telegram-field-bot

Telegram Field Bot

Overview

Field workers need simple tools. Telegram bots provide instant communication, photo sharing, and task management without training or app downloads.

"Telegram for field ops: Real-time task assignment and status updates" — DDC Community

Why Telegram?

Feature	Benefit
No training	Workers already use Telegram
Works offline	Messages sync when connected
Photos/videos	Easy visual documentation
Groups	Team coordination
Bots	Automated workflows
Free	No per-user licensing

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    TELEGRAM FIELD BOT                            │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                  │
│  Field Worker              Bot                    n8n            │
│  ────────────              ───                    ───            │
│                                                                  │
│  📱 Send photo    ───▶    🤖 Receive     ───▶   ⚙️ Process     │
│  📝 Text report           📋 Parse              📊 Store        │
│  📍 Location              🏷️ Classify           📧 Notify       │
│                           ✅ Confirm            📈 Dashboard     │
│                                                                  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Quick Start with n8n

1. Create Telegram Bot

1. Open Telegram, search @BotFather
2. Send /newbot
3. Name: "SiteReport Bot"
4. Username: "sitereport_company_bot"
5. Copy the API token

2. n8n Workflow

{
  "workflow": "Telegram Field Reporting",
  "nodes": [
    {
      "name": "Telegram Trigger",
      "type": "Telegram",
      "event": "message",
      "token": "YOUR_BOT_TOKEN"
    },
    {
      "name": "Parse Message",
      "type": "Code",
      "code": "Parse message type: text, photo, location"
    },
    {
      "name": "Route by Type",
      "type": "Switch",
      "rules": ["photo", "text", "location", "command"]
    },
    {
      "name": "Process Photo",
      "type": "OpenAI Vision",
      "prompt": "Describe this construction site photo. Identify: progress, issues, safety concerns."
    },
    {
      "name": "Save to Database",
      "type": "PostgreSQL",
      "operation": "insert"
    },
    {
      "name": "Confirm to User",
      "type": "Telegram",
      "action": "sendMessage",
      "text": "✅ Report received! ID: {{report_id}}"
    }
  ]
}