We've created this 'Getting started' guide to help you set up your Intercom experience, and then build on the basics! There are lots of ways to support your customers in Intercom (but you don't need to cover them all right away to get started):

Inbox to answer customer queries
Articles for scaling self-serve support
Product Tours for guiding your customers to success

We also cover automating actions with:
Task Bots, Resolution Bot and Custom Bots

Note: Are you creating a new workspace? We have a guide for that too!
Take a look here.

1. Upload avatar (Total time: 2 minutes)

Uploading a happy, smiley avatar lets your users know that there's a real person at the other end of the Messenger.

You'll need:
A happy, smiley photograph

2. Update notification preferences (Total time: 2 minutes)
Get notified about the things that matter to you in the ways that suit you best.

You'll need:
Nothing!

3. Create user tags (Total time: 5 + minutes)
Group users together by applying tags directly from the Inbox or Platform. You can tag users based on activity in a conversation, like highlighting a bug so product teams can review, or by their status, like their role in a company.

You'll need:
Inbox (to apply tags here)
A clear idea of what tags you need to create
People data in Intercom

4. Review previous Inbox conversations (Total time: 5 + minutes)
Get up to speed with previous conversations so you have the context you need to resolve customer issues, on-brand, every time. You can also use these conversations to monitor trends or review a user's conversation history.

You'll need:
Inbox
Previous conversations in the Inbox

5. Create macros (Total time: 5 + minutes)
Build a library of macros to common questions so you can speed up response times.

You'll need:
Inbox
Articles
A list of desired replies
Copy for each reply

6. Manage team inboxes (Total time: 2 minutes)
Customize the visibility of inboxes in your workspace so you can access the inboxes that matter to you fast.

You'll need:
Team inboxes and/or teammates in Intercom

7. Customize your Inbox with Apps (Total time: 2 + minutes )
Create a customized Inbox that connects all the tools you use to resolve conversations. Get more context on your conversations and take action with Inbox apps.

You'll need:
Inbox

1. Write articles (Total time: 10 + minutes)

Write help content for your users to answer a question, help them complete tasks and share best practice tips so they get the most out of your product or service. 

You'll need:
Articles
An idea of what articles you'd like to write
Article copy and its' structure

2. Create collections (Total time: 5 + minutes)
Group your articles together in collections so users can find articles relating to a specific topic, or question.

You'll need:
Articles

3. Turn on your Help Center (Total time: 10 + minutes)
Make sure users can find your Help content by making your Help Center public.

You'll need:
Articles
Help Center URL
Custom Help Center domain

4. Create Answers for Resolution Bot (Total time: 5 + minutes)
Write answers to the common questions your users ask so Resolution Bot can resolve these queries for you. Allowing you to focus on more complicated issues.

You'll need:
Resolution Bot
An idea of your most common questions
Answer copy and its' structure

5. Train Resolution Bot (Total time: 10 + minutes)
Train Resolution Bot to recognize your most common questions and their variations, so it learns which questions to trigger your answer for.

You'll need:
Resolution Bot
Previous conversation volume in Intercom

6. Create a Custom Bot from new conversations (Total time: 10 + minutes)
Gather information upfront and route conversations to the correct team with Custom Bots from new conversations. Helping you get to the root of the issue from the very beginning.

You'll need:
Custom Bots
Permissions to send messages to more than one person and both Automation permissions.
An overview of the Custom Bot paths you'd like to create
Bot message copy

7. Create Product Tours (Total time: 10 + minutes)
Create interactive, multi-step tours to show users how to resolve their issue with Product Tours.

You'll need:
Product Tours
An idea of the tour you'd like to create
Tour copy and its' structure

🎉 Congratulations! Your Intercom workspace is set up and you're now ready to provide world-class support at scale

Have a little more time?
Here's just a small collection of some of our favorite support-related articles from our colleagues at Intercom

PREACH: A Customer Support Framework for Setting the Perfect Tone

Customer follow-up: The art of delightful customer service

The 10 knowledge base best practices you should implement right now | Inside Intercom