How to Create a Keyword Based Bot in Telegram: Step-by-Step Guide

What Are Keyword Replies?

Keyword replies are automated chatbot responses that are sent when a customer types a predefined word or phrase. They help businesses answer common questions instantly, welcome new users, share product details, and guide conversations without manual assistance. In BotSailor, each keyword can activate a visual chatbot flow containing text, images, buttons, or other actions. This makes customer communication faster, more consistent, and available even when no human agent is online.

In this guide, we will create a simple keyword reply for a Telegram bot named Semibot . When a customer types a configured keyword such as “hi,” the bot will automatically send a welcome message.

Step 2: Select Your Connected Bot

Inside the Chatbot Manager, you will see your connected bots and accounts. Select the bot for which you want to create the keyword reply.

For this example, select the previously created Telegram bot named Semibot .

After selecting the bot, its available management options will appear on the right side of the dashboard.

Step 3: Open the Automation Section

Click the Automation tab from the top menu of the selected bot.

Select Keyword Replies . This is where you can create and manage automated responses triggered by specific customer messages.

BotSailor uses keyword-triggered replies to start predefined chatbot flows when a subscriber sends a matching word or phrase.

Step 4: Create a New Keyword Reply

On the Keyword Replies page, click the purple + Create button located on the right side of the screen.

BotSailor will then open the visual Flow Builder, where you can configure the trigger and design the automated conversation.

Step 5: Configure the Start Bot Flow

The new Flow Builder will initially display a Start Bot Flow block. Click or double-click this block to open the Configure Reference panel.

Complete the following settings:

Trigger Keywords

Enter the words that customers may use to activate the reply. For example:

hello, hi, start

These keywords tell BotSailor when it should begin the automated flow.

Keyword Matching Type

Choose one of the available matching options:

Exact keyword match: The bot activates when the customer’s message matches one of the configured keywords.

String match: The bot may activate when the keyword appears within a longer customer message.

For this example, select Exact keyword match .

Title

Enter a clear internal title for the flow, such as:

Sanos Ice Cream Shop

The title helps you identify and manage the flow from your Keyword Replies list. BotSailor’s official guidance similarly recommends configuring the trigger keyword, matching type, and bot title from the Start Bot Flow block.

Click Save Changes after completing the configuration.

Step 6: Add a Text Message

After saving the Start Bot Flow settings, click the connector beside Compose Next Message .

A menu containing the available Flow Builder components will appear. These may include Text, Image, Video, Audio, File, AI Reply, User Input Flow, HTTP API, Condition, and other options.

Select Text to create a simple automated reply.

BotSailor’s visual Flow Builder allows different message components to be connected without writing code.

Step 7: Write the Customer Reply Message

Click the newly added Text block. The Configure Text Message panel will open on the left side.
Enter the message that customers should receive after using one of the trigger keywords. For example:
Hi! 👋 Welcome to our ice cream shop. 🍦 How can I help you today? Would you like to see our available flavours and prices?
You may also use available customer variables, such as first name or last name, to personalize the reply.
Make sure the message is:

• Friendly and easy to understand

• Relevant to the customer’s keyword

• Short enough to read quickly

• Clear about what the customer should do next

Click Save Changes after writing the message.

Step 8: Save the Complete Bot Flow

Review the connection between the Start Bot Flow block and the Text block.

The flow should follow this structure:

Trigger keyword → Start Bot Flow → Automated text reply

When everything is configured correctly, click the main Save button in the upper-right corner of the Flow Builder.

This final save is important because it stores the complete keyword reply flow in your BotSailor account.

Step 9: Test the Keyword Reply in Telegram

After saving the flow, open Telegram and search for your connected bot. In this example, the bot is named Semibot .
Open the conversation and, if necessary, press Start or send:
/start
Next, send one of the trigger keywords configured in the Flow Builder. For example:
hi
The bot should immediately return the automated reply:
Hi! 👋 Welcome to our ice cream shop. 🍦 How can I help you today? Would you like to see our available flavours and prices?
BotSailor recommends testing with the assigned trigger word and checking that it matches the keyword configured in the bot flow.

Final Result

You have successfully created a keyword reply in the BotSailor Flow Builder. Whenever a customer sends one of the configured trigger keywords, Semibot will automatically deliver the prepared response.

You can follow the same process to create separate replies for keywords such as:

• Price
• Menu
• Order
• Delivery
• Location
• Support

Use a unique trigger and a relevant response for each flow to prevent multiple automations from responding to the same customer message.