Lead search in private or public Telegram chats by keywords¶
Automate the search for potential customers in Telegram chats using keyword monitoring through Hotline CRM.
- Monitor private and public chats from your accounts using flexible keyword rules
- Automatic translation of messages with keywords to the backend group for quick team response
- Reply in chat or send personal messages through the native Telegram interface without web cabinets
Use the free version of the system for testing right now!¶
Start now with Hotline Free CRM
Why this is convenient¶
Chat monitoring is performed through your account. You decide which groups to join and which keywords to monitor (Premium subscription is not required; you can use regular personal accounts).
Hotline can monitor the needed chats by keywords with specified logic, and when messages are found, send notifications and start translating messages from the corresponding chat to the backend group with your managers.
The team working on the backend group side can quickly reply directly in the chat where the message was found or send a personal message to the author through the corresponding topic on the backend group side.
All work happens in your private topic group right in Telegram without needing to switch to web cabinets. All main types of messages and familiar Telegram features are supported (search, pins, scheduled messages, voice, video, files, etc.).
When messages are found, all operators in the backend group receive notifications in their Telegram app according to their personal settings and can respond quickly.
Similarly, channel monitoring by keywords can be implemented.
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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Connects to your bots and personal accounts (1)
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Bots and accounts in Telegram have their own advantages and disadvantages. Hotline allows you to work with both types and even combine them within a single project.
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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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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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How operators work¶
Depending on the nature of the topic and how the team is organized, several main work scenarios are possible when monitoring chats by keywords.
Activating translation¶
By default, when a message is found in a chat that matches the specified rules, the system enables translation from this chat — the corresponding topic becomes active (changes to 🟪 purple status), the found message is sent to it, and all subsequent messages until the operator explicitly closes the topic with the /close command.
If topics should only contain messages with keywords, you need to activate the LEAVE_CLOSED parameter — found messages will be collected in closed topics (with ⬛️ black status), and message translation from them can be activated by the operator when needed by explicitly using the /wait or /hold command.
Sending a reply or offer¶
After a message with keywords appears, any of the following actions are possible:
- go to the group to view the dialog (a link to a public chat can be obtained with the
/infocommand) - enable or disable message translation from the chat (see above)
- send a message to the chat on behalf of the connected account
- send a personal message to the message author
- from the operator's work account by clicking the link to the sender's profile (provided in each message from the chat)
- on behalf of the connected account by creating a topic with the
/new USERNAMEcommand (if you want to keep all communication through the backend group and the sender's privacy settings allow it)
Monitoring a large number of chats
You shouldn't immediately set a large list of rules and try to monitor hundreds of chats, as this may generate a lot of noise that will be difficult to sort through later.
Growth strategy for monitoring many chats:
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first try setting up monitoring for the most obvious words, understand how to refine the rules, add negative words, minimize noise
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gradually expand the list of chats and refine the monitoring rules
System testing¶
You can try the lead search in chats principle through Hotline on the free version of the system. Working with chats is fully described in the system documentation.
If needed, you can order a setup consultation for help configuring the chat monitoring system for your processes.
Free version feature
In the free version, when activating topics for chats, automatic greeting from the WELCOME parameter will be provided.
For production mode, disable greeting by switching to any of the paid plans.
Bulk pricing for updates
Monitoring a large number of chats can lead to rapid consumption of available limits of Telegram system updates provided in our standard plans. For bulk pricing for chat monitoring, contact support.
Maximum message reception intensity into one backend group
Telegram has a limit of 20 messages per minute to one topic group from a bot. If this is exceeded, Hotline enables a delivery queue for new messages to the group, which affects the system's operation principles. Learn more about message queue
Implementation order¶
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Connecting an account¶
For chat monitoring, a personal account is usually connected (you can also use a bot to monitor your own chats). Enter the setup bot @hotlinetg_bot and follow the instructions. The entire process usually takes no more than 2-3 minutes.
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Setting connection parameters¶
Disable welcome message for chats, disable auto-closing topics, configure keyword filter and system behavior when messages are found. The initial list of parameters for chat monitoring and lead search is listed below on this page. All parameters are configured directly through the setup bot.
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Testing the system¶
Add the connected account to test groups or join them with the
/newcommand from the backend group. When a message with a keyword appears, a special topic should be created on the backend group side, through which you can send a reply to the group, navigate to the message author's profile to send a personal message, or change the topic status. -
Subscribing to paid plans¶
To disable automatic greeting and expand limits before adding the account to many chats, purchase the necessary paid plan.
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Inviting team to backend group¶
If you're working as a team, add your managers to the created backend group for this connection. There are no team size limits — invite everyone and set roles and access rights.
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Team training¶
Introduce your support team to the system's principles and basic commands, the quick replies module, and internal comments. The Telegram interface is familiar to everyone, and training takes minimal time.
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Working with chats¶
Start working! Receive messages from chats in corresponding topics, respond to them. Immediately use quick replies to speed up work, internal comments for team coordination.
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Additional modules¶
As your support team's needs grow, master additional features such as integrations with external systems for AI message analysis and suggestion sending.
Connection parameters¶
Connection parameters define Hotline's behavior during operation. Configured through @hotlinetg_bot
Main parameters for chat filtering by keywords in lead search¶
Activating chat monitoring mode:
MONITOR_GROUPS
Create and activate topics when new messages appear in group chats in which the connected account or bot is a member.
Default value: FALSE (groups are not monitored).
Setting list of keywords for monitoring:
GROUPS_KEYWORDS
Array of keywords and phrases for filtering messages from group chats. Activates topics only when matching specified words.
Default value: OFF (no filtering).
General list of negative words when monitoring chats to filter spam:
RESTRICTED_KEYWORDS_FRONTEND
Array of prohibited keywords for incoming messages. Messages with specified words are not forwarded to the backend group.
Default value: NONE (no filtering).
Disabling automatic translation activation from chats with found messages:
LEAVE_CLOSED
Determines the types of dialogs (private/group/channel) whose topics remain closed even when new incoming messages are received.
Default value: NONE (all topics are activated).
Disabling automatic 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.
Setting auto-close timeout for topics:
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.
Frequently asked questions¶
How to set up search for leads using chats?
Connect your account to Hotline, configure parameters for monitoring, join them in the necessary chats, set key phrases, and receive messages found in the Hotline working group.
Who is this case suitable for?
Small and medium-sized teams that need to quickly find relevant queries and not lose potential customers.
What is a common mistake when starting out?
Too broad keywords create a lot of noise. It's better to start with a narrow list and gradually expand it.
Is it possible to transfer leads to CRM automatically?
Yes, through integrations, leads, tags and sources can be sent to CRM without manual copying.
Can I try it for free first?
Yes, you can test the script on the free version of Hotline: Hotline Free CRM.
What are the most important KPIs here?
Number of qualified leads, first contact rate and conversion to meeting/deal.
Related cases¶
Useful additions for the lead monitoring system in chats may include functionality from the following use cases: