An AI sales manager for Instagram and Telegram: case study and setup

How an air purification equipment manufacturer replaced first-line sales with the Craft AI agent — the agent consults customers and hands ready buyers to a human manager. Step-by-step setup.

The Craft AI manager answers customers in Instagram Direct and Telegram like a real sales rep: it consults, sends materials and collects contacts. Complex or unusual questions — and customers ready to buy — it hands over to a human. Below is a real case and a step-by-step setup.

Case: an air purification equipment manufacturer#

Dmitri runs a company that manufactures air purification equipment. His goal: replace the first-line sales manager so the AI answers typical questions about models, prices, terms and maintenance on its own, and only sends complex or non-obvious cases to a person.

Dmitri found Craft through ChatGPT: he asked it which service could set up an AI manager like that, and it recommended Craft. He subscribed, bought extra credits and started setting it up.

While setting it up, we improved the agent together with Dmitri for the real needs of a manufacturer:

• handover with a summary — the manager gets the customer's task, parameters, chosen model, stage and contact in Telegram, not a raw chat;
• strict handover — only qualified leads reach sales, where the customer left a phone, email or messenger themselves;
• materials on request — the agent sends the video or catalog for the right model, in the customer's language;
• photo understanding — the customer photographs the unit, its model plate or a fault, and the agent answers based on the photo;
• human pacing — a pause before replying, a "seen" mark and "typing…" matched to the length of the reply;
• the agent in Telegram — the same agent with the same rules answers in the bot and in personal messages via Telegram Business.

What the AI manager can do#

• Replies in Instagram Direct and Telegram — briefly, in the customer's language, following your rules.
• Understands voice messages and photos.
• Sends videos, photos, PDFs and catalogs from your funnels when asked.
• Hands a hot lead or a hard question to a teammate — into a Telegram leads group.
• Stays quiet when you join the conversation yourself, so it never talks over a human.
• Follows up if the person goes silent after the agent's reply.
• Shows stats: how many replies, how many handovers, how fast.

Set it up in 15 minutes#

1. Connect an account. Instagram — in "Accounts"; for Telegram — your bot (and Telegram Business if needed).
2. Open "Automations" → "AI agent" and pick the account.
3. Write the conversation rules (up to 8,000 characters): who you are, what you sell, tone, what to offer, what not to discuss, when to call a human.
4. Upload a knowledge base: models and prices, shipping and warranty terms, FAQs. Paste text or upload a file.
5. Turn on handover and connect a Telegram leads group: add the bot as an admin, select the group and press "Send test".
6. Select materials the agent may send on its own — funnels with videos and catalogs. Name them clearly: the agent picks by name.
7. Set response pacing if you want the agent to feel human.
8. Choose a model and switch the agent on. Start with the recommended one — it's cheap and handles typical questions well.

Every setting in detail — in "AI agent in Instagram Direct".

Pricing#

Each agent reply spends credits: from 1 credit per reply on the recommended model. The price grows with the size of your rules and knowledge base and depends on the model. Full table — in "AI agent in Instagram Direct".

How to write rules that sell#

• One goal per conversation, e.g. "get to a lead with a phone number" or "book a consultation".
• When to call a human — list it explicitly: custom project, discount beyond the price list, complaint, service fault.
• What not to promise — deadlines you don't control, prices outside the list.
• Qualifying questions — what the agent must learn before handover: room size, quantity, city, timing.
• Short replies. People read Direct on their phones: 2–4 sentences and one question at the end.

Not available yet#

• No agent in VK, MAX or WhatsApp yet — Instagram and Telegram only.
• Stickers and reposts aren't understood.
• Instagram only allows replies within 24 hours of the customer's last message.

FAQ#

Can AI fully replace a sales manager?#

The first line — yes: typical questions, product matching, sending materials, collecting contacts. Leave closing, custom terms and complaints to a human — that's what handover is for.

Will the agent reply to people who send a keyword?#

No. A keyword triggers the funnel and the agent stays quiet. The agent replies only to messages no funnel caught.

Does this work for a manufacturer or a store, not just a creator?#

Yes. The case above is an equipment manufacturer. The agent works from your rules and knowledge base, whatever you sell.