Telegram Quick Replies and Away Messages for Business

Quick replies, greeting messages and away messages are part of Telegram Business, which you find in your Telegram settings. Quick replies are saved messages you send by typing a slash and a shortcut; greeting messages welcome people who write to you; away messages answer automatically when you are closed or offline. At the time of writing, Telegram Business features come with a Telegram Premium subscription.

This guide shows how to set up each one, how to write messages that customers find helpful rather than robotic, and how to combine them with business hours and chatbots into a simple support routine.

What Telegram Business includes

Telegram Business turns a personal account into something closer to a small business account. Telegram introduced it as a set of features for people who sell or support customers through private chats. Alongside the three tools in this guide, it includes:

• Business hours, shown on your profile so customers know when to expect a reply.
• Location, shown on your profile with a map.
• A start page, the text and sticker people see in an empty chat with you before they write.
• Chat links, links that open a chat with you with a message already typed in, useful for adverts and websites.
• Chatbots, which let a bot you choose read and answer messages in your private chats on your behalf.

Our overview of Telegram Business features covers all of them. This guide focuses on the messaging tools.

Do you need Premium?

When Telegram launched these features, it made them available to Telegram Premium subscribers. Check the Telegram Business section in your settings to see what your account currently has access to. If you are deciding whether to subscribe, our comparison of Telegram Premium and free lists what else Premium includes.

Where to find the settings

On most versions, open Settings and look for Telegram Business. Inside are separate entries for quick replies, greeting messages, away messages, business hours and the other features. Menu names can shift between versions, so search settings for "Business" if you do not see it.

Quick replies

Quick replies are saved messages that you send by shortcut. Instead of typing your payment details or delivery times for the twentieth time, you type a slash, pick a shortcut and send.

What a quick reply can contain

According to Telegram's announcement, a quick reply can be more than one message, with formatting, links, media and files. A single shortcut could send a greeting line, a photo of your price list and a PDF catalogue together.

Quick replies work in private chats. They are not available in groups.

How to create a quick reply

1. Open Settings, then Telegram Business, then Quick Replies.
2. Tap the option to add a new quick reply.
3. Enter a shortcut name. Keep it short and easy to remember, such as "prices", "pay" or "delivery". Shortcut names usually allow letters, numbers and underscores, without spaces.
4. Telegram opens an editor that looks like a chat. Type the message, add formatting, attach photos or files.
5. Add more messages if the reply should be sent as several parts.
6. Go back to save.

You can also create one from inside any private chat: type a slash in the message box, and Telegram offers the option to manage or create quick replies.

How to send a quick reply

1. Open a private chat with a customer.
2. Type / in the message box.
3. A list of your quick replies appears. Keep typing the shortcut name to narrow it, or tap one from the list.
4. The reply is sent.

Behaviour can differ by version; some show the reply before sending and some send it straight away. If you need to change details for a specific customer, check how your version behaves on a test chat first, or keep personal details out of the template and add them in a separate message.

How to edit or delete quick replies

Return to the Quick Replies screen in Telegram Business settings. Open a shortcut to edit its messages, or delete it. Edits apply to future sends; messages already sent are not changed.

Quick replies worth creating

Start with the questions you answer most often. For most small businesses, a first set looks like this:

• prices — your price list, or a link to it.
• pay — accepted payment methods and how to pay.
• delivery — delivery areas, typical times and costs, or a link to your policy.
• hours — opening hours and how quickly you usually reply.
• returns — your returns or refund policy.
• order — what details you need to take an order, as a short numbered list.
• thanks — a thank-you after purchase, with what happens next.
• location — address and directions, if you have premises.

Example quick replies

These are examples to adapt. Replace the parts in capitals with your own details.

• order: "Thanks for your order request. Please send: 1. the item name, 2. the quantity, 3. your delivery address, 4. a phone number for the courier. I'll confirm the total and payment details as soon as I have these."
• delivery: "We deliver within YOUR AREA. Orders confirmed before YOUR CUT-OFF TIME usually go out the same day. You'll get a tracking link once it ships."
• returns: "If something isn't right, message me within YOUR NUMBER days of delivery with a photo of the item. I'll arrange an exchange or refund as described here: YOUR POLICY LINK."

• thanks: "Thank you for your order. You'll get a message from me when it ships, with tracking. If anything changes before then, just reply here."
• busy: "Thanks for your patience. We're handling more messages than usual today, so replies may take a little longer. Your message is in the queue and I'll get to it today."
• wrong_item: "Sorry about that. Please send a photo of the item you received and the label on the package. I'll sort out the right item as quickly as possible."

Notice what they do: they ask for everything needed in one go, and set clear expectations. That saves several back-and-forth messages per customer.

A naming system for many shortcuts

Once you have more than ten quick replies, finding the right one gets slower. A simple naming scheme keeps the list usable:

• Group by prefix. For example "pay_card", "pay_transfer", "ship_local", "ship_abroad". Typing "/pay" then shows only payment replies.
• Use the customer's words. If customers ask "how much", a shortcut named "price" is easier to recall in the moment than "tariffs".
• Avoid near-duplicates. "delivery" and "delivery2" will be confused. Merge them or give each a distinct name.
• Keep a cheat sheet of shortcut names, pinned in Saved Messages, until they become habit.

Before you start: collect your real questions

The best quick replies come from your actual chats, not from guessing. Spend fifteen minutes scrolling recent customer conversations and write down every question you answered more than twice. Note the exact answer you gave that worked best. That list is your first set of templates, already tested on real customers.

Greeting messages

A greeting message is sent automatically when someone writes to you for the first time, or after a period with no messages between you. It reassures a new customer that they reached the right place and tells them what to expect.

How to set one up

1. Open Settings, then Telegram Business, then Greeting Messages.
2. Turn the greeting on.
3. Write the greeting. Like quick replies, it can include formatting and media.
4. Choose recipients. Telegram lets you choose who gets it, for example everyone, only people not in your contacts, or a list you include or exclude. Excluding existing contacts avoids greeting your friends and family.
5. Set the period of inactivity after which a returning person is greeted again. Choose something long enough that regular customers are not greeted every time they write.
6. Save.

What a good greeting contains

1. A short welcome that names your business.
2. What you can help with.
3. When you usually reply.
4. One or two shortcuts the customer can use themselves, such as a link to your catalogue or channel.

Example: "Hi, thanks for messaging YOUR SHOP. I reply personally, usually within a few hours between 9:00 and 18:00. You can see the full catalogue here: YOUR LINK. Tell me what you're looking for and I'll help."

What to avoid in a greeting

• A wall of text. Customers want to ask their question, not read an essay.
• Pretending to be a person replying right now. An automatic greeting that reads like a live answer, followed by a long silence, feels worse than an honest one.
• Sales pressure. A greeting full of discount codes and urgency reads like spam.

Away messages

An away message is sent automatically when someone writes while you are unavailable. It stops customers wondering if their message was lost.

Scheduling options

Telegram offers several ways to decide when the away message is active:

• Always, until you turn it off. Useful for a holiday.
• Outside business hours, using the hours you set in Telegram Business. This is the usual choice for daily use.
• A custom schedule, between two dates and times. Good for a planned break or a public holiday.

There is also an option to send the away message only when you are offline, so customers are not told you are away while you are actually in the app.

How to set it up

1. Set your business hours first if you want to use them. Open Settings, Telegram Business, Business Hours, choose the days and times and your time zone.
2. Open Away Messages and turn it on.
3. Write the message.
4. Choose the schedule: always, outside business hours, or custom.
5. Decide whether to send it only when you are offline.
6. Choose recipients, as with greetings.
7. Save.

Writing a useful away message

A good away message answers three questions: are you there, when will you be back, and what can the customer do in the meantime.

Example for evenings: "Thanks for your message. We're closed now and will reply from 9:00 tomorrow. If it's about an existing order, please include your order number so we can help faster."

Example for a holiday: "I'm away until YOUR DATE and replying only to urgent order issues. New orders placed through YOUR LINK will be shipped from YOUR DATE. Thanks for your patience."

Avoiding loops and repeats

An away message is sent once per conversation within a period, not on every message, but customers who write repeatedly overnight may still see it more than once over several days. Keep it short and friendly so repetition does not irritate.

Business hours and time zones

Business hours do two jobs: they are shown on your profile, and they drive the "outside business hours" schedule for away messages.

1. Set the time zone carefully. If you serve customers in another time zone, use your own, because it decides when you will actually reply. Customers see the hours converted or labelled so they can understand them.
2. Set hours per weekday. Leave days off empty.
3. Review them before public holidays and switch the away message to a custom schedule for those dates.

Start page and chat links: shaping the first message

Two other Telegram Business features work hand in hand with greetings, because they shape what the customer sees and types before your automation ever runs.

The start page

The start page is what a person sees in an empty chat with you, before they send anything. You can set a short title and message, and a sticker. Use it to tell people what to write first, for example "Tell us the product name and your city, and we'll reply with price and delivery time." A good start page means the first message you receive already contains what you need, and your greeting can be shorter.

Chat links with pre-filled text

A chat link opens a private chat with you with a message already typed in the customer's box. They only need to tap send. This is useful in adverts, on your website, in a channel post or on a printed flyer with a QR code.

1. Open Telegram Business and then Links to Chat (or similar wording).
2. Create a link and write the pre-filled message, such as "Hi, I'd like to order the spring bouquet."
3. Give the link a name, such as "Website button" or "Flyer March", so you know which link is which.
4. Share the link where customers will see it.

Using a different link for each place you advertise means the pre-filled text tells you where the customer came from, because each link starts the chat with different words. Combine that with a quick reply tailored to each campaign.

Chatbots: automatic answers beyond templates

Telegram Business can connect a bot to your account. The bot can read and reply to messages in the private chats you allow, on your behalf. This goes further than quick replies: a bot can look up an order status, take a booking, or answer common questions using logic its developer built.

How it works, in outline

1. You need a bot that supports Telegram Business. You can use one built by a developer you trust, or build one. Our guide on creating a bot with BotFather covers the basics.
2. In Telegram Business, open Chatbots and enter the bot's username.
3. Choose which chats it may access, for example all chats except your contacts, or only specific ones.
4. Decide what the bot may do, such as reply to messages. The options shown depend on the version.
5. In each chat, you can usually pause the bot when you want to answer yourself.

Think hard about trust

A bot connected this way can see the messages in the chats you allow. That may include customers' names, addresses and order details. Only connect a bot whose operator you trust with that information, and check what it stores. Our guide on whether Telegram bots are safe explains what bots can access and how to judge them.

Putting it together: example routines

These illustrate how the tools combine. Adapt them to your business.

A solo seller of handmade goods

• Business hours: weekdays, mid-morning to early evening.
• Greeting: short welcome with a catalogue link, sent to non-contacts only.
• Away message: outside business hours, only when offline.
• Quick replies: "prices", "order", "pay", "delivery", "custom" (for custom-order questions).
• Result: most first messages are answered with two or three quick replies, and evening messages get an honest "back tomorrow".

A local service, such as a repair shop

• Business hours matching the shop's opening times, plus location on the profile.
• Greeting asking for the device model and the problem, so the first reply can be a quote.
• Quick replies with prices for common repairs and the booking process.
• A custom away schedule for public holidays.

A consultant or tutor

• Greeting explaining session types and linking a booking page.
• Quick replies for "rates", "availability" and "prepare" (what to bring to a first session).
• Away message only during holidays, because daily hours vary.

A small team using one account

If several people answer from one business account, quick replies keep answers consistent whoever is on duty. Agree who owns the templates, review them monthly, and remove outdated ones so nobody sends last season's prices. For larger teams, our guide to customer support on Telegram compares one shared account with other setups.

Writing automatic messages customers like

Automation is there to save time without making customers feel processed. A few principles:

1. Be honest that it is automatic. "This is an automatic reply" or simply clear timing signals are better than pretending.
2. Set realistic expectations. Promise a reply time you can meet on a bad day, not a good one.
3. Ask for what you need. A message that collects order details up front saves both of you time.
4. Keep each message short. One idea per message, a few lines at most.
5. Use formatting sparingly. Bold for the key detail, a numbered list for steps. Our text formatting guide covers the options.
6. Write as yourself. A friendly, plain tone matches a private chat better than corporate language.
7. Review templates regularly. Prices, hours and policies change. An outdated template is worse than none.

Is automation actually helping? How to check

Automatic messages can quietly make things worse, for example by answering the wrong question or repeating what the customer already knows. Check after a few weeks.

1. Count your typing. Are you still writing the same answers by hand? If so, those answers need quick replies.
2. Read the replies to your greeting. If many customers reply "?" or repeat their question, the greeting is confusing or too long.
3. Look for complaints about waiting. If people still ask "are you there?" after an away message, the message is not clear about when you will reply.
4. Check unused shortcuts. Delete quick replies you have not used in a month. A shorter list is faster to use.
5. Ask a few regular customers. One honest sentence from a customer is worth more than any guess.

Make one change at a time, so you can tell which change helped.

Rules and responsibilities

This section is general information, not legal advice.

• Do not use automatic messages for unsolicited marketing. Greetings and away messages answer people who wrote to you. Sending promotions to people who did not ask can break Telegram's rules and, in many places, local marketing laws.
• Handle customer data carefully. Names, addresses and phone numbers in your chats are personal data. Many countries have data protection rules that apply to businesses. Check what applies to you.
• Keep payment information safe. Never ask customers to send full card details in chat. Use proper payment methods. Our guide on paying with Stars or crypto on Telegram explains Telegram's own payment options.

Without Premium: alternatives

If you do not use Telegram Business, you can still get part of the benefit:

• Templates in Saved Messages. Keep your standard answers as pinned messages in Saved Messages and copy them. Clumsier than shortcuts, but free. Our Saved Messages guide has tips for organising them.
• A channel with FAQs. A channel holding your catalogue, prices and policies, linked in your profile bio, answers many questions before people write. See using a Telegram channel for an online shop.
• A bot as the front door. A bot can answer common questions and collect orders, with you stepping in for the rest.

A 30-minute setup plan

If you are starting from nothing, this order gets the most useful pieces working first.

1. Minutes 1–5: set business hours and the correct time zone.
2. Minutes 5–10: write and switch on an away message for outside business hours.
3. Minutes 10–15: write a greeting for non-contacts, with a link to your catalogue or channel.
4. Minutes 15–25: create your five most-needed quick replies from the questions you collected.
5. Minutes 25–30: test everything from a second account or ask a friend to message you, both during and outside your hours.

Leave chatbots, chat links and the start page for a second session, once the basics have run for a week.

What to do next

• After a week, read the customer replies to your greeting and adjust anything that confused people.
• Add a quick reply each time you catch yourself typing the same answer a third time.
• If messages grow beyond what one person can answer, look at a bot as a front door, or at splitting support across a team.
• Put your business channel, if you have one, in front of more readers by listing it on our submit page; listing is free and every submission is reviewed.

Troubleshooting

The Telegram Business section is missing

Update Telegram. If it is still missing, check whether your account has the subscription that includes Business features.

Typing "/" shows nothing

Quick replies only appear in private chats. In groups and channels, a slash shows bot commands instead. Also check that you have created at least one quick reply.

The away message is not sent

1. Check that it is switched on and the schedule is active now.
2. If you chose "only when offline", it will not be sent while you are online in any session, including a desktop app left open.
3. Check the recipient settings; the person may be excluded, for example as a contact.
4. Check your business hours and time zone if you use the "outside business hours" schedule.

Friends and family get the greeting

Change the recipients to exclude your contacts, or exclude specific people.

The greeting is sent too often

Increase the inactivity period, so returning customers are not greeted on every visit.

Customers get the away message in the middle of a conversation

This happens when a conversation runs past your business hours, or when you step away and the "only when offline" option is on. Tell regular customers your hours in the greeting, and before a long gap in a busy chat, send a short personal note so the automatic message does not feel like a brush-off.

Common mistakes

• Leaving a desktop app open with "only when offline" on. You count as online, so the away message never goes out.
• Wrong time zone in business hours. Customers get away messages in the middle of your working day.
• Templates with outdated prices or policies. Review them every month.
• Overlong greetings. Three or four lines are enough.
• Greeting your personal contacts. Exclude them.
• Connecting an untrusted bot. It can read your customers' messages.
• Using automation to cold-message people. It annoys recipients and can get your account restricted.

FAQ

Are quick replies available in groups?

No. Quick replies work in private chats. In groups and channels, consider a pinned message or a bot instead.

Do my customers know a message is automatic?

Telegram sends greeting and away messages from your account like any other message. Write them so it is clear they are automatic, for example by mentioning when you will reply personally.

Can I have different away messages for different days?

You set one away message with one schedule at a time. For a special period such as a holiday, switch to a custom schedule and change the text, then switch back afterwards.

Can I use quick replies on Telegram Desktop?

Yes, Telegram Business features are available across the official apps, although new options often appear on mobile first. Create and test them on whichever device you use most.

What happens to my business settings if Premium ends?

Business features depend on the subscription. If it lapses, they may stop working until you renew. Keep copies of your templates, for example in Saved Messages, so you do not have to rewrite them.

Summary

Telegram Business, included with Telegram Premium at the time of writing, gives you quick replies sent with a slash shortcut, automatic greeting messages for new or returning customers, and away messages driven by business hours or a custom schedule. Start with quick replies for your most common questions, add an honest greeting and an away message that says when you will be back, and set business hours with the right time zone. Connect a chatbot only if you trust it with your customers' messages, review templates regularly, and never use automation for unsolicited marketing.