Telegram Launches New Business Features for its Users
On Wednesday, Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, announced exciting news for the chat app’s users. Personal accounts can now be converted into business accounts with the payment of a monthly fee. This move is bound to be helpful for small cafe and shop owners who can now list vital information such as location and opening hours on their account.
The new feature also includes the ability to organize chats with color labels, use automatic greetings or away messages, and create shortcuts for quick replies. In an announcement on his channel, Durov revealed that Telegram will be launching even more business features this month, such as integration of AI-powered chatbots for customer service.
“Telegram Business accounts will be able to seamlessly add chatbots as their invisible secretaries to respond to all or certain chats. With AI, these chatbots can bring customer service automation to an entirely new level,” said Durov.
This development is seen as a move to compete with WhatsApp Business, which boasts of over 200 million monthly active users. However, Telegram sets itself apart by charging a subscription fee for its business features, while WhatsApp relies on generating revenue through the frequency and type of chats.
Last year, WhatsApp introduced various business-focused features such as personalized customer messages and the ability to complete e-commerce transactions within the app itself. Telegram, on the other hand, has been focusing on expanding its business opportunities through premium subscriptions, self-custodial crypto wallets, and even an auction for premium usernames. The chat app, which has over 800 million global users, will also be launching its own advertising platform this month, with a revenue-sharing program for channels.
It is evident that Telegram is constantly pushing boundaries and striving to provide innovative and useful features for its users, making it a force to be reckoned with in the messaging apps market.
