitoring and saving dialogs of AI bots with users, monitoring user scenarios, direct interaction with users, and testing product hypotheses when developing bots.
Read more about the principles and capabilities of Hotline.
Thus, Hotline can be used not only for passive recording of user dialogs with your bot in the topic group, but also for additional "manual" interaction with users: sending notifications, bulk distributions, testing hypotheses, or even as an additional interface for switching bot operating modes for a specific user using custom commands and external integrations.
By default, after connecting a bot to Hotline, the system creates topics for dialogs when receiving any incoming message from new users, and also records all outgoing messages from your bot to users as intercepted intercepted messages. However, there are several parameters that allow you to change this behavior.
For example, you can activate dialog monitoring not for all users, but only for those listed in the WHITE_LIST parameter, or who sent the bot a command specified in the PRIVATE_KEYWORDS parameter.
At the same time, operators can at any time create a topic for monitoring a dialog with a specific user using the /new *USER_ID command through the General topic of the backend group.
Advantages of Hotline CRM¶
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Quick self-service setup via bot in 5 minutes (1)
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Connection takes no more than 5 minutes through our setup bot. All connection settings are configured directly in the bot.
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Unlimited managers, operators and dialogs (1)
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The system has no limits on team size. The number of employees doesn't affect cost at all. Everyone added to the backend group can work with dialogs with assigned roles.
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Perfect even for small teams or solo work (1)
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The system isn't a huge, cumbersome machine and works great even when you're working on a project alone.
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All Telegram media: photos, videos, files, voice messages, video messages (1)
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Full support for all types of content that can be sent and received in Telegram, including media grouping.
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Native Telegram features: search, pins, notifications, scheduled messages, etc. (1)
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Inherits many Telegram features available in forum groups, making work familiar and convenient.
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Privacy protection and data hiding features (1)
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Built-in tools for hiding sensitive information, controlling access to customer data and restricting information leaks.
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High reliability and message delivery guarantees (1)
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Messages are queued and guaranteed delivery even during temporary connection issues or Telegram API problems.
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Quick replies and message templates (1)
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Create and use templates for frequently used responses to speed up operator work and standardize communication.
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Broadcast messages and mass mailings (1)
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Send messages to multiple contacts or segments simultaneously using the broadcast module.
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Contact segmentation and filtering (1)
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Create dynamic segments based on contact properties, tags and interaction history for targeted communications.
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API and webhooks for integrations (1)
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Connect external systems via webhooks and API to automate workflows and integrate with your existing tools.
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Connection parameters¶
Connection parameters define the necessary system behavior for various cases and are set through the setup bot @hotlinetg_bot after selecting the desired connection.
Main parameters used when setting up parallel Hotline connections to other bots¶
Disabling system greeting:
WELCOME
Welcome message that user receives on first contact and when their request was closed (switched to /close status). Can be completely disabled on paid version. Free version requires Hotline link in welcome message.
Default value: standard welcome message in English.
Disabling error message notifications:
SILENT_MODE
Whether to show clients possible errors when processing their messages.
Default value: show errors.
Disabling auto-close topic timeout:
AUTOCLOSE
Dialog auto-close period after last operator response, specified in hours.
If topic with user was closed, they'll receive welcome message from WELCOME parameter on next contact. Free version has maximum auto-close period of 48 hours.
Default value: 48 hours.
Setting keywords or commands in incoming messages to activate topics:
PRIVATE_KEYWORDS
Array of keywords and phrases for filtering private messages. Activates only when keywords are detected in the user's message.
Default value: OFF (no filtering).
Setting a list of users for monitoring:
WHITE_LIST
List of chats (USER_ID or CHAT_ID) from which messages are accepted. All other chats are ignored.
Default value: NONE (all chats are accepted).
Disabling sending bot outgoing messages to the backend group:
INTERCEPT_EXTERNAL
Disables duplication to the backend group of outgoing intercepted messages from parallel sessions of connected bots or accounts.
Default value: TRUE (messages are duplicated).
Testing parallel connection¶
You can try the parallel connection principle yourself on the free version of the system before implementing it in production. This functionality is fully described in the system documentation.
If needed, you can order a setup consultation for help configuring parallel connection for your tasks.
Disabling greeting
For production use, it may be important to disable welcome messages with Hotline branding. This feature is available on paid plans.
Modules for operators¶
In addition to basic commands on the backend group side, Hotline has a number of modules that can be useful for working with a customer base.
Quick replies with /say command
Quick creation and sending of prepared messages in topics. Supports text, media, albums and message forwarding.
User broadcasts with /send command
Mass broadcasts to all or selected clients with scheduling capability.
Tags and sales funnels with /mark command
Assign visible tags to topics for segmentation, organizing sales funnels and automations.
Client base export with /export command
Export client data to CSV file for backup or analysis.
Team analytics
Detailed operator performance statistics, customer request analysis and reports for various time periods.
Frequently asked questions¶
How to set up monitoring of user dialogues and actions in a Telegram bot?
Just connect the bot to Hotline according to the instructions: the system will start saving incoming and outgoing messages to the topic group. Adjust settings such as WHITE_LIST, PRIVATE_KEYWORDS, and INTERCEPT_EXTERNAL as needed.
Who is the bot monitoring case suitable for?
The case is not only suitable for large teams. It is often used by a single operator, small support, a bot developer, or a manager who needs to see real conversations with users.
What are the limitations of monitoring and how to get around them?
The main limitation is that if monitoring is enabled “for everyone,” there may be many extra topics in the group. This is usually solved through WHITE_LIST (observe only the necessary users) or PRIVATE_KEYWORDS (create a topic using keywords/commands).
Is it possible to link bot monitoring to BI or CRM?
Yes. Through external integrations, you can transfer data to other CRM/BI systems, and also use Hotline as a convenient operational layer in Telegram.
How is privacy ensured when monitoring messages?
All conversations are stored in your Telegram group, and access is controlled by the rights of group members. If necessary, you can limit the circle of users whose dialogues are monitored.
How long does it take to start monitoring in a team?
The first launch usually takes a minimum of time: connect the bot and immediately see the dialogues in the topics. Then you can add parameters, quick replies, tags, and analytics step by step.
What KPIs should be tracked in this case?
Even for a small team, it is useful to look at simple metrics: first response time, resolution speed, repeat calls and operator load.
Can I try it for free first?
Yes, you can test monitoring on the free version of Hotline before implementing it into production. To get started, use the bot to connect.
Related cases¶
Learn more about ways to use Hotline from other use cases: