israeli-telegram-business-bot

name	israeli-telegram-business-bot
description	Set up Telegram bots for Israeli small businesses with appointment booking, order management, FAQ auto-replies in Hebrew, business hours awareness (Sunday-Thursday), payment links, and customer notifications. Use when an Israeli business owner asks about creating a Telegram bot, automating customer replies, taking orders via Telegram, or scheduling appointments through a bot. Helps non-technical users deploy a working business bot without writing code, reducing missed customer messages and manual response overhead. Do NOT use for WhatsApp Business (use israeli-whatsapp-business), building bots from code (use telegram-bot-builder), voice bots (use hebrew-voice-bot-builder), or general support ticket routing (use israeli-customer-support-automator).
license	MIT

Israeli Telegram Business Bot

Set up a Telegram bot for an Israeli small business. Covers bot creation, Hebrew auto-replies, appointment booking, order management, business hours handling (Sunday-Thursday), payment links, and customer notifications. Designed for non-technical business owners.

Problem

Israeli small business owners lose customers every day because they can't respond fast enough. Messages come in during Shabbat, late at night, or when the owner is with another client. The result: unanswered questions, missed bookings, and lost revenue.

Most Israeli businesses rely on WhatsApp, but Telegram offers powerful bot automation that WhatsApp doesn't: inline keyboards, automatic replies, structured menus, and payment integration, all without writing a single line of code. The problem is that most business owners don't know how to set up a Telegram bot, and existing guides assume developer knowledge.

This skill bridges that gap. It walks business owners through creating a professional Telegram bot that handles the repetitive parts of customer communication: answering FAQs, booking appointments, taking orders, and sending notifications, in Hebrew, with Israeli business hours and culture built in.

When to Use This Skill

• A business owner wants to automate customer replies on Telegram
• Someone asks how to create a Telegram bot for their Israeli business
• A freelancer wants appointment booking via Telegram
• A restaurant or cafe wants to take orders through a bot
• A service provider needs after-hours auto-replies in Hebrew
• Someone wants to send updates to customers via a Telegram channel

When NOT to Use This Skill

• WhatsApp automation - use israeli-whatsapp-business instead
• Building a bot from code (Node.js, Python) - use telegram-bot-builder
• Voice bots or IVR - use hebrew-voice-bot-builder
• Support ticket routing/helpdesk - use israeli-customer-support-automator
• Marketing chatbots for lead generation - use hebrew-chatbot-builder

---

Phase 1: Create Your Bot with BotFather

BotFather is Telegram's official tool for creating bots. No coding required.

Step-by-Step Bot Creation

1. Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
2. Start a chat and send /newbot
3. Choose a display name - this is what customers see. Use your business name in Hebrew or English:
   • Good: מסעדת שמש or Shemesh Restaurant
   • Good: ספרא - תורים (Sapra - Appointments)
4. Choose a username - must end in bot and be unique:
   • Good: shemesh_restaurant_bot, sapra_booking_bot
   • Bad: mybot (too generic, probably taken)
5. Save the token BotFather sends you. It looks like: 7123456789:AAHxxx.... Keep this private, it controls your bot.

Configure Bot Profile

Send these commands to @BotFather:

/setdescription

Write a Hebrew description customers see before starting a chat:

ברוכים הבאים! אני הבוט של [שם העסק]. אפשר לקבוע תור, לראות תפריט, ולקבל מידע על שעות פעילות. זמין 24/7!

/setabouttext

Short "about" text for the bot profile:

בוט שירות לקוחות של [שם העסק] - תורים, הזמנות, ומידע

/setuserpic

Upload your business logo or a professional photo.

/setcommands

Set the command menu:

start - התחל שיחה
hours - שעות פעילות
book - קבע תור
menu - תפריט / שירותים
contact - צור קשר
help - עזרה

---

Phase 2: Welcome Message and Auto-Greeting

When a customer opens your bot for the first time and presses "Start", they should immediately receive a warm Hebrew greeting with clear navigation options.

Welcome Message Template

שלום! 👋
ברוכים הבאים ל[שם העסק].

איך אפשר לעזור?

Pair this with an inline keyboard showing the main options:

Button Row	Button Text	Action
Row 1	📅 קביעת תור	-> Booking flow
Row 1	📋 תפריט/שירותים	-> Menu/services list
Row 2	🕐 שעות פעילות	-> Business hours
Row 2	📍 מיקום	-> Location/map link
Row 3	📞 דברו איתנו	-> Contact info

Important Notes for the Welcome Flow

• Keep the greeting short, no more than 3 lines before the buttons
• Use Hebrew as the default language
• Include an English option button if you serve tourists or English speakers
• The greeting should feel personal, not corporate. "שלום!" is better than "שלום וברוכים הבאים לשירות הלקוחות שלנו"

---

Phase 3: FAQ Auto-Replies

Set up automatic answers to the questions you get asked 10 times a day.

Common FAQ Categories for Israeli Businesses

Business Hours:

🕐 שעות פעילות:

ראשון - חמישי: 09:00 - 18:00
שישי: 09:00 - 14:00
שבת: סגור

חגים: לפי עדכונים בערוץ שלנו

Location:

📍 המיקום שלנו:

[כתובת מלאה]
[עיר]

🗺 לניווט: [Google Maps link]
🅿️ חניה: [פרטי חניה]

Prices / Menu:

📋 התפריט שלנו:

[Display as inline keyboard categories or send a PDF/image]

Contact:

📞 צרו קשר:

טלפון: 050-XXX-XXXX
ווטסאפ: [WhatsApp link]
אימייל: [e-mail]

או כתבו לנו כאן ונחזור אליכם בשעות הפעילות!

Multi-Level FAQ with Inline Keyboards

For businesses with many questions, use a tree structure:

Main Menu
├── 📋 שירותים
│   ├── תספורת גברים - ₪80
│   ├── תספורת נשים - ₪120-200
│   ├── צבע - ₪250+
│   └── ⬅️ חזרה לתפריט
├── 💰 מחירים
│   ├── מחירון מלא (PDF)
│   └── ⬅️ חזרה לתפריט
├── 📅 קביעת תור
└── 🕐 שעות פעילות

---

Phase 4: Business Hours Logic

Israeli business hours follow a unique weekly pattern. Your bot must handle this correctly.

Israeli Weekly Schedule

Day	Hebrew	Typical Hours	Status
Sunday (יום ראשון)	א׳	08:00/09:00 - 17:00/18:00	Open
Monday (יום שני)	ב׳	08:00/09:00 - 17:00/18:00	Open
Tuesday (יום שלישי)	ג׳	08:00/09:00 - 17:00/18:00	Open
Wednesday (יום רביעי)	ד׳	08:00/09:00 - 17:00/18:00	Open
Thursday (יום חמישי)	ה׳	08:00/09:00 - 17:00/18:00	Open
Friday (יום שישי)	ו׳	08:00/09:00 - 13:00/14:00	Short day
Saturday (שבת)	ש׳	Closed	Shabbat

After-Hours Auto-Reply

When someone messages outside business hours, reply automatically:

Regular evening/night (Sunday-Thursday):

היי! 🌙
קיבלנו את ההודעה שלך.
אנחנו פעילים ראשון-חמישי בין 09:00-18:00.
נחזור אליך מחר בבוקר!

בינתיים, אפשר:
📅 לקבוע תור
📋 לראות תפריט
🕐 לבדוק שעות פעילות

Friday afternoon / Shabbat:

שבת שלום! 🕯
קיבלנו את ההודעה. נחזור אליך ביום ראשון.

בינתיים, אפשר לקבוע תור או לראות מידע דרך התפריט.

Erev Chag (holiday eve):

חג שמח! 🎉
אנחנו בחופשת חג ונחזור ב[תאריך חזרה].

לתורים ומידע, השתמשו בתפריט למטה.

Holiday Awareness

Major Israeli holidays when businesses typically close:

• Rosh Hashana (ראש השנה) - 2 days
• Yom Kippur (יום כיפור) - 1 day (nearly everything closes)
• Sukkot (סוכות) - 1st and last days
• Pesach (פסח) - 1st and last days
• Shavuot (שבועות) - 1 day
• Yom Ha'atzmaut (יום העצמאות) - 1 day

Configure your bot to check a holiday calendar and switch to holiday auto-reply mode. Most no-code platforms support date-based logic or scheduled message changes.

---

Phase 5: Appointment Booking

Let customers book appointments directly through the bot using inline keyboards.

Booking Flow

Step 1: Service Selection
┌─────────────────────────┐
│ מה תרצו לקבוע?          │
│                         │
│ [💇 תספורת]  [💅 מניקור] │
│ [💆 טיפול פנים] [✂️ צבע] │
└─────────────────────────┘

Step 2: Date Selection
┌─────────────────────────┐
│ באיזה יום?              │
│                         │
│ [ראשון 2/4] [שני 3/4]   │
│ [שלישי 4/4] [רביעי 5/4] │
│ [חמישי 6/4] [שישי 7/4]  │
└─────────────────────────┘

Step 3: Time Selection
┌─────────────────────────┐
│ באיזו שעה?              │
│                         │
│ [09:00] [10:00] [11:00] │
│ [14:00] [15:00] [16:00] │
└─────────────────────────┘

Step 4: Confirmation
┌─────────────────────────┐
│ ✅ סיכום התור:           │
│                         │
│ שירות: תספורת           │
│ יום: שני 3/4            │
│ שעה: 10:00              │
│                         │
│ [✅ אישור] [❌ ביטול]    │
└─────────────────────────┘

Confirmation Message

After booking:

✅ התור נקבע!

שירות: תספורת
תאריך: יום שני, 3 באפריל
שעה: 10:00
כתובת: [כתובת העסק]

נשלח תזכורת יום לפני.
לביטול או שינוי, שלחו /cancel

Reminder Notifications

• 24 hours before: "תזכורת: יש לך תור מחר ב-10:00 ב[שם העסק]. לאישור לחצו ✅"
• 2 hours before: "התור שלך ב[שם העסק] בעוד שעתיים. נתראה! 📍 [קישור לניווט]"
• After no-show: Wait 30 minutes, then "לא הספקת להגיע? אפשר לקבוע תור חדש כאן: /book"

Important: Friday Booking Logic

When a customer tries to book for Friday:

• Only show morning time slots (until 13:00 or 14:00 depending on the business)
• Never show Saturday (Shabbat) as an option
• After Thursday, the next available day should be Sunday

---

Phase 6: Order Management

For businesses that sell products or take food orders.

Product Catalog via Inline Keyboard

🛒 ההזמנה שלך

קטגוריות:
[🍕 פיצות] [🥗 סלטים]
[🍝 פסטות] [🥤 שתייה]
[🍰 קינוחים]

When a customer selects a category:

🍕 פיצות:

מרגריטה - ₪45
פפרוני - ₪52
ארבע גבינות - ₪55
ירקות - ₪48

[הוסף לסל: מרגריטה]
[הוסף לסל: פפרוני]
[הוסף לסל: ארבע גבינות]
[הוסף לסל: ירקות]
[⬅️ חזרה לקטגוריות]

Order Summary

🛒 סיכום ההזמנה:

1x פיצה מרגריטה - ₪45
2x קולה - ₪20
1x סלט יווני - ₪38

סה"כ: ₪103

[✅ שלח הזמנה] [🗑 נקה סל] [📋 חזרה לתפריט]

Order Confirmation

✅ ההזמנה התקבלה!

מספר הזמנה: #1247
סה"כ: ₪103

זמן הכנה משוער: 30-40 דקות
נעדכן כשההזמנה מוכנה!

לסטטוס: /status

---

Phase 7: Payment Integration

Option 1: External Payment Links

The simplest approach for Israeli businesses. Generate a payment link from your existing payment provider and send it in the bot:

💳 לתשלום:

סה"כ לתשלום: ₪103

בחרו אמצעי תשלום:
[💳 כרטיס אשראי] -> link to payment page
[📱 ביט] -> Bit payment link
[🏦 העברה בנקאית] -> bank details

Popular Israeli payment gateways:

• Green Invoice (חשבונית ירוקה) - payment links with automatic invoice
• Rivhit (רווחית) - payment collection with accounting integration
• PayMe - simple payment pages, also powers Bit acceptance on platforms like Wix
• iCount - invoicing with payment links
• Meshulam - payment clearing for small businesses
• Tranzila (טרנזילה) - veteran Israeli processor (since 1999), ILS, three integration modes (Iframe / Hosted Fields / API v2). Community Telegram integrations via Make.com.
• Bit (ביט) - Israel's leading P2P app (Bank Hapoalim). Dev portal: developer.bitpay.co.il. SMB caps: ILS only, ~₪5,000/transaction, ~₪20,000/month/merchant, single-payment only. Suits low-ticket sales (food, beauty); not for high-value or recurring billing.
• PayBox (פייבוקס) - digital wallet (Israel Discount Bank), ~2.5M users, P2P-focused. No public merchant API as of 2026; businesses share a handle for manual transfers.

Option 2: Telegram Native Payments (Payment API)

Telegram's built-in Payment API (core.telegram.org/bots/payments) lets the bot send native invoice messages that customers pay without leaving Telegram. You connect a provider through @BotFather's /mybots -> "Payments" menu.

ILS is supported (currency ILS, min ₪3.68, max ₪36,788.20 per invoice). However, as of mid-2026 the Israeli soleks (Tranzila, Meshulam, Cardcom) are NOT on Telegram's officially-supported provider list. Practical implications:

• Foreign cards cleared in ILS via Stripe: works today through the global Stripe integration.
• Clearing through an Israeli solek (for tax/reporting): use Option 1 (external link) or Option 4 (Mini App with an Israeli provider iframe). The native Payment API is not the right tool for "pure Israeli" merchant setups.

Check the live provider list under @BotFather's Payments menu before committing; Telegram adds providers over time.

Option 3: Telegram Stars (for Digital Goods)

Telegram supports Telegram Stars for in-app purchases of digital goods and services. This works well for:

• Digital consultations
• Online courses
• Digital files/templates
• Premium content access

Note: Telegram Stars is for digital goods only. Physical products and services should use external payment links or the native Payment API.

Option 4: Telegram Mini Apps (TWA)

A Mini App is a full web page (HTML/CSS/JS) that opens inline inside Telegram, with native APIs for identity, theme, MainButton, and payments. Use one when the bot needs richer UX than inline keyboards (catalog grids, calendar pickers, custom checkout with an Israeli provider iframe). Skip it for simple FAQ/booking bots.

Setup is via @BotFather (/newapp), and Israeli payment providers (Tranzila, PayMe) can be embedded directly inside the Mini App without a Telegram-specific integration.

See references/mini-apps-implementation.md for the full setup guide, payment-embedding patterns, and initData validation.

Payment Confirmation Message

✅ התשלום התקבל!

סכום: ₪103
אמצעי תשלום: כרטיס אשראי
מספר הזמנה: #1247

חשבונית תשלח לאימייל שלך.
תודה על הקנייה! 🙏

---

Phase 8: Customer Notifications and Broadcasting

Channel posts vs DM broadcasts (important distinction)

Two very different things get called "broadcasting":

• Channel post: one message to opted-in subscribers. Counts as a single API call regardless of subscriber count, so no bot rate limit. Right tool for promotions, weekly updates, holiday greetings.
• DM broadcast: bot calls sendMessage once per customer. Subject to Telegram bot rate limits AND to Israel's anti-spam law (Section 30a) for marketing content.

Default to channels for promotional content. Reserve DM broadcasts for transactional updates the customer asked for, or promotions to customers who explicitly opted in.

Telegram Channel for Updates

Create a Telegram channel linked to your bot for broadcasting updates:

1. Create a new channel in Telegram
2. Name it: [שם העסק] - עדכונים
3. Add your bot as an administrator
4. Share the channel link with customers

Types of Broadcasts

Promotions:

🔥 מבצע סוף שבוע!

20% הנחה על כל הטיפולים ביום חמישי וביום שישי.
לקביעת תור: @your_bot

בתוקף עד שישי 7/4 בצהריים.

Status Updates (for orders):

📦 עדכון הזמנה #1247:

✅ ההזמנה התקבלה
✅ בהכנה
🔄 בדרך אליך
⬜ נמסרה

זמן הגעה משוער: 15 דקות

Holiday Greetings:

🕯 שבת שלום מ[שם העסק]!

נחזור ביום ראשון ב-09:00.
לקביעת תורים, כתבו לבוט שלנו.

שבת מנוחה! 🌸

Israeli Spam Law (חוק הספאם) Compliance

Telegram broadcasts to customers fall under Section 30a of the Communications Law (1982, Amendment 40 / 2008) the moment they promote a product, service, or discount. The law explicitly covers instant messaging.

Three legal requirements every promotional broadcast must meet:

1. Prior explicit consent (הסכמה מפורשת מראש) - The customer must actively opt in. Starting a chat with the bot is NOT consent. Add an inline-keyboard opt-in ("כן, שלחו לי מבצעים ועדכונים") and store who agreed. Transactional messages (order status, appointment reminders the customer requested) do not need this consent.
2. Opt-out in every message (אפשרות הסרה) - Include a clear way to stop, e.g. a "הסר אותי מרשימת התפוצה" button or "/stop" instruction. Honor opt-outs immediately.
3. Sender identification (זיהוי השולח) - Identify the business by name and include contact details. No anonymous promotions.

Penalties: statutory damages up to ₪1,000 per message (no need to prove harm), class-action exposure, and a criminal fine ceiling around ₪226,000 (2026) for knowingly sending without consent. When in doubt, treat a message as a promotion and get consent first. Consult kolzchut.org.il or a lawyer for current obligations.

---

Phase 9: No-Code Bot Platforms

You do NOT need to write code to build a Telegram business bot. These platforms offer visual editors.

Recommended Platforms

BotPress

• Visual flow builder with Hebrew support
• Free tier available
• Good Telegram integration
• Drag-and-drop conversation design
• Best for: complex conversation flows, multi-step booking

n8n (Self-Hosted or Cloud)

• Visual workflow automation
• Telegram trigger node built-in
• Code node for custom logic (optional)
• Schedule Trigger node for timed messages (reminders, promotions)
• Best for: connecting Telegram to other business tools (Google Sheets, calendars, CRMs)
• Can integrate with Israeli platforms like Monday.com and Green Invoice

ManyChat

• Full native Telegram support with visual flow builder
• Drag-and-drop automation sequences
• Subscriber management and broadcasts
• Also supports Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger
• Best for: businesses already using ManyChat for other channels, visual flow design

Platform Comparison

Feature	BotPress	n8n	ManyChat
Hebrew support	Yes	Yes	Partial
Visual builder	Yes	Yes	Yes
Free tier	Yes	Yes (self-host)	Limited
Telegram integration	Native	Native node	Native
Appointment booking	With flows	With calendar integration	Basic
Payment links	Via messages	Via HTTP nodes	Via messages
Learning curve	Medium	Medium	Low
Israeli platform integrations	Via API	Native nodes for many	Limited

Webhook vs Polling (Deployment Note)

Telegram delivers updates via polling (bot asks repeatedly) or webhooks (Telegram pushes to your HTTPS URL). Webhooks are faster and cheaper but need a public HTTPS endpoint. The no-code platforms above abstract this away, so non-technical owners never configure it. The distinction only matters if you self-host later or debug a "bot not responding" issue.

---

Phase 10: Hebrew-Specific Setup

RTL Considerations

• Hebrew text in Telegram displays correctly RTL by default
• Mixed Hebrew/English text (like prices "₪45") renders properly
• Inline keyboard buttons support Hebrew text
• Bot commands (like /start) remain LTR - this is normal and expected

Hebrew Greeting Conventions

Use greetings appropriate to Israeli culture:

Time/Context	Greeting
General	שלום! / היי!
Morning	בוקר טוב! ☀️
Evening	ערב טוב! 🌙
Friday	שבת שלום! 🕯
After Shabbat	שבוע טוב!
Holiday	חג שמח! 🎉
Thank you	תודה רבה! 🙏

Hebrew Command Aliases

While bot commands must be in Latin characters, you can map Hebrew text to commands:

Command	Hebrew Alias (button text)
/start	🏠 תפריט ראשי
/book	📅 קביעת תור
/menu	📋 תפריט / שירותים
/hours	🕐 שעות פעילות
/contact	📞 צרו קשר
/help	❓ עזרה
/cancel	❌ ביטול
/status	📦 סטטוס הזמנה

Tone of Voice

Israeli business communication on Telegram should be:

• Friendly and direct - no corporate stiffness
• Use "אתם/אתן" (plural you) for general audiences, or "את/ה" if the business is personal/intimate
• Casual but professional - emojis are welcome, slang is not
• Brief - Israelis expect quick answers, not paragraphs

---

Bundled Resources

• references/business-bot-templates.md - Complete message flow templates for restaurant, salon, and freelance service bots

---

Gotchas

Common mistakes agents make when helping set up Israeli business bots:

1. Forgetting Shabbat handling - The most common mistake. The bot MUST have a Shabbat auto-reply. Never show Saturday availability for booking. Friday must have shortened hours. If you skip this, the business owner will get complaints from religious customers and confusion from everyone else.

2. Using Sunday as a day off - Israel's work week is Sunday-Thursday, not Monday-Friday. Sunday is a regular working day. Do not copy Western business hour templates.

3. Writing stiff/formal Hebrew - Do not use "ניתן" (formal "it is possible"), use "אפשר" (casual "you can"). Do not use "הנכם מוזמנים" (you are cordially invited), use "בואו" or "אפשר". The bot should sound like a friendly shop owner, not a government form.

4. Over-engineering the first version - Start with: welcome message, business hours, FAQ, and one booking or ordering flow. Do not try to build a full CRM bot on day one. Add features once the basics are working.

5. Ignoring the token security - The bot token is a password. Do not share it in group chats, paste it in public forums, or include it in screenshots. If leaked, anyone can control the bot. Use BotFather's /revoke command if compromised.

6. Not setting up a human handoff - Bots can't handle everything. Include a "דברו עם נציג" (talk to a human) option that either forwards the message to the business owner's personal Telegram or sends a notification.

7. Wrong phone number format - Israeli numbers should be formatted as 050-XXX-XXXX or +972-50-XXX-XXXX for international. Do not use (050) XXX-XXXX or other non-Israeli formats.

8. Missing a "back" button - Every sub-menu must have a "⬅️ חזרה" (back) button. Customers get frustrated when they're stuck in a menu with no way to return to the main screen.

9. Not testing on mobile - Most Israeli Telegram users are on mobile. Test every flow on a phone, not just desktop. Buttons that look fine on desktop may be too small or too wide on mobile.

10. Hardcoding holiday dates - Israeli holidays fall on different dates each year (Hebrew calendar). Use a holiday API or update manually before each holiday season rather than hardcoding dates.

---

Examples

Example 1: Restaurant Bot

Scenario: "Cafe Shemesh" in Tel Aviv wants a Telegram bot for viewing the menu, ordering takeout, and booking tables.

Agent should generate:

Welcome message with inline keyboard:

שלום! ☀️
ברוכים הבאים לקפה שמש.

מה בא לכם?
[📋 תפריט] [🛒 הזמנה לטייקאווי]
[📅 הזמנת שולחן] [🕐 שעות פעילות]
[📍 איך מגיעים] [📞 צרו קשר]

Menu flow with categories:

📋 התפריט שלנו:

[☕ קפה ושתייה]
[🥐 ארוחות בוקר]
[🥗 ארוחות צהריים]
[🍰 קינוחים]
[⬅️ חזרה לתפריט הראשי]

Business hours with Friday/Shabbat:

🕐 שעות פעילות:

ראשון - חמישי: 07:30 - 23:00
שישי: 07:30 - 15:00
שבת: סגור

📍 רחוב דיזנגוף 99, תל אביב

Example 2: Hair Salon Bot

Scenario: "Salon Dana" in Haifa wants appointment booking, price list, and before/after photos.

Agent should generate:

Booking flow with service selection:

💇 קביעת תור בסלון דנה

בחרו שירות:
[💇‍♀️ תספורת נשים - מ-₪120]
[💇‍♂️ תספורת גברים - ₪80]
[🎨 צבע - מ-₪250]
[💅 מניקור - ₪90]
[💆‍♀️ טיפול פנים - ₪180]
[⬅️ חזרה]

Stylist selection (if relevant):

עם מי תרצו להזמין?

[דנה - בעלים ומעצבת ראשית]
[שירה - צבע ותספורות]
[יובל - תספורות גברים]
[⬅️ חזרה]

After booking confirmation:

✅ התור נקבע!

שירות: תספורת נשים
מעצבת: דנה
תאריך: יום שלישי, 5 באפריל
שעה: 14:00

📍 סלון דנה, רחוב הרצל 15, חיפה
🅿️ חניה חינם ברחוב

נשלח תזכורת מחר.
לביטול: /cancel

Example 3: Freelance Accountant Bot

Scenario: "Moshe Levi, CPA" wants a bot for scheduling consultations, sharing document checklists, and answering common tax questions.

Agent should generate:

Welcome with professional tone:

שלום! 👋
משרד רו"ח משה לוי

איך אפשר לעזור?
[📅 קביעת פגישת ייעוץ]
[📄 מסמכים נדרשים]
[❓ שאלות נפוצות]
[💰 מחירון שירותים]
[📞 צרו קשר]

FAQ with tax-related questions:

❓ שאלות נפוצות:

[📊 מתי מגישים דוח שנתי?]
[🧾 איזה קבלות לשמור?]
[💼 פתיחת תיק עוסק מורשה]
[🏠 ניכוי הוצאות עבודה מהבית]
[📱 דיווח הכנסות מאפליקציות]
[⬅️ חזרה]

Document checklist (when selected):

📄 מסמכים נדרשים לדוח שנתי:

✅ תלושי שכר (כל 12 החודשים)
✅ טפסי 106 מכל מעסיק
✅ אישורי ריבית מהבנק
✅ קבלות על תרומות
✅ אישור ביטוח לאומי
✅ אישורי קופות גמל/פנסיה

💡 טיפ: צלמו הכל ושלחו לנו כאן, ונבדוק שיש את הכל.

[📅 קבע פגישה] [⬅️ חזרה]

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Troubleshooting

Bot Not Responding

• Check the token: Make sure you copied the full token from BotFather without extra spaces
• Bot not connected to platform: Verify the token is entered correctly in your no-code platform (BotPress, n8n, etc.)
• Platform is down: Check the platform's status page
• Webhook issues: If using webhooks, make sure the URL is HTTPS and publicly accessible

Messages Not Arriving

• Privacy mode: By default, bots in groups only see messages starting with /. Use BotFather's /setprivacy to change this if needed
• Bot blocked: The user may have blocked your bot. You cannot send messages to users who blocked you
• Rate limits: Telegram enforces three separate limits for bot sends, all per official FAQ at core.telegram.org/bots/faq:
  • Per chat: no more than ~1 message per second to the same chat.
  • Per group: no more than 20 messages per minute to the same group.
  • Global broadcasts: a bot can broadcast to roughly 30 different users per second (free tier). Exceed any of these and the API returns HTTP 429.
  • Paid broadcasts: a bot can opt in to pay Telegram for higher throughput (up to 1,000 messages/sec). Costs 0.1 Stars per message above the free 30/sec, and requires the bot to hold ≥100,000 Stars balance and have ≥100,000 monthly active users , practical only for large businesses, not typical Israeli SMBs.
  • For DM broadcasts to a customer list, add deliberate delays between sends to stay under the limits. For mass announcements, post to a Telegram channel instead , channel posts are a single API call and do not consume the per-second budget.
  • This rate-limit information and the BotFather command set described in this skill are aligned with Bot API 10.0 (released May 2026); the Bot API is versioned and updated regularly at core.telegram.org/bots/api, so check the changelog at the top of that page if a feature behaves differently than documented here.

Hebrew Text Display Issues

• Ensure your platform sends UTF-8: All modern platforms do, but verify if text appears garbled
• Mixed LTR/RTL: If numbers or English text appear in wrong order, try wrapping Hebrew text segments separately
• Inline keyboard alignment: Hebrew buttons may appear left-aligned in some Telegram clients. This is a client-side rendering behavior and not something you can control

Booking Shows Wrong Times

• Timezone: Make sure your platform is set to Asia/Jerusalem (UTC+2, or UTC+3 during daylight saving)
• DST transitions: Israel changes clocks in March and October. Verify your time logic handles this
• Friday hours: Double-check that Friday only shows shortened hours, not full-day availability

Payment Link Not Working

• Link expired: Some payment gateways expire links after 24-72 hours. Generate fresh links per order
• Mobile browser redirect: Test the payment link on mobile. Some gateways redirect poorly on Telegram's in-app browser
• Currency: Make sure the payment page shows ILS (₪), not USD or EUR

Bot Got Compromised

If you suspect someone has your bot token:

1. Open @BotFather
2. Send /revoke
3. Select your bot
4. You'll get a new token. Update it in your platform immediately
5. Check recent bot activity for suspicious messages

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Reference Links

Official documentation this skill relies on. Verify against these before relying on a specific method, field, or limit.

Resource	URL	What it covers
Telegram Bot API	https://core.telegram.org/bots/api	Full API reference: methods, types, rate limits, the changelog at the top
Telegram Bot Features	https://core.telegram.org/bots/features	BotFather setup, commands, inline keyboards, privacy mode
Telegram Payments	https://core.telegram.org/bots/api#payments	Native Payment API, invoices, payment providers, Telegram Stars
Telegram Bot Payments docs	https://core.telegram.org/bots/payments	Provider list, ILS currency limits, deep dive on the native invoice flow
Telegram Mini Apps	https://core.telegram.org/bots/webapps	Mini App (TWA) docs: setup via @BotFather, JS bridge, MainButton, payment sheet
Telegram Bot FAQ - rate limits	https://core.telegram.org/bots/faq	Exact send rate limits (per chat, per group, broadcasts, paid broadcasts)
Israeli Anti-Spam Law (Kol-Zchut)	https://www.kolzchut.org.il/he/פיצוי_בגין_משלוח_דברי_פרסומת_ללא_הסכמה_של_הנמען_(חוק_הספאם)	Section 30a obligations and ₪1,000 statutory damages
Bit Developer Portal	https://developer.bitpay.co.il/docs	Bit payment-button integration, merchant caps (₪5K/tx, ₪20K/month)
BotPress docs	https://botpress.com/docs	No-code visual flow builder used in Phase 9
n8n docs	https://docs.n8n.io	Workflow automation, Telegram trigger node, scheduled messages
ManyChat	https://manychat.com	No-code multi-channel bot platform used in Phase 9

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Recommended MCP Servers

• hebcal - Hebrew calendar MCP server. This skill repeatedly tells the business owner to "check a holiday calendar" or "use a holiday API" for Israeli holiday dates (Phase 4 holiday awareness, Gotcha #10). The hebcal MCP exposes Hebrew-calendar holiday dates so an agent can resolve when Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Pesach, Shavuot, and Yom Ha'atzmaut fall in any given year, instead of hardcoding dates that go stale annually. Use it to drive the bot's "holiday auto-reply mode" and to validate that booking flows never offer a slot on a closed holiday.