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Intercom Automation

Automate Intercom customer messaging, support workflows, user engagement, and product tours

10 minutes
By communitySource
#intercom#customer-support#messaging#engagement#automation

Your support team answers the same 10 questions 50 times a day, your onboarding messages are generic, and you manually tag conversations because the auto-rules never worked right. Intercom has powerful automation — nobody's configured it properly.

Who it's for: customer support leads automating repetitive ticket handling, product teams building in-app onboarding flows, growth teams setting up engagement campaigns, SaaS companies scaling support without hiring, CS managers wanting better conversation routing and tagging

Example

"Set up Intercom automation for our SaaS onboarding flow" → Automated workflows: welcome messages triggered by signup, product tour sequences based on user actions, support ticket routing by topic, and re-engagement campaigns for inactive users — all configured and ready to activate

CLAUDE.md Template

New here? 3-minute setup guide → | Already set up? Copy the template below.

# Intercom Automation

Comprehensive workflow for automating Intercom customer communication and support workflows.

## Core Workflows

### 1. Conversation Flow

```
CUSTOMER CONVERSATION FLOW:
┌─────────────────┐
│  User Message   │
│   (Inbound)     │
└────────┬────────┘
         ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│   Bot Triage    │
│  - Intent       │
│  - Route        │
└────────┬────────┘
         │
    ┌────┴────┐
    ▼         ▼
┌───────┐ ┌───────┐
│  Bot  │ │ Human │
│ Reply │ │ Agent │
└───┬───┘ └───┬───┘
    │         │
    └────┬────┘
         ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│   Resolution    │
│  - Close        │
│  - Follow-up    │
└─────────────────┘
```

### 2. Automation Rules

```yaml
automations:
  - name: welcome_new_users
    trigger:
      event: user.created
      conditions:
        - signed_up_at: within_last_hour
    action:
      send_message:
        type: chat
        delay: 5_minutes
        message: |
          Hey {{first_name}}! 👋
          
          Welcome to {{company_name}}! I'm here to help you 
          get started. What brings you here today?
        buttons:
          - "Explore features"
          - "I have a question"
          - "Just looking around"
          
  - name: trial_expiring
    trigger:
      event: user.attribute_changed
      attribute: trial_days_remaining
      value: 3
    action:
      send_message:
        type: email
        template: trial_expiring
        
  - name: feature_announcement
    trigger:
      segment: power_users
      event: feature_released
    action:
      send_message:
        type: in_app
        message: "🎉 New Feature: {{feature_name}}"
```

## User Segmentation

### Segment Definitions

```yaml
segments:
  - name: trial_users
    filter:
      subscription_status: trial
      
  - name: power_users
    filter:
      sessions_count: "> 50"
      last_seen: "< 7 days"
      features_used: "> 5"
      
  - name: at_risk_users
    filter:
      subscription_status: active
      last_seen: "> 30 days"
      
  - name: enterprise_prospects
    filter:
      company_size: "> 100"
      plan: free
      
  - name: feature_requesters
    filter:
      tag: feature_request
      conversations_count: "> 0"
```

### Dynamic Attributes

```yaml
custom_attributes:
  - name: health_score
    type: number
    compute: |
      (sessions_last_30_days * 2) +
      (features_used * 3) +
      (team_members_active * 5)
      
  - name: lifecycle_stage
    type: string
    rules:
      - condition: signed_up_at < 7_days
        value: "onboarding"
      - condition: subscription_status == "trial"
        value: "trial"
      - condition: subscription_status == "active"
        value: "customer"
      - condition: subscription_status == "cancelled"
        value: "churned"
        
  - name: account_tier
    type: string
    source: company.plan
```

## Messaging Campaigns

### Onboarding Series

```yaml
onboarding_campaign:
  name: "New User Onboarding"
  audience: 
    segment: new_signups
    
  messages:
    - day: 0
      channel: in_app
      content: |
        Welcome to {{company}}! 🎉
        
        Let me show you around. Click below to take a 
        quick 2-minute tour.
      cta: "Start Tour"
      
    - day: 1
      channel: email
      subject: "Quick tip: {{feature_1}}"
      content: |
        Hi {{first_name}},
        
        Did you know you can {{feature_1_benefit}}?
        
        Here's how: {{feature_1_tutorial_link}}
        
    - day: 3
      channel: in_app
      trigger: 
        not_completed: "setup_wizard"
      content: |
        Hey {{first_name}}, I noticed you haven't 
        finished setting up. Need any help?
        
    - day: 7
      channel: email
      subject: "How's it going?"
      content: |
        Hi {{first_name}},
        
        You've been using {{company}} for a week now.
        
        Any questions or feedback? Just reply to this email!
```

### Product Tours

```yaml
product_tours:
  - name: "Welcome Tour"
    trigger:
      event: first_login
    steps:
      - element: "#dashboard"
        title: "Your Dashboard"
        body: "This is where you'll see your key metrics"
        position: bottom
        
      - element: "#create-button"
        title: "Create New"
        body: "Click here to create your first project"
        position: left
        
      - element: "#help-menu"
        title: "Need Help?"
        body: "Find docs and contact support here"
        position: bottom
        
  - name: "Feature Tour: Reports"
    trigger:
      event: page_viewed
      url: "/reports"
      first_time: true
    steps:
      - element: "#date-picker"
        title: "Date Range"
        body: "Select your reporting period"
```

## Support Workflows

### Conversation Routing

```yaml
routing_rules:
  - name: vip_priority
    conditions:
      - company.plan: enterprise
    actions:
      - set_priority: urgent
      - assign_team: enterprise_support
      - send_notification: slack_vip
      
  - name: billing_issues
    conditions:
      - message_contains: ["billing", "charge", "invoice", "refund"]
    actions:
      - add_tag: billing
      - assign_team: billing_support
      
  - name: technical_support
    conditions:
      - message_contains: ["error", "bug", "not working", "broken"]
    actions:
      - add_tag: technical
      - assign_team: tech_support
      - create_ticket: jira
```

### Bot Responses

```yaml
bot_responses:
  - intent: greeting
    patterns: ["hi", "hello", "hey"]
    response: |
      Hi there! 👋 How can I help you today?
      
  - intent: pricing
    patterns: ["pricing", "cost", "how much", "plans"]
    response: |
      Great question! Here's our pricing:
      
      • **Starter**: $29/mo
      • **Growth**: $79/mo
      • **Enterprise**: Custom
      
      Would you like me to connect you with sales?
    buttons:
      - "Yes, talk to sales"
      - "See full comparison"
      
  - intent: password_reset
    patterns: ["forgot password", "reset password", "can't login"]
    response: |
      No problem! You can reset your password here:
      {{password_reset_link}}
      
      The link will expire in 24 hours.
    auto_close: true
```

## Analytics & Reporting

### Conversation Metrics

```
SUPPORT METRICS - THIS WEEK
═══════════════════════════════════════

Conversations:
New:          234 (+12%)
Closed:       256 (+8%)
Open:         45

Response Times:
First Reply:  2.3 min (target: 5 min) ✓
Median:       8 min
Resolution:   2.4 hours

CSAT Score:   4.7/5 ⭐ (+0.2)

BY CHANNEL:
Chat      ████████████░░░░ 156
Email     ██████░░░░░░░░░░ 58
In-App    ████░░░░░░░░░░░░ 20

TOP TOPICS:
┌────────────────────┬───────┐
│ Topic              │ Count │
├────────────────────┼───────┤
│ Billing questions  │ 45    │
│ Feature requests   │ 38    │
│ Bug reports        │ 32    │
│ How-to questions   │ 28    │
└────────────────────┴───────┘
```

### Engagement Dashboard

```yaml
engagement_metrics:
  - name: message_open_rate
    formula: opened / sent * 100
    target: 40%
    
  - name: click_through_rate
    formula: clicked / opened * 100
    target: 10%
    
  - name: tour_completion_rate
    formula: completed / started * 100
    target: 60%
    
  - name: bot_resolution_rate
    formula: resolved_by_bot / total * 100
    target: 30%
```

## Integration Workflows

### CRM Sync

```yaml
crm_integration:
  salesforce:
    sync_fields:
      - intercom: company.name
        salesforce: Account.Name
      - intercom: user.email
        salesforce: Contact.Email
      - intercom: custom.mrr
        salesforce: Account.MRR__c
        
    events:
      - trigger: conversation_closed
        action: log_activity
        type: "Support Interaction"
        
      - trigger: user.tag_added
        tag: "sales_qualified"
        action: create_lead
```

### Slack Integration

```yaml
slack_integration:
  notifications:
    - trigger: new_conversation
      channel: "#support-inbox"
      conditions:
        - priority: urgent
      message: "🚨 Urgent: {{user.name}} needs help"
      
    - trigger: conversation_assigned
      notify: assignee_dm
      message: "New conversation assigned to you"
      
  commands:
    /intercom:
      - lookup_user
      - send_message
      - add_tag
```

## API Examples

### Create or Update User

```javascript
// Create/Update User
const user = await intercom.users.create({
  user_id: "12345",
  email: "user@example.com",
  name: "John Doe",
  signed_up_at: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000),
  custom_attributes: {
    plan: "pro",
    team_size: 10,
    onboarding_complete: true
  }
});

// Send Message
await intercom.messages.create({
  message_type: "inapp",
  body: "Hey! New feature alert 🎉",
  from: {
    type: "admin",
    id: "admin_id"
  },
  to: {
    type: "user",
    user_id: "12345"
  }
});

// Search Conversations
const conversations = await intercom.conversations.search({
  query: {
    field: "state",
    operator: "=",
    value: "open"
  }
});
```

## Best Practices

1. **Personalize Messages**: Use user attributes
2. **Time Appropriately**: Consider user timezone
3. **Don't Over-Message**: Respect frequency limits
4. **Bot + Human**: Know when to escalate
5. **Track Everything**: Measure message effectiveness
6. **Segment Thoughtfully**: Target the right users
7. **A/B Test**: Optimize message content
8. **Quick Resolution**: Minimize response time
README.md

What This Does

Comprehensive workflow for automating Intercom customer communication and support workflows.


Quick Start

Step 1: Create a Project Folder

mkdir -p ~/Documents/IntercomAutomation

Step 2: Download the Template

Click Download above, then:

mv ~/Downloads/CLAUDE.md ~/Documents/IntercomAutomation/

Step 3: Start Working

cd ~/Documents/IntercomAutomation
claude

Best Practices

  1. Personalize Messages: Use user attributes
  2. Time Appropriately: Consider user timezone
  3. Don't Over-Message: Respect frequency limits
  4. Bot + Human: Know when to escalate
  5. Track Everything: Measure message effectiveness
  6. Segment Thoughtfully: Target the right users
  7. A/B Test: Optimize message content
  8. Quick Resolution: Minimize response time

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