WordPress Chatbot with WhatsApp and Telegram Integration

Why Your WordPress Chatbot Needs to Go Beyond Your Website

Your WordPress chatbot answers questions on your site. That’s great. But what about the 70% of customers who prefer messaging apps over email or phone calls? WhatsApp has over 2 billion active users. Telegram has 900+ million. These aren’t just chat apps. They’re where your customers already spend their time.

If you’ve already set up ChatGPT or Gemini on your WordPress site, the next step is obvious. Bring that same AI assistant to the messaging apps your customers actually use.

With AI Chat & Search Pro, you can connect your WordPress chatbot to both WhatsApp and Telegram. The Telegram setup takes about 2 minutes. WhatsApp takes around 20 minutes with Twilio.

Let’s walk through both.

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What You’ll Need Before Starting

Before we dive into the setup, make sure you have:

• WordPress site with SSL enabled (https)
• AI Chat & Search Pro installed and configured with your AI provider
• Telegram account (for Telegram integration)
• Twilio account (for WhatsApp integration, free sandbox available)

If you haven’t picked a chatbot plugin yet, check our comparison of the best WordPress chatbot plugins to see why AI Chat & Search Pro stands out.

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How to Set Up Telegram Integration

Telegram is the easier setup. You’ll need just one piece of information: a Bot Token from Telegram’s BotFather.

Step 1: Create Your Telegram Bot

1. Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
2. Start a chat and send the command /newbot
3. Enter a display name for your bot (e.g., “MyStore Support Bot”)
4. Enter a username for your bot (must end in “bot”, lowercase only)
5. BotFather will send you a Bot Token. Copy it.

That’s it on Telegram’s side. The token looks something like this: 123456789:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz

Step 2: Connect to AI Chat & Search Pro

1. Go to AI Chat & Search → AI Chat → Integrations
2. Click on the Telegram Configure button
3. Paste your Bot Token in the field
4. Click Save Settings
5. Done, that’s it!

Done. Your Telegram bot is now connected to your WordPress chatbot. Test it by opening Telegram, finding your bot, and sending a message.

The bot will respond using the same AI model and knowledge base you’ve configured in your WordPress plugin. If you’ve trained it on your WordPress knowledge base, those answers carry over to Telegram too.

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How to Set Up WhatsApp Integration

WhatsApp integration requires Twilio as the messaging bridge and It’s a bit more involved than Telegram, but still straightforward.

Free trial available, but it runs in a sandbox – users must manually join by sending a code before they can chat with the bot, so it’s suitable for testing only.

Sandbox (testing): Free and quick to set up. However, users must manually join by sending a code, and the session expires every 3 days. Suitable for testing only.

Production: Requires a paid Twilio account, a Meta Business Portfolio with admin access, and completed Meta Business Verification (which involves submitting legal documents and can take several weeks). Once approved, any WhatsApp user can message your bot directly.

You’ll need four pieces of information:

• Twilio Account SID
• Twilio Auth Token
• WhatsApp Number (from Twilio)
• Webhook URL (from the plugin)

Step 1: Set Up Your Twilio Account

1. Sign up at https://console.twilio.com/
2. Complete phone verification
3. In the Twilio Console, go to Account → Keys & Credentials https://console.twilio.com/us1/account/keys-credentials/api-keys
4. Copy your Account SID and Auth Token

Keep your Auth Token secret. Anyone with this token can send messages from your Twilio account.

Step 2: Get a WhatsApp Number

For testing, you can use Twilio’s WhatsApp Sandbox:

1. In Twilio Console, go to Messaging → Try it Out → Send a WhatsApp Message
2. Follow the instructions to connect your phone to the sandbox
3. Note the sandbox phone number (format: whatsapp:+14155238886)

For production, you’ll need to register your own WhatsApp Business number through Twilio.

Step 3: Configure AI Chat & Search Pro

1. Go to WordPress Admin → AI Chat & Search → AI Chat → Integrations
2. Click on the Configure button
3. Enter your Account SID
4. Enter your Auth Token
5. Enter your WhatsApp Number
6. Copy the Webhook URL shown in the plugin
7. Click Save Settings

Step 4: Set the Webhook in Twilio

1. In Twilio Console, go to Messaging → WhatsApp Sandbox
2. Find the field labeled “When a message comes in”
3. Paste your Webhook URL from the plugin
4. Save the settings

Now test it. Send a WhatsApp message to your Twilio number. You should get a response from your WordPress chatbot.

Step 5: Moving to Production

The sandbox is great for testing, but for real customer use you need a production WhatsApp number. This requires:

1. Upgrade your Twilio account (paid account required – min $20 credits)
2. A Meta Business Portfolio with admin access (create one at business.facebook.com if you don’t have one)
3. In Twilio Console, go to Messaging → Senders → WhatsApp Senders and click “Get Started“
4. Follow the setup flow to connect your Meta Business Portfolio and create a WhatsApp Business Account
5. Register your phone number (it must not already be registered with WhatsApp)
6. Complete Meta Business Verification (can take several weeks, so start early)
7. Once approved, set the webhook URL on your new WhatsApp Sender to the same Webhook URL from the plugin

After production setup, any WhatsApp user can message your bot directly without joining a sandbox.

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What Can Your Messaging Chatbot Do?

Once connected, your WhatsApp and Telegram bots can do everything your website chatbot does:

• Answer product questions using your WooCommerce catalog
• Check order status for logged-in customers
• Search your knowledge base using semantic search
• Handle support queries 24/7 without human intervention

For WooCommerce stores, this is especially powerful. Customers can ask “Do you have size 10 running shoes in blue?” and get an instant answer, straight from their messaging app. Learn more about automating WooCommerce sales and support with AI.

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Troubleshooting Common Issues

Problem	Solution
Bot not responding	Check if your WordPress site uses HTTPS. Webhooks require SSL.
Telegram token rejected	Make sure you copied the entire token, including the colon and the part after it.
WhatsApp messages not arriving	Verify the Webhook URL in Twilio matches exactly what the plugin shows.
Delayed responses	Check your AI provider (OpenAI, Gemini) for rate limits or API issues.

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Telegram vs WhatsApp: Which Should You Set Up?

Both. But if you have to choose one:

• Telegram: Faster setup (2 minutes), no third-party service needed, great for tech-savvy audiences
• WhatsApp: Larger user base, better for general consumers, requires Twilio account

Most businesses set up both. The plugin handles routing automatically, so you don’t have to manage multiple chatbots.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Get Started Today

Expanding your WordPress chatbot to WhatsApp and Telegram means meeting customers where they already are. No app downloads for them. No extra logins. Just instant AI-powered support through the messaging apps they use every day.

AI Chat & Search Pro makes this simple. One plugin, one-time payment, multiple channels. Set up Telegram in 2 minutes, WhatsApp in 10.

Your customers are already messaging. Now you can message back.