More and more people are increasingly turning to Telegram as their preferred communication app other than Whatsapp. As of January 2022, 550 million users were reported to be using Telegram actively on a monthly basis. Due to this change in user behaviour, companies are also moving to Telegram to connect with customers, build relationships and drive business growth.
Particularly for Telegram Business users, they appreciate speed and efficiency. When they contact a business, they expect replies almost instantly! It will be ideal to send fast or instant replies when a customer contacts your business. However, this is impossible during non-business hours or peak seasons. It can only be achieved by using auto-replies.
Telegram auto-replies are messages a person receives when a message sent to your business triggers a condition set in the Telegram bot. Depending on the type of message sent to your business, the Telegram bot will reply automatically based on the content in the message. Businesses can personalise their auto-replies by creating message templates with data collected from customers such as name, order number or gender.
Auto-replies can free up your customer service team’s time to focus on more important core tasks but at the same time, you need to ensure your auto-replies are warm, friendly and help to answer customers’ enquiries if not it will make them disconnect easily or feel unimportant.
When creating Telegram Business message templates, you need to keep these tips in mind:
- Keep it short and simple – Telegram is a messaging app and users of instant messaging apps often like to use short messages so stick to that instead.
- Consistency is key – In marketing, branding needs to be consistent so make sure your brand voice in the message templates is exactly the same as your website, emails and other content. Customers will instinctively know it is you.
- Don’t spam – Auto-replies act as the information counter to help pass necessary information to recipients quickly anytime but overusing the feature and/ or sending unhelpful or long-winded messages will defeat the purpose of the auto-replies.
- Avoid overselling – It is good to send promotional messages when there is a sale or new product launch. However, sending promotional messages frequently will highly reduce the quality of your messages and turn the customer off due to the unnecessary spamming. Ensure the auto-reply is useful to the customer.
- Prioritise your customer’s best interest – Refrain from asking customers for personal and sensitive information such as identification or financial account details as their information might be misused if compromised.
To help you get started on your Telegram Business auto-reply journey, here are 7 helpful auto-reply message templates you can use for sending to your customers:
1. Leads Pooling
These messages help you collect simple customer details so that you can share relevant information such as promotions or resources with them.
Template:
Hey [Name],
Thank you for reaching out to us! Our team is currently attending to earlier customers in the chat queue but if you can drop a name and email address with your request, we will respond to you before the end of business day.
Thanks again!
[Agent Name]
2. Redirect to Site
When customers send a request, you can direct them to your website to learn more about your company, product and/ or service offerings while you attend to their request so they have something to look at when you come back with the answer.
Template:
Hello [Name]!
Thanks for reaching out to us! We will direct your request to the right agent and will get back to you shortly. Meanwhile, do check out our website to learn more about our new product line at [url link].
Cheers,
[Agent Name]
3. Free Material & Resource
When a customer subscribes to your newsletter or uses a coupon code from your list, you can set an auto-reply welcome message to build rapport with customers and establish brand trust. The welcome message will move customers further in the buying journey so you can achieve sales goals, upsell or cross-sell goals.
Template:
Hey [Name]!
Welcome to our fam! We are so excited to have you and here’s the link to the [lead magnet] we promised.
Do look out for our special gift in the next few days. Once again, we are happy that you have become a part of our community.
Cheers,
[Name] from [Company Name]
[Role at Company]
4. “Away” Message
Customers will reach out to businesses anytime even outside business hours. Instead of losing customers during non-working hours, an auto-reply can be set to inform the customer that you will get back to them soon and direct them to relevant resources during the pending response time.
Template:
Hey [Name]!
Thanks for reaching out to us! We would love to help you but we are currently away. We will definitely get back to you between [day and time you are open], which are our official business hours. In the meantime, please check out our FAQs section for an answer to your enquiry.
Have a great day!
Cheers,
[Agent Name]
5. Closed Store Message
If your business is going to be closed during holidays, special occasions or government closures, you should keep customers informed on store operating hours so they will not be disappointed and waste a trip down to your store. Customers usually plan in advance so it is critical to inform them so as to provide a great customer experience.
Template:
Hi [Name]!
In the spirit of this Christmas season, we are spending some quality time with our loved ones from [start date] to [end date]. You can pop by the store anytime to pick up your items before we are closed for the festive occasion.
We hope you have a wonderful time with your loved ones too.
Happy Holidays!
Cheers,
The [Company Name] Team
6. Inquiry Update
If your business uses a ticketing system for customer service, then you should share updates when their inquiry reaches the right department and has been attended to. This shows that you care and is a great way to build relationships.
Template:
Hi [Name]!
Thank you for reaching out to us. We have received your inquiry and your ticket number is [number]. We will get back to you within the next 48 hours on an update regarding your [type of inquiry].
Please take a moment to read our FAQs on this topic while we resolve the issue.
Cheers,
[Agent Name]
7. Evoke Response
One great way to increase engagement is to send auto-reply messages that encourage them to respond to your business.
Template:
Hello [Name]!
Thank you for reaching out to us. Did you know we are having a 20% discount on all [category] products? Let us know if you are interested and we will send you the coupon code!
PS: This is exclusively for you only.
Cheers,
[Agent Name]
In summary, a practical approach to provide quick auto-replies whenever a customer reaches out to your business is to use an omnichannel platform like Rych that integrates and segments messages from all of your social channels into one single organised overview.
Team members will be able to self-assign selective messages to reply so there is no confusion, disconnected communication and delayed replies! As a result, you have higher customer retention rate and customer satisfaction, driving better business growth.
