Dr. Givona Sandiford, CCC-SLP, CAS, CSM, SHRM-CP, is the CEO of Melospeech Inc., and the creator of The SLPeaceBot ™.
There’s a lot of talk out there about Telegram being the go-to app for criminals. You’ve probably heard it yourself, right? But here’s the thing: The same features that might attract the wrong crowd (like secure chats) can also be beneficial for those of us who are building businesses with purpose and integrity.
As a tech-enabled mobile speech therapy practice, we don’t shy away from using what works, and Telegram works well for us. Why? It helps us host our automated recruiting, interviewing and training bots. The app’s available end-to-end encryption keeps our information secure and private.
Our journey hasn’t been easy over the past three years of business. It’s definitely been all about innovation and grit just to keep going at times. Yet, we were able to bootstrap our way to our first 50-plus employees thanks to access to free tools. Now, our team is still growing, and the company is expanding. The ability to innovate quickly, efficiently and securely has been a game-changer for us, and we’ve used Telegram to expand our reach and impact without the typical number of administrative staff.
Without the app’s security features, we’d need a team of administrative staff to manage the same tasks our bots handle. That’s time and resources we can’t afford to waste, especially when those resources could be better spent elsewhere. We’ve also used the app to hire the right people faster while keeping their automated interview chats secure.
From this experience, my team and I have learned valuable lessons on how to use Telegram effectively. Here’s what to keep in mind if you’re considering using the app for your business.
Best Practices For Using Telegram In Small Businesses
1. Build Bots To Automate Repetitive Tasks
Automation can significantly enhance efficiency in small businesses. Telegram allows users to create bots, and by building bots, you can automate certain repetitive tasks, such as answering FAQs and even training new staff. Bots can free up valuable time and allow your team to focus on higher-priority tasks.
For example, we developed a bot to automate our interview process. We send the link to applicants, and they can complete the interview at a time that’s convenient for them. The bot asks them questions, they speak into the app and their responses are recorded and transcribed. The bot follows up with additional questions, and, at the end, it asks if they have any questions. The interview is then sent to us and scored based on our parameters. It follows the same process we used to do manually, and a person on our team reviews the interview questions and answers.
We programmed the bot to score answers based on keywords, and we’ve found it’s accurate and speeds up the process. Instead of 30 minutes to an hour for the interview and trying to coordinate schedules, it now takes under 10 minutes. We can then narrow down applicants for a final phone interview and offer.
2. Use Security Features
Security should be a top priority for businesses. Take advantage of Telegram’s security features like Secret Chats for confidential communications, keeping bot links private and setting strong passwords for your bots. These measures can help ensure your data and communications remain secure and protected from unauthorized access.
3. Properly Pilot
Before fully deploying new bots, it’s important to pilot them with a small group of users. This allows you to test their functionality, identify any bugs, gather feedback and fix issues. By rolling out bots in phases, you can ensure they work efficiently and align with your business needs before launching them to the entire team.
Three Pitfalls To Avoid
1. Not Explaining Why You Use Telegram
Transparency is key, especially when introducing new platforms. In our early days, we had applicants question whether our use of Telegram was legitimate. Some thought we were scammers simply because we were using a less common business tool. To address this, we added a clear explanation in our communication about why we chose Telegram for tasks like testing and scoring applicants’ knowledge, and that quickly resolved the confusion. Always be upfront about your reasons for using Telegram, especially when onboarding new team members, to build trust and credibility.
2. Overloading With Too Many Groups Or Channels
It’s easy to create bots, groups or channels, but making too many can lead to communication overload and confusion. Start small, and only add more channels when absolutely necessary. Keeping your communications streamlined ensures clarity and avoids overwhelming your team with excessive notifications.
3. Uncertainty Around Telegram’s Future
Recent news reports have cast some uncertainty on the future of Telegram, especially regarding its security features. While Telegram historically provides strong encryption and privacy measures, any potential changes to these features could impact the way businesses use the platform. This means users need to stay informed and ready to pivot to other secure platforms if necessary, as what’s true today might change in the near future.
So, while some might see Telegram as a tool for the “bad guys,” we see it as a big part of our strategy to scale our impact. It’s helping us increase our staff headcount without the typical overhead, which means more speech therapists in more communities, and that’s something we’re incredibly proud of.
Screen those who use the tool if you must. At the end of the day, I think it’s about using the best tools available to do the most good. Like anything else, a tool is only as good as the people using it. And for us, Telegram isn’t just a messaging app—it’s a key part of our mission. So, the next time someone tries to tell you Telegram’s just for the bad guys, you can tell them it’s also for the good ones who are making a real difference.
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