Telegram & Slack Notifications

Step 1 — Create a Bot Token

Open Telegram and message @BotFather. Send /newbot, choose a name (e.g., "FormFlow Alerts"), and a username ending in _bot (e.g., acme_forms_bot). Copy the HTTP API token BotFather returns — you'll paste it into FormFlow in Step 2.

Step 2 — Add the Integration in FormFlow

Go to Settings → Integrations → Telegram (or Slack). Paste your bot token. For Slack, click "Install to Workspace" and authorize the app. FormFlow will verify the connection and display a green checkmark.

Step 3 — Select Target Chat or Channel

For Telegram, send a test message to your bot, then visit https://api.telegram.org/bot<TOKEN>/getUpdates to grab your chat_id (e.g., -418293047 for groups, 284719305 for private chats). For Slack, choose a channel from the dropdown — #leads-incoming, #support-tickets, or a direct message to a teammate.

Step 4 — Bind to a Form

Open any form in the editor, scroll to Notifications in the sidebar, and toggle "Send to Telegram" or "Send to Slack". You can bind multiple forms to the same chat — each submission will include the form title so you know where it came from.

Default Template

A clean, readable card sent on every submission. Example output:

📋 New submission — "Contact Us"
Name: Maria Kowalski
Email: m.kowalski@innovent.pl
Phone: +48 512 391 047
Message: "Looking for enterprise pricing on the Pro plan."
Submitted: 2025-06-12 14:32 UTC

Works out of the box. No configuration needed.

Compact Template

One-line alerts ideal for busy channels. Example:

🔔 [Leads] Maria Kowalski — m.kowalski@innovent.pl — +48 512 391 047

Select up to three fields to display inline. Click the submission link to view the full response in FormFlow.

Custom Template (Handlebars)

Build messages with {{field_name}} placeholders. Use conditionals like {{#if payment_status}}✅ Paid{{else}}⏳ Pending{{/if}}. Example for an event registration form:

🎟️ Registration: {{first_name}} {{last_name}}
Ticket: {{ticket_type}}
Attendees: {{guest_count}}
Dietary: {{#if dietary}}{{dietary}}{{else}}None{{/if}}
View details

Telegram File Handling

Files up to 20 MB are sent as native Telegram attachments. Photos are delivered as images so your team can preview them inline. Larger files (up to 2 GB) are sent as a download link with a preview thumbnail. Supported formats: JPG, PNG, PDF, DOCX, XLSX, ZIP, and any MIME type accepted by Telegram's Bot API.

Slack File Handling

Attachments are uploaded via Slack's files.upload API and appear as inline previews in the channel. Each submission creates a separate file group, so you never lose track of which files belong to which response. Files larger than 1 GB are shared as a FormFlow-hosted download link instead.

Can I send notifications to multiple chats at once?

Yes. In the form's Notification settings you can add up to 5 Telegram chat IDs and 5 Slack channels. Each form submission is broadcast to all selected destinations simultaneously.

What happens if the bot is offline or the token is revoked?

FormFlow retries delivery three times with exponential backoff (1 min, 5 min, 15 min). If all retries fail, the submission is still saved in your FormFlow dashboard and you'll receive an email alert to admin@yourdomain.com with instructions to re-authorize the integration.

Do I get notified for test submissions?

No. Submissions marked as "Test" in the form editor are excluded from all notification channels. Toggle this in Settings → Integrations → "Suppress test entries".

Can I reply to a submission directly from Telegram or Slack?

You can use inline buttons included in each notification: "View in FormFlow" opens the response in your browser, and "Mark as Read" removes the alert badge. Direct replies from chat are not routed back to the form — use the FormFlow dashboard for follow-up messaging.

Is there a rate limit on notifications?

FormFlow sends notifications in real time with no internal throttle. Telegram's Bot API allows 30 messages/second per bot; Slack allows 1 message/second per channel. For high-volume forms (1,000+ submissions/day), enable "Batch mode" in the integration settings to group submissions into hourly digests.

Can I customize the bot's display name and avatar?

For Telegram, set the bot's name and photo via @BotFather using /setname and /setdescription. For Slack, customize the app's display name and icon in Slack → App Management → Basic Information. Changes take effect within 60 seconds.