Inspiration
Educational institutions continue to run their most critical academic processes on outdated and fragmented systems. Attendance is taken manually, marks are updated late, and parents often have no real-time visibility into their ward’s academic progress. Teachers spend valuable time on administrative tasks instead of teaching, while institutions struggle with data accuracy and accountability. TeleBot was inspired by the need for a modern academic ERP system that simplifies operations, reduces workload, and delivers instant access to trusted data for everyone involved.
What it does
TeleBot is a real-time, chat-based ERP platform for educational institutions. It allows teachers to mark attendance quickly and effortlessly, significantly reducing manual effort. Attendance and marks are updated instantly, enabling administrators and parents to access accurate academic information with a single tap. Parents can track their ward’s performance in real time, while institutions gain a reliable, centralized view of academic data across programs, years, and sections. TeleBot combines ease of use with institutional-grade reliability.
How we built it
TeleBot was built using Python for the core bot logic and Google Sheets with Apps Script as an initial backend to rapidly prototype and validate real-world workflows. Telegram’s Bot API enabled a familiar, chat-first interface that required zero training for teachers. This approach allowed us to test real-time data updates, role-based interactions, and ERP workflows efficiently, while preparing the system for a future database-driven architecture.
Challenges we ran into
Designing an ERP system that remains simple for teachers while supporting complex academic structures was a major challenge. Managing institutions, programs, years, sections, subjects, and roles within a conversational interface required multiple iterations. Ensuring real-time accuracy and consistency using spreadsheets instead of a traditional database also demanded careful validation and error handling.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We built an academic ERP system that teachers can use instantly without onboarding or training. TeleBot successfully reduces teacher workload, improves data accuracy, and provides real-time academic visibility to parents and administrators. The project demonstrates that enterprise-grade systems can be intuitive, fast, and accessible when designed around user behavior.
What we learned
We learned that simplicity drives adoption, especially in educational environments. When tools match existing habits, usage increases and data quality improves. Real-time access builds transparency and trust between institutions, teachers, and parents. We also learned the importance of validating workflows at small scale before expanding infrastructure.
What's next for TeleBot
The next phase involves migrating to a PostgreSQL backend and scaling TeleBot to support 5,000+ students across 3–4 educational institutions. We are preparing for WhatsApp integration, which requires a registered business account and company registration currently under process. Future plans include advanced analytics, role-based access control, complete audit logs, and a fully integrated academic ERP system designed for scale.
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