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Install and set up Switch
Install and set up Switch

Learn how to set up Switch and move phone conversations to Messenger.

Beth-Ann Sher avatar
Written by Beth-Ann Sher
Updated over a week ago

Using Switch, you can move customers from phone to chat conversations and reduce hold times, offering a better customer experience in a space where your team can handle volume more efficiently.

To set up Switch, navigate to Settings > Switch. Under the “Installation guide” you’ll find two ways to integrate Switch with your phone system:

  1. Install via Call Forwarding - This is quick to set up, requires no coding or API integration and every phone system supports call forwarding.

  2. Install via API - If your phone system has the option to call an HTTP API, you can use this more robust option to pass data from your phone system and create multiple rules or bots in Intercom based on this information.

Install via Call Forwarding

Request a phone number

First, you’ll need to request a phone number to forward calls from your existing phone system to Intercom Messenger. Your forwarding phone number will automatically generate when you select “Request phone number”.

Note: This number will be a US forwarding number which is not visible to your customers, it's only used in the background for forwarding calls to.

Important: There’s no charge to request this number but some phone systems may charge for forwarding a call to an external number, particularly if the number is international. Check with your phone plan and provider.

Test your phone number

Call the forwarding number to experience the conversation switch. You will hear the pre-recorded thank you message, receive an SMS and find the conversation created in your Intercom Help Desk.

Update your phone system

You will need to create an option to forward to your new forwarding number in your IVR editor.

Here’s an example of how this looks in Aircall. Your IVR might look a little different, but it will follow a similar process:

Go to your IVR editor and add an IVR option to forward to an external number.

Then copy and paste in the forwarding number you received from Intercom.

Important: You must send the original caller’s ID when you forward the call. This is so the SMS can be sent to your Help Desk.

Test this integration

Implement Switch as a silent option in your phone system by simply adding the IVR option to forward the call, without adding an audible message to the IVR menu description. This will let your team test the forwarding option in your phone system by dialling your chosen key number to switch to Messenger, but your customers won’t hear a prompt to switch.

Set it live for customers

Once you’re happy with the experience, add an audible message to the IVR editor so callers know switching to chat is an option.

Here are a few example scripts you can adapt to your business brand and voice:

  • "Thank you for calling us. All our agents are busy at the moment. You can remain on hold, or you can switch to our online messenger by pressing 1", or

  • "If you'd like to switch to chat to avoid waiting on hold, please press 2".

Add a thank you message

You have the option to add a thank you message for opting to switch to the messenger.

Just go to step 4 and upload an mp3. 👇

If you have any questions during the installation process, check out these Switch FAQs for advice.


Install via API

Get a Switch API token

To integrate Switch via API, select “Install via API”. Your Switch API token will be available for you to copy and use when adding an option to your phone system.

Then make an HTTP POST request. You can include any custom variables you’d like in this call following the format below. These will either match existing user CDAs in Intercom or create new CDAs.

Important: When making the request, make sure your customer’s phone number is formatted using E.164 standards.

Tip: Pass data collected by your phone system (i.e. name, location, company) to Intercom and create multiple workflows based on information collected. You can set this up as part of the API call as a key <> value pairing. For example, if the caller pressed 1 to talk to support then switched, you could route based on the fact they already selected 1 on the phone.

Test this integration

Make a call to your API token from your phone system to experience the conversation switch. You will receive an SMS when you switch to chat and find the conversation created in your Intercom Help Desk.

Important: The call to the API token must include the original caller’s ID. This is so the SMS can be sent to your Intercom Help Desk.

Tip: We recommend implementing Switch as a silent option in your phone system first so your team can test the full experience before you set it live. To do this, simply add an option into your phone system without any audible messages.

How do I set it live for customers?

Once you’re happy with the experience, add your audible message to introduce the new option for customers to switch to chat, then add your thank you / goodbye message.

Here are a few example scripts for "Switch to chat messages" to help get you started:

  • "Thank you for calling us. All our agents are busy at the moment. You can remain on hold, or you can switch to our online messenger by pressing 1", or

  • "If you'd like to switch to chat to avoid waiting on hold, please press 2".

Here's an example script for a "Goodbye message" you can customize to fit your brand:

  • "Thank you for choosing to switch to messaging. We have sent you an SMS with a link to our online messenger. Please click that link to continue. Goodbye for now".

If you have any questions during the installation process, check out these Switch FAQs for advice.


💡Tip

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