Telegram Settings
Connect a Telegram bot for your clinic (or one per branch) so the assistant answers and books on Telegram too
Go to Settings → Telegram. Owners and admins can connect and manage bots; other team members see Only a clinic manager can connect a Telegram bot.
A Telegram bot works alongside your WhatsApp number. The assistant answers and books there too, and its chats land in Conversations like WhatsApp chats.
Telegram messages are free. There is no per-message charge, no 24-hour window and no templates, so your team can reply to a Telegram chat at any time.
Create a bot and connect it
Create the bot with BotFather
Open Telegram and send /newbot to @BotFather.
Name it
Pick a name for the bot (for example the clinic name), then a username ending in bot.
Copy the token
BotFather sends a token like 123456789:AA.... Copy it.
Paste and connect
In the Connect a Telegram bot card, paste the token and click Connect bot. Docistra checks it with Telegram and starts receiving the bot's messages. The token is stored encrypted and never shown again.
If the token is refused, the card says why, for example That token doesn't work. Copy it again from BotFather., This bot is already connected to another clinic. or This bot is already connected to another of your branches.
Your bot
Once connected, the bot's card shows:
- The bot's username (@yourbot), which opens it in Telegram
- Bot link for patients:
t.me/yourbot. Share it on your social media or website. - Connected and Last message times
- The last error from Telegram, if there is one
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| On/off switch | Turns the bot off (the token stays saved) or back on. While it's off, the assistant doesn't answer on it. |
| Change bot | Paste a new token in the Change the bot card to replace the bot. The old bot stops sending messages to Docistra. |
| Disconnect bot | Forgets the bot. The assistant stops answering on Telegram; past chats stay in the inbox. |
Main bot and one bot per branch
Bots follow the same model as WhatsApp numbers. A clinic can have a main bot that serves every branch, and/or one bot per branch.
When your clinic has more than one branch (or more than one bot), the page starts with a Your bots bar:
- Each chip shows the branch name (or Main bot), the bot's username and a status dot. Click a chip to open that bot.
- Add a bot asks This bot is for: All branches (main bot) or one of your branches. Then connect it with its own BotFather token.
- This bot serves moves the open bot to another branch or makes it the main bot.
- Remove bot removes the open bot (only when you have more than one). The assistant stops answering on it; past chats stay in Conversations.
Patients who chat with a branch's bot are booked at that branch by default. If they ask for another branch, the assistant books that one instead in the same chat.
What the assistant does on Telegram
- Welcomes the patient when they tap Start, and introduces itself as the clinic's assistant.
- Asks for the phone number with a Share my number button. The patient can tap Not now and keep chatting, but the number is required before any booking. If your clinic already has a patient with that number, the Telegram chat joins that patient's record (bookings, files and WhatsApp history).
- Books appointments, showing available times as buttons the patient can tap.
- Sends your location as a venue card (branch name, address and a map) after a booking or when the patient asks where you are.
- Understands voice notes, photos and files, the same as on WhatsApp.
Where Telegram chats show up
Telegram chats appear in Conversations with a Telegram icon. You can pause the AI, assign the chat and reply exactly as on WhatsApp. Replies go to the patient's Telegram chat when that's where they last wrote.