To add Telegram as a channel to your Kore.ai assistant, you must create a bot on the Telegram platform. Adding the Telegram channel to your Kore.ai VA allows end-users to interact with it using their Telegram account. You need a Telegram account to complete this procedure.

To add the Telegram channel, follow the below steps:

Step 1: Configure a Telegram Bot

1. Log into Telegram and search for @BotFather from the Search bar as shown below.
   
   
2. Select @BotFather and click START. 
3. In the chat section, type /newbot in the Message box and click Send.
   
   
4. On sending the /newbot message, BotFather prompts you to enter a Name for the new bot to be created. Preferably, give the same name as that of the Kore.ai assistant for which the channel is enabled.
5. After providing the name, BotFather prompts for the Username for the new bot to be created. Provide any name that ends with bot. For example, sample_bot or SampleBot.
   
6. After providing the username, BotFather displays a confirmation message and access token. Note the access token to enter in the Configurations tab of the Telegram Channel page.
   
   

Step 2: Configure the Channel

1. In the XO Platform, select the assistant that you want to enable the channel for.
2. Go to Deploy > Channels > Telegram.
3. Go to the Configurations tab of the Telegram Channel page, enter the Bot Name of your Telegram bot in the Bot Name field.
4. Enter the Access Token that was displayed as a part of bot creation.
5. Select Yes and then click Save to enable the Telegram Channel for your bot.
   
   

After the channel is enabled and all configurations are verified, you can optionally publish the assistant to make it available for end-users, with the new channel. Learn more about Publishing your Virtual Assistant.

To learn more about working with Channels within the Kore.ai XO Platform, please see Channel Enablement.