Telegram introduces business accounts with enhanced communication features

Telegram has introduced new features tailored for businesses, aiming to enhance communication with customers.

Users can now convert their accounts into business accounts, gaining access to a range of tools designed to streamline interactions. Among these features, businesses can display their operating hours on their profiles and pinpoint their location on a map, offering convenience for customers seeking information about their services.

Moreover, businesses can customize their start pages and provide details about their products and services directly within chat interfaces, offering customers insights even before initiating a conversation.

To facilitate efficient responses, Telegram Business accounts can create and save preset messages for quick replies, along with setting up automated greeting and away messages.

While these features are free, they are available exclusively for users with Telegram Premium accounts, which come at a monthly subscription fee of $5.

Additionally, Telegram has announced a revenue-sharing program for channel owners, offering them 50 percent of the ad revenue generated from ads displayed on their channels, provided they have at least 1,000 subscribers.

These updates come as Telegram continues to explore avenues for financial sustainability and potential profitability.

Company founder Pavel Durov has expressed optimism about Telegram’s financial future, anticipating profitability by next year and considering a future initial public offering (IPO).