What it is
Intercom is a customer service platform that pairs an inbox, tickets and a help center with Fin, its AI agent, which answers from your documentation and is billed per outcome. Its Messenger embeds in websites and apps for chat, proactive messages and in-product support. It's especially strong with software companies and digital products.
How to use it
- Connect Fin to your help center and docs so it can answer on its own.
- Install the Messenger on your site or in your app with the iOS and Android SDKs.
- Send proactive messages to welcome users or announce updates.
- Route conversations to teams by topic, language or customer type.
- Use Copilot so agents can draft replies with full context.
What it's good for
- A payroll SaaS that resolves setup questions with Fin and leaves billing cases to the team.
- A fintech offering support inside its mobile app without sending users to another channel.
- An early-stage startup taking advantage of Intercom's startup discount program.
Pros
- Fin is billed per outcome (about US$0.99), not per conversation handled
- Messenger SDKs for web, iOS and Android
- Fin also works on top of other help desks like Zendesk or Salesforce
- Startup program with deep discounts and a free first year of Fin
Cons
- Seats plus per-outcome Fin charges make the bill hard to predict
- Advanced and Expert plans start around US$85 per seat per month
- Built for digital products; less geared to selling over WhatsApp
