Connect to IntercomBuild a Refund Approval Workflow in Intercom
Refunds issued without approval create financial exposure, inconsistent customer experiences, and accounting headaches. Most teams handle refund requests informally — a Slack DM, a verbal okay, or a note in the conversation. That works until it does not.
The informal approach
- 1Agent encounters a refund request that exceeds their authority.
- 2Agent sends a Slack DM to the team lead asking for approval.
- 3Team lead responds when they see the message — which may be hours later.
- 4Agent issues the refund and notes it in Intercom.
The problem: Slack DMs for approvals create invisible audit trails. If the team lead is unavailable, the customer waits. If the agent is impatient, they proceed without approval.
With Supportman
Supportman replaces the informal Slack DM with a structured approval request, linked to the Intercom conversation and routable to any approver.
- Agent triggers an approval request from within Intercom.
- Supportman posts the request to a designated Slack channel with the conversation link.
- Approver approves or rejects in Slack; the decision is logged against the conversation.
Does Supportman actually process the refund after approval?
No — Supportman handles the approval workflow. The agent still executes the refund in whatever payment system you use (Stripe, etc.) after approval is granted.
Who can approve a refund request?
You define the approvers in Supportman settings. You can set up tiered approvals (e.g. under $100 requires team lead; over $100 requires manager).
Is there an audit trail of all approval decisions?
Yes — every approval request, decision, and approver is logged in Supportman's audit trail and linked to the originating Intercom conversation.