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— Guide — Intercom setup

How to connect Intercom to Slack.

Intercom connects to Slack in two different directions, and they solve different problems. One turns a Slack channel into a support channel your customers write in. The other posts alerts about Intercom activity into a channel your team watches. You can run both — just not in the same channel.

— Before you start — What you need

Two accounts, two sets of permissions.

The connection is authorised once at the workspace level, then configured per channel. Whoever does it needs rights on both sides.

  • Intercom access to Settings → Channels — a teammate role that can change workspace settings.
  • Permission to install and authorise apps in the Slack workspace you are connecting.
  • The Slack channels you plan to use, already created. Private channels also need the Intercom app invited into them.
  • Note that the old standalone "Intercom app for Slack" is deprecated — if that is what your workspace still uses, the steps below are the replacement.
— Option 1 — Customers write in Slack

Turn a Slack channel into an Intercom conversation source.

Use this when you support customers or partners in a shared Slack channel and want those messages handled in the Inbox like any other conversation, rather than scrolling back through Slack.

  1. 01

    Open the Slack channel settings

    In Intercom, go to Settings → Channels → Slack.

  2. 02

    Authenticate your Slack workspace

    Authorise the connection to the Slack workspace you want to use. You can connect more than one workspace to the same Intercom helpdesk if you need to.

  3. 03

    Add the channels you want to connect

    Select Add channels, search for the channel, tick its checkbox, then confirm with Add channels. For a private channel, invite the Intercom app into it in Slack first or it will not appear in the list.

  4. 04

    Check the connection from the settings page

    Once authenticated, the workspace and its connected channels are listed under Settings → Channels → Slack. Workspace-level and channel-level settings are both reached from there.

  5. 05

    Reply from the Intercom Inbox

    A message in a connected channel now creates a conversation in the Inbox, marked with a Slack icon so you can see where it came from. You and Fin reply from Intercom as normal, and the reply posts back into Slack under the teammate name and avatar.

— Option 2 — Intercom posts into your channel

Send Intercom activity to an internal channel.

Use this when nobody outside the team should be in the channel and you just want to know that something happened — a VIP got in touch, a ticket is going stale, a conversation turned negative.

  1. 01

    Connect the workspace first

    Notifications reuse the same connection as option 1, so start at Settings → Channels → Slack and authenticate the workspace if you have not already.

  2. 02

    Add the notification channel

    Open the ··· menu beside the connected workspace and use the Add channels tab to add the channel you want notifications in. Set its purpose to Post Slack notifications only.

  3. 03

    Build the Workflow that fires the alert

    In Workflows, set the entry rules that should trigger an alert, then add the Notify in Slack action and pick the channel. Anything you can match on in a Workflow can drive a notification.

  4. 04

    Test it with a real conversation

    Create a conversation that matches your entry rules and confirm the message lands. Nothing posts until a conversation or ticket actually matches, so an untriggered Workflow looks identical to a broken one.

— Choosing — Two directions, one connection

Which one do you actually want?

The two options run over the same authenticated workspace but do opposite things. Option 1 brings messages into Intercom: a customer types in Slack, you answer in the Inbox. Option 2 pushes activity out of Intercom: something happens in a conversation, a note appears in your team channel.

A single channel cannot do both. Conversational Slack and notification channels are mutually exclusive, so pick a purpose per channel — a shared customer channel for option 1, an internal one for option 2.

Neither option reports on support quality. Conversation ratings, per-agent numbers and weekly summaries stay in Intercom's reports, which is the gap the Intercom Slack integration below fills.

Pick by question

  • Do customers need to write to us in Slack? → Option 1
  • Do we need to know when something needs attention? → Option 2
  • Do we want CSAT ratings, agent scores and weekly reports in Slack? → Neither — see below
— Troubleshooting — When nothing shows up

The connection is fine and still nothing arrives.

The channel is missing from the list

Private channels do not appear until the Intercom app has been invited into them in Slack. Invite it, then reopen Settings → Channels → Slack.

The channel is already doing the other job

A channel set up for conversations cannot also receive notifications, and the reverse is true too. Check the channel purpose before assuming the Workflow is broken.

The Workflow never matched anything

Notify in Slack only fires when a conversation or ticket meets the entry rules. Loosen the rules temporarily to prove the wiring works, then tighten them again.

You are still on the old Slack app

The standalone Intercom app for Slack is deprecated. If your workspace still relies on it, move to the native connection under Settings → Channels → Slack.

— Next — The part neither option covers

Connected is not the same as visible.

Both native options move conversations around. Neither one tells you how support is going. Supportman posts every Intercom CSAT rating into Slack the moment it lands, sends Friday team and per-agent reports, and scores closed conversations for quality — in the channels your team already has open.

See the Intercom Slack integration
— FAQ — Connect Intercom to Slack

Common questions.

How do I connect Intercom to Slack?
Go to Settings → Channels → Slack in Intercom and authenticate your Slack workspace. Then use Add channels to pick the channels you want. The same connection powers both customer-facing Slack channels and internal Workflow notifications.
Can I connect more than one Slack workspace to Intercom?
Yes. More than one Slack workspace can be connected to the same Intercom helpdesk, and each appears separately under Settings → Channels → Slack with its own channel list.
Can one Slack channel do both conversations and notifications?
No. Conversational Slack and notification channels are mutually exclusive — a single channel is one or the other. Use a shared channel for customer conversations and a separate internal channel for notifications.
Why is my private Slack channel missing from the list?
The Intercom app has to be invited into a private channel in Slack before the channel becomes selectable in Intercom. Invite it, then reopen Settings → Channels → Slack.
Is the old Intercom app for Slack still supported?
No — the standalone Intercom app for Slack is deprecated. The native connection under Settings → Channels → Slack replaces it.
Does connecting Slack send CSAT ratings to Slack?
No. Neither native option reports on support quality — conversation ratings, per-agent numbers and weekly summaries stay inside Intercom reports. Supportman adds that layer, posting each rating into Slack as it lands along with weekly team and agent reports.

Sources

Supportman is an independent product — not made by or affiliated with Intercom. Intercom changes its settings layout from time to time; if a menu has moved, the linked articles above are the source of truth.