Car dealership group: WhatsApp and Telegram in Bitrix24 with a routing bot
Updated
- Client
- Group of car dealerships
- Industry
- Car dealerships · Ukraine
- Stack
What did the dealership group need?
The group sells and services cars of several brands, and each brand has its own sales and service departments. The group runs Bitrix24 Cloud on an Enterprise plan. Customers write on WhatsApp and Telegram, and every message had to reach the right brand and department instead of getting lost between them.
We started the project in September 2025 on a two-stage proposal: first omnichannel intake with a routing bot, then an AI agent.
How does the bot route conversations?
We connected WhatsApp and Telegram to the Bitrix24 open channels through a connector service the client picked from three options we offered. A scripted bot takes it from there:
- the customer picks a brand, then a department: sales or service;
- the bot collects contact details and looks the customer’s phone number up in the CRM;
- the chat goes to the open channel of the chosen department, taking working hours into account.
What changed after the demo?
In the first version the bot handed chats to specific people. After the demo on 1 December 2025 we switched routing to the departments’ open channels. On 27 January 2026 we trained the managers on working with open channels; in March the client sent the departments’ working hours and the bot texts, and stage 1 was closed on 20 May. It took our specialists about 25 hours.
In June 2026 we added a direct link to a department’s channel: a special text with the channel code takes the customer straight there, skipping the bot menu.
How does this fit the CRM the group has used for years?
We have worked with this group since 2017. Back then we wrote our own Binotel telephony integration for the CRM, built as modules so the provider could be changed if needed, and a 1C exchange module. In 2024 we audited the portal and ran several workshops for the team. Messenger conversations now land in the same CRM the team has worked in since 2017.
What will the AI agent do in stage 2?
Stage 2 is a self-service AI agent for customers. It is meant to do four things: register a customer, show their bonus balance, and answer questions about the company and the loyalty programme. For that the agent needs a REST API to 1C, which the client’s own specialists are building. The stage is in progress and waiting for that API.
Frequently asked
Can WhatsApp and Telegram messages be routed by brand and department?
Yes. Here WhatsApp and Telegram are connected to the Bitrix24 open channels, and a scripted bot asks the customer for the brand and department (sales or service) and hands the chat to that department’s channel, taking working hours into account.
Can a customer reach a department without the bot menu?
Yes. Since June 2026 there is a direct link: a text with the channel code takes the customer straight to the right department’s channel.
What does an AI agent need to show a customer’s bonus balance?
Access to the system that holds that data. In this project it is 1C: the client’s specialists are building a REST API to it, and stage 2 is waiting for it.