Use this article to make outbound phone and Messenger calls from the Inbox, add participants for conference calls, transfer calls to workflows, and configure post-call CSAT surveys per phone line using Intercom Phone.
Phone calls let you contact a customer on their saved number, while Messenger voice and video calls allow you to connect with customers directly through the Messenger, and enable screen sharing.
Note:
After you've set up Intercom Phone, teammates can make calls. Access to specific call routing options and features may vary depending on your plan and teammate permissions — for example, teammates on the Essential plan can only be assigned to workspace (all available teammates) rather than a specific team.
Intercom Phone is not supported in the Intercom Conversations mobile app or Mobile SDK app. Phone calls can only be answered or made from the web-based Intercom inbox.
How to make outbound calls from the Inbox
How to use the outbound dialer
Click on the Create new icon at the top of the inbox navigation menu and then select Phone call.
When the outbound dialer/dialpad opens, the country will be set to the phone line selected to call from. Use the dropdowns to select another line or country dialing code. Then you can either use the dialer keypad or your keyboard to enter a number to call. Note: there is no standalone dial pad for making calls independent of a contact — outbound calls must be made to a user or lead with a phone number saved to their profile.
Note: Outbound numbers must be entered in full E.164 format (e.g. +441234567890).
E.164 numbers start with a +, followed by the country code (1–3 digits) and the national number — up to 15 digits in total.
Using local dialing patterns or invalid country codes will cause calls to fail.
You can also switch to Contacts to search for an existing contact (by name or phone number).
This only displays results of existing contacts with a phone number. When you make an outbound call it creates a new conversation with the contact.
If the phone number dialed matches the phone number of an existing contact, a conversation with the matching user is created.
If the phone number dialed doesn’t match the phone number of an existing contact, a conversation with a new lead is created.
Tip: You can add notes to the conversation while the call is ongoing.
An option to open the keypad during the call is available while on an active call (both inbound and outbound calls).
Note:
When you begin an outbound call, you’ll hear a short “chirp,” followed by ringing as the call connects to the customer.
If the call is answered, music plays on the teammate’s end while the “this message is being recorded” message plays for the customer.
Once the message ends, the teammate and customer are connected.
If the call goes to voicemail, the teammate hears a short tone and can leave a message after the beep.
If the customer you're calling also has an active inbound call queued in your workspace, their phone device may merge the two calls at the carrier level. This can cause the voicemail from the queued inbound call to play into your live outbound conversation. To avoid this, end the queued inbound call before placing the outbound call.
How to make a call from a conversation
To make a call from a conversation, simply select the phone icon in the top right, then choose Phone call.
Note:
The number shown comes from the phone number saved to the user or lead’s profile in Contacts.
If no phone number is saved, the option to make a phone call will be unavailable and grayed out.
If the conversation is taking place via mobile, the Messenger call options will be grayed out as Messenger calls are not supported on mobile.
If you’ve activated and set up multiple phone numbers on your workspace, you can also select which number you’d like to make the call from.
See pricing for outbound phone calls.
How to call from a contact
You can make an outbound phone call directly from the Contacts page by selecting the phone icon next to a contact who has an existing phone number. This will open the dialer in the Inbox with their phone number ready to call.
Note: It isn't possible to make a call from a user profile page, you need to make a call to them from the Contacts list.
How to schedule a call
Outbound calling from the Inbox also enables your team to schedule calls with our calendar integrations like Calendly or Google Calendar and keep the whole conversation in one place.
How to pin a default outbound number
To save time, you can pin a number so the dialler always starts with the correct line.
Open the phone dialler.
Hover over your preferred number in the dropdown.
Click the Pin icon.
Note: If you don't pin a personal number, the dialler will use the workspace default set by your admin, or the first number alphabetically. Admins can configure a workspace-wide default in Connect your phone channel. To set the outbound number used for callbacks, see When a customer calls. Team-level defaults are not supported — only workspace-wide and individual teammate defaults are available.
Tip: To control which number customers see when you call them, set up a custom caller ID on your phone line. Go to Settings > Channels > Phone > Caller ID to add and verify a business number, then connect it to your phone line. See Connect your phone channel for setup steps.
How to make Messenger calls and use screen sharing
Messenger calls are web-based voice or video calls that are perfect for connecting to customers while they’re active in the Messenger (i.e. during a live chat). These calls utilize VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology, which allows voice communication to be transmitted over the internet rather than traditional phone lines.
To make a Messenger call from the Inbox, ensure the conversation is in the Messenger and the customer is online. Then click the phone icon in the top right and select from Messenger voice or video call.
Note:
Only teammates can initiate Messenger calls.
Messenger calls currently work on web, not mobile devices or mobile SDKs. If the customer is on a mobile device, the option to start a Messenger call with them will be grayed out.
Find information on Messenger call pricing.
Messenger voice call will initiate the call with only audio for the teammate and customer. Video can be turned on later if needed.
Messenger video call will initiate the call with audio and video for the teammate. The customer can turn on their video later if needed.
Use the call controls to start or stop video, adjust the video screen size, mute, or end call.
You’ll only see the customer on your screen if they enable video for the call on their end too.
What the customer experiences on a Messenger call
When a teammate makes a Messenger call, the customer will receive a message in the Messenger to join the call.
Customers joining a Messenger call need to accept browser microphone/camera permission.
If recordings and transcripts are enabled, when a customer joins the call there’s a red indicator next to the time which indicates that the call is being recorded.
Note: If your customer is using a browser in Private or Incognito mode, the process will fail. The customer will need to use a regular browsing window.
How to use screen sharing
Once the customer has joined the call, they can share their current screen, window, or tab with the teammate using the screen icon in the call controls.
This will present their screen to the teammate in the inbox.
Note: The ability to screen share is only available on the customers end in the Messenger, it is not possible for teammates to screen share.
How traditional phone calls work
Customers can also make or receive traditional phone calls to the phone numbers activated on your workspace.
The table below shows the two directions for traditional phone calls in Intercom Phone — a customer calling your workspace number (inbound) and your workspace calling the customer (outbound).
Customer calling your workspace phone number (inbound call to Intercom). | Customer receiving a call from your workspace phone number (outbound call from Intercom). |
How to make a conference call
You can create 3-way calls from your inbox. Both the ability to add other teammates and external phone numbers are supported.
Click the ellipsis icon in the Phone calling modal and select Add participant.
Select a saved contact from the list, or switch to the dial pad to enter a new external phone number.
The modal initiates a call to the new participant. When they join, it updates to show all active participants on the call.
If the participant rejects the call, you hear a brief message that the call was not accepted.
Important: The End the call button (or Hang up button) for an outbound call is only available once the call has been connected (customer answers) or has terminated automatically (e.g., customer declined or reached voicemail). You cannot cancel an outbound call while it is in the ringing/dialing phase.
How to transfer outbound calls
Teammates can transfer an active outbound call to another teammate, an external phone number, or a workflow.
On outbound calls, we support two transfer types:
Transfer to an external phone number
Transfer to a workflow
Note: Direct transfers to another teammate are not available on outbound calls. Teammate-to-teammate transfers require an incoming call object that outbound calls do not have. If you need to route an outbound call to a teammate, use the Transfer to a workflow option instead.
How to transfer outbound calls to a workflow
You can transfer an outbound call to a reusable workflow to apply automated actions like queuing, routing, or inbox assignment during a live call.
How it works:
During an active outbound call, click Transfer
Select Transfer to workflow
Choose a live phone reusable workflow
Confirm the transfer
Once transferred, the workflow takes control of the call and runs its configured steps.
Important:
Only live reusable workflows configured for the Phone channel are available.
When an outbound call is transferred to a workflow, the transferring teammate is automatically removed from the call.
Common use cases for outbound call transfers
Mid-call misroute correction: If an agent realises the caller is in the wrong queue, they can transfer to the correct workflow — for example, a Billing Queue Workflow — so the customer is routed to the right specialist without being dropped.
Priority handling: When a Tier 1 agent identifies a key account customer, they can transfer to an Escalation Workflow that routes the caller through a prioritised path (e.g. Tier 1 Team → Manager → Executive) until an appropriate senior resource answers.
Availability-based fallback: A teammate transfers a call late in the day. An After-Hours Workflow checks whether the target team is still online and, if not, automatically routes the call to voicemail or offers a callback instead of leaving the caller in an empty queue.
Long queue deflection: If queue times are long after a transfer, the workflow can detect this and offer the customer a callback option rather than forcing them to wait.
Important: When a call is transferred to a reusable workflow, the system follows this sequence:
The initial workflow is paused.
The reusable workflow executes.
The initial workflow resumes.
If the reusable workflow is not configured to hand over control gracefully, or if there are conflicting steps between the initial and reusable workflows, this can cause:
Accidental disconnection — the customer's call leg may be inadvertently dropped.
Unexpected behaviour — unnecessary steps may execute on resumption.
Always ensure your reusable workflow concludes with a clear terminal step (e.g. route to a team queue, send to voicemail, or request a callback) and does not contain a 'Hang up' action unless intentional.
How to set up CSAT for outbound calls
You can collect customer satisfaction (CSAT) ratings at the end of answered outbound calls. After the call ends, the customer hears a prompt and submits a rating from 1–5 using their keypad — the same experience as inbound calls. CSAT can be configured at the workspace level as a default for all lines, and overridden per phone number so each line can opt in or out independently.
How to enable CSAT for outbound calls
How to set the workspace default
The workspace-level toggle sets the default CSAT behavior for all outbound lines that haven't been individually configured.
Go to Settings > Channels > Phone, click the pen icon.
Find CSAT for outbound calls and enable or disable it.
Optionally configure a custom CSAT message — the prompt the customer hears after the call ends.
How to configure CSAT per phone number
Each phone number can override the workspace default with its own CSAT toggle. Once a number's toggle is changed manually, it holds that setting independently and no longer follows the workspace default.
Go to Settings > Phone and select a phone number.
In the Outbound calls section, find the Outbound CSAT toggle and enable or disable it for this line.
Optionally enter a custom CSAT message — the prompt the customer hears. Leave blank to use the workspace default message.
Optionally select a Spoken language for text-to-speech. Leave blank to use the workspace default language.
Click Save changes to apply your settings.
Note: New numbers inherit the workspace outbound CSAT setting by default. Once you manually change a number's toggle, it holds that value independently — even if you later update the workspace setting, that number won't be affected. Existing numbers are unaffected until their toggle is manually updated.
Tip: If you run separate lines for different purposes — for example, sales and support — you can enable CSAT on your sales line without prompting customers on your support line.
How CSAT for outbound calls works
After an answered outbound call ends, the customer hears the configured prompt.
The customer presses 1–5 on their keypad to submit a rating.
The rating is saved at the call level and attributed to the teammate who made the call.
Ratings are visible in Call Details and included in existing CSAT reporting.
Note: CSAT is only collected for answered outbound calls. Calls that go unanswered or to voicemail will not prompt a rating.
How to troubleshoot outbound CSAT
The table below covers common outbound CSAT issues on Intercom Phone. Find the symptom that matches your situation and follow the recommended fix.
Symptom | Resolution |
CSAT didn't play on a line | Verify the line's CSAT toggle resolves to on, and that the outbound call's from-number matches that line. |
Wrong message or language played | Check the per-line message and language fields. Blank fields fall back to workspace defaults — update them directly on the number. |
Line is enabled but plays a generic prompt | Expected behavior: if the workspace outbound CSAT is off and the line has no per-line message set, the system default prompt plays. Set a custom message on the line to control what the customer hears. |
Number not following a workspace default change | The number was previously toggled manually and now holds its own explicit value — it no longer inherits from the workspace default. Update the toggle directly on that number. |
CSAT skipped entirely | Voicemail and answering machine calls skip CSAT by design. Confirm the call reached a human before investigating further. |
Important: The most common source of confusion is the inheritance model. If a line's CSAT toggle was ever set manually, it holds that value permanently — changes to the workspace default won't affect it. Always update the number's own toggle directly if you need to change its behavior.
Next, learn how to take calls from the Inbox. 😃
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