What it is
The same bot, but in a VK community: it answers messages, takes orders, hands out files. Needed as the main channel for a VK audience and as a backup when Telegram is unavailable.
How we use it
We build VK bots on a shared database with Telegram: one dataset, two entrances. That is how access delivery in the VPN service and ordering in the "Dykhanie Povolzhya" showcase work.
Where it helps a business
VKontakte is the largest social network in Russia, so this matters mostly to businesses selling there.
- Your buyers live on VKontakte, and deals close in the community's messages.
- An order from the website should reach the community chat already assembled, not as "hello, I'd like this".
- If Telegram is unavailable, customers should still get the service.
How we use it
- An order from the website. For «Дыхание Поволжья» the site cart passes the order contents to the community bot with a one-time code, and the buyer lands in the chat with the order ready. The bot, in Python with aiohttp, runs over Long Poll, reads the catalogue from the site's API, takes an order by its code exactly once and checks the contents against the site's database rather than what the browser sent. Wholesale, out-of-stock items and unfamiliar questions go to a manager.
- A backup channel. In Tech Poly VPN a VKontakte bot delivers configs when Telegram is unavailable: the account is linked with a one-time code, and the customer receives a subscription link rather than a raw key.
We build VKontakte bots under Telegram and VK bots.
Common problems
- Platform limits. A product cannot be added to a VKontakte cart from a third-party site. And for people who have already messaged the community, VKontakte does not pass the link parameter, so the code goes to the clipboard and the bot understands it as text.
- The site or bot does not answer. If the site does not respond within three seconds or the bot is off, the cart falls back to copying the order text.
- No token, no alerts. In the online store VKontakte alerts are written but not switched on, because the community token is missing.
When you do not need it
If your audience is not on VKontakte, you do not need a bot there. A backup channel pays off for critical services where a customer must never be left without access.