The fastest way to get Fin Voice live and integrated with your existing phone system is by using PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) call forwarding. This method works universally with any telephony provider and is the recommended entry point for pilots and early deployments.
What is Fin Voice?
Fin Voice is Intercom’s AI Agent for phone support. It answers calls instantly, resolves questions using your help content, and can seamlessly hand off the call to a human teammate with full context when needed.
Fin Voice is designed to integrate with any existing telephony provider, allowing you to keep your current phone system while adding powerful AI-powered support.
How the integration works
This setup uses standard PSTN forwarding to route incoming calls from your telephony provider to a dedicated Intercom number for Fin Voice. It does not require SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), which is why it is universally supported.
Why we recommend PSTN for trials
PSTN forwarding is the recommended entry point for pilots and early-stage deployments for two main reasons:
It is the fastest way to get customers live.
It is universally supported by every platform and requires minimal setup.
Setting up the Fin Voice call flow
Prerequisites
To set up this integration, you'll need the following:
Requirement | Description |
Intercom workspace | Fin Voice must be enabled and hosted in the US, EU, or AU region. |
Intercom admin access | Permissions are required to set up and manage Fin Voice. |
Knowledge base | Fin needs access to rich, up-to-date support content. |
Zoom admin access | Permissions to manage the Phone System and Auto Receptionists in the Zoom web portal. |
Zoom phone numbers | An active Main Support Line (assigned to an Auto Receptionist) and a separate Escalation Line. |
Optional: IVR workflow with HTTP request capability | Required only if you want to use the Fin Voice API to pass summaries, transcripts, and intent to your agents. Your provider must support making HTTP requests from an IVR or call routing workflows. |
1. Test Fin Voice
You can simulate calls in-browser using the Voice testing tab before involving any real customers.
Go to Fin AI Agent > Deploy > Phone > Voice testing.
Click Test.
Wait for Fin to greet you, and then begin speaking normally. Allow your browser access to your microphone if prompted.
Tip: This test allows you to hear Fin answer using your own support content, switch voices, and preview greetings and escalation rules exactly as callers would hear them.
2. Create a Fin Voice line
When you're ready to set up a live phone line, you'll purchase a number from Intercom that your provider will forward calls to.
Navigate to Fin AI Agent > Deploy > Phone > Set Fin Live.
Click New line.
Select External provider and hit Next.
Give the line a name (e.g., "Fin Voice").
Under 'Where will you forward calls from?', select From a phone number (PSTN), then choose Next.
Select Purchase to acquire a US local phone number provided through Intercom Phone.
Note: When calls are forwarded over PSTN, Intercom Phone usage charges apply. These charges include a monthly fee for the US local number, and inbound/outbound per-minute charges. These are separate from Fin Voice's per-resolution pricing.
3. Configure Fin’s behavior
You can customize how Fin operates before integrating with your telephony provider.
Open the line you just created in Fin AI Agent > Deploy > Phone > Set Fin Live.
Review and adjust these optional settings:
Office hours: Choose when Fin should answer calls (defaults to 24/7).
Voice, language, and greetings: Select Fin's voice, language, and customize the greeting.
Audiences: Restrict which support content Fin can use by targeting specific callers or phone numbers.
Guidance: Set rules for Fin's communication style and when it should escalate.
Category Detection: Enable AI-based topic classification for routing or reporting.
CSAT: Enable keypad ratings (1–5) for resolved calls.
Enable recordings and transcripts
To review customer interactions and see how Fin handled each call, enable recordings and transcripts.
Enable the toggles for recordings, transcripts, and call summary.
Note: This is a global setting for all Phone calls. It's not possible to only enable recordings or transcripts for some calls.
4. Forwarding Zoom Calls to Fin Voice
Sign in to the Zoom web portal as an admin.
Navigate to Phone System Management > Auto Receptionists.
Select the Main Support Line you want to use for Fin Voice.
Under the Business Hours (or Closed Hours) section, click Edit next to Route to.
Change the routing destination to Phone Number.
Enter your Intercom Fin Voice number (include the "+" and country code).
Check the box to acknowledge billing usage for PSTN forwarding and click Save.
Note: Ensure that "Require to press 1 before connecting the call" is unlocked/disabled in Zoom. If enabled, Fin Voice may not be able to "pick up" the forwarded call correctly.
5. Configure escalation back to Zoom
If Fin cannot resolve the issue, it needs to send the caller back to your human agents in Zoom.
In Intercom, navigate to Fin AI Agent > Deploy > Phone > Set Fin Live.
Under the section If Fin can’t resolve the conversation, select Forward the call.
Enter your Zoom Escalation Line number (the number that routes directly to your human agents).
Enable Close the conversation when the call is forwarded and click Save.
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