Connect Intercom conversations and knowledge

Updated Wednesday, October 28, 2026 · Marc Staine

Connect an authorized Intercom workspace, configure initial Case routing and optional published Help Center knowledge, and verify the actual conversation handoff. Current Core has creation-label and closure limitations described below; the saved settings alone do not prove the intended runtime outcome.

Applies to: Supportbench Core. Location: Settings → Integrations → Intercom. Access and available controls depend on your role and account capabilities.

Before you begin

Confirm integration-edit permission and access to the intended Intercom workspace. Use the native Connect Intercom authorization flow; customers do not need to create a new provider app or share an access token.
Record the current workspace, Division, Priority, fallback Queue and creation choice before changing them. Use approved test conversations and harmless test contact details.
Review the current assignment/close label mismatch and auto-close limitation below. Decide who will verify actual Case creation and own Case completion.
Save or cancel pending edits before Verify connection, reconnecting or disconnecting. These actions operate on the connection, not an unsaved routing draft.

Configure and verify

Open Settings → Integrations → Intercom and inspect the connection status.
If disconnected, choose Connect Intercom, authorize the intended workspace, then verify its identity on return.
Choose the permitted Division, Priority and monitored fallback Queue. Review the current creation-choice mapping before selecting the desired behavior.
Set the contact-email requirement and optional Help Center knowledge source. Do not rely on the saved auto-close switch to finish Case work.
Save with the settings toolbar, inspect the result and reopen the form to verify the saved values.
Use Verify connection to check the saved installation. Run an approved conversation through the actual creation event, then inspect the Case identity, contact, Division, Queue, owner and update history.
Inspect the linked Case after later conversation events, including closure. Record actual status and handle completion through the authorized Case process.

Settings reference

Connection and operating controls

Setting	What it controls	How to choose
Connect Intercom	Starts provider authorization for the intended workspace. On return, the page displays connection status and a workspace name or masked ID.	Use the correct provider account and workspace. Review the requested access in Intercom; do not copy credentials into support records.
Verify connection	Checks the saved installation when a connection exists.	A successful connection check does not prove event delivery, email eligibility, assignment or Case closure. Verify a complete test conversation.
Division	Initial Case Division where the control is available. Division context can be locked or restrict the available choices.	Choose the support scope that can handle the work and verify representative agent access.
Priority	Initial integration priority.	Use the supported value matching the triage policy; inspect the final Case after other processing.
Queue	Fallback Queue when an Intercom assignee is not matched to an active Supportbench agent.	Choose a monitored Queue with an assignment process. It is not a guarantee that every Case remains there.
Create a Case	The page offers Never, start, assignment and close choices. Assignment and close labels are inverted relative to current Core processing.	Use the mapping below and an approved test. Do not select a milestone based on the visible wording alone.
Require a contact email before creating a Case	Keeps a conversation lacking the required usable contact email in Intercom without creating its Supportbench Case.	Ensure the conversation process collects the necessary identity. Check subsequent eligible events rather than assuming historical conversations replay immediately.
Close the Supportbench Case when Intercom closes	Displayed and saved, but not consumed by the current Core conversation processor to close Cases.	Keep explicit Case completion responsibility. Existing-conversation updates can set the Case back to Open.
Use Intercom Help Center for AI answers	Uses matching published provider articles in supported AI retrieval.	Verify current source content and actual answers. Draft articles are not the intended source; empty provider results do not block all other knowledge sources.
Disconnect Intercom	Removes the local saved connection and workspace mapping.	Review ongoing support work first. This does not uninstall or revoke the provider app in Intercom; provider-side removal is separate.

Current creation-choice mapping

Setting	What it controls	How to choose
Never	No creation milestone selected. Existing linked conversations can still update.	Use only when no automatic new-Case creation matches the intended process.
When the conversation starts	Conversation-created events start creation.	Verify contact eligibility and final routing.
When the conversation is assigned	Current processing starts creation on conversation-closed events.	This differs from the visible label. Review with the integration owner and verify the actual event before relying on it.
When the conversation closes	Current processing starts creation on conversation-assigned events.	This differs from the visible label. Do not assume chat completion is the creation trigger for this selection.

Behavior to know

Current creation and closure behavior is documented from Core processing, not inferred from the setting label. No production configuration is changed by following this reference as a read-only review.
Settings render after installation; locked Division choices reflect context/access.
Disconnecting locally does not uninstall the provider app. Preserve any required existing Case follow-up when changing the integration.

Recommended use

Treat the assignment/close mismatch as a current product limitation requiring verification, not a recommended workflow design. If conversation-start creation or no creation fits the business process, those choices avoid the label ambiguity.
Define a named receiving owner or monitored Queue. Integration configuration does not eliminate the need for a human handoff and service-deadline check.
Keep an explicit Case closure procedure until the runtime behavior is changed and verified. A closed Intercom conversation can still have unresolved technical obligations in Supportbench.
Maintain the provider knowledge source with the same review discipline as Supportbench articles and test representative AI questions after changes.

Worked example

For an approved test, use conversation-start creation, require a contact email and select a monitored fallback Queue.
Start a harmless conversation and confirm the expected Case and customer identity.
Send a follow-up and inspect the linked Case update. Close the test conversation and check the actual Case status without assuming automatic closure.
Record the receiving owner and complete the Case through the intended support process.

Troubleshooting

Problem	What to check
No Case appears despite a valid connection	Check the actual configured creation event, contact email, workspace and conversation identity. A connection check does not test the complete handoff.
Assignment and close timing seem reversed	They are reversed relative to the current visible labels. Compare the mapping above and verify an approved example; report the discrepancy to the integration owner.
The Case stays open or reopens after Intercom closes	The current processor does not consume the saved auto-close setting and its update path can set the linked Case Open. Inspect the Case and complete remaining work explicitly.
The assignee did not become the Case owner	Check active-agent matching and fallback Queue, then inspect other assignment/workflow processing.
The provider app remains after Disconnect Intercom	Local removal and provider-side uninstall are separate actions.
Help Center content does not appear in an answer	Check the saved option, article publication/relevance and the actual answer sources.

Integrations → Use the data synchronization log
Organization → Configure agent roles and division access

For additional setup and usage context, see these related guides:

Intercom

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