Intercom Agent SOP

Your responsibility: Handle assigned conversations, keep notes and statuses accurate, complete follow-ups, and hand off unfinished work. Pick up shared queue items only within your team’s assignment process.

When: At shift start, throughout the shift, and before logout. Use the same workflow across teams; follow each team’s approved SLA, callback, closure, and escalation rules.

Before starting: Confirm your team inbox, access, working hours, and Team Lead contact. If a control is disabled or ownership is unclear, send the lead the conversation link and the action needed.

INTERCOM INBOX - NAVIGATION MAP

1 CHOOSE A VIEW:  Inbox / Search | Your assigned work | Unassigned | Team inboxes

Agents: Start with your assigned work

2. FILTER AND SORT

Open / Snoozed / Closed | Sort by activity or snooze time

3. OPEN A CONVERSATION

Read messages, notes, owner, and next action. Upper-right controls: Snooze (moon) / Close

4. USE THE COMPOSER AND ACTIONS

Reply = customer message | Note = internal update

Actions (four-square icon) > Assign to > Team, then teammate

Go to: Sign in to the correct Intercom workspace > Inbox.

1. Select your assigned inbox and confirm the team you are supporting. Read urgent or due items first.

2. Open one conversation. Read its history before replying, assigning, snoozing or closing.

3. Use pages 2-4 for the detailed instructions. Complete each “Check before moving on” before starting another item.

Check before moving on: You are working the correct team’s conversations and know who to contact if blocked.

Status rule: Open = action is due now. Snoozed = a valid wait with an owner and reminder. Closed = resolved or an approved no-action closure. A team’s custom Pending view/status is not automatically a snooze reminder.

Go to: Intercom > Inbox > the relevant team inbox.

1. Confirm the workspace and the team you are scheduled to support. Remove unrelated search filters so they do not hide work.

2. Use the state control at the top of the conversation list to select Open. Review your assigned inbox and the team queue you are authorized to work.

3. Check Unassigned as well. Read the contact details and message to identify the team; do not rely only on the queue name. Prioritize urgent and SLA-risk items, then older actionable requests.

Check before moving on: The team is correct, and your view includes the work you need to review. A zero Unassigned count does not prove every team item has an agent owner.

Go to: Open a conversation > Actions (four-square icon below the composer) > Assign to.

1. Read the latest customer message and internal notes. Confirm which team owns the issue.

2. Select the correct team inbox first, then select yourself or the available teammate authorized to handle it. Changing the team can clear the teammate assignment, so verify both afterward.

3. For a transfer, add an internal note with the reason and next action using A3. If the destination is in a different workspace or cannot be selected, ask the lead to arrange the approved transfer.

Check before moving on: The final team and teammate are correct. Unclear routing is escalated with the conversation link; the item is not closed to remove it from the queue

Go to: Open conversation > message composer > Note (switch from Reply).

1. Select Note before typing. Record the issue, action taken, outcome, next step, owner and follow-up date/time with timezone.

2. For help or handoff, @mention the receiving teammate or lead, then submit the note. Confirm it appears in the conversation as an internal note.

Check before moving on: The note explains what happens next. An @mention alone does not change the assigned owner; use A2 when reassignment is needed.

Internal note example

Issue: Customer needs a delivery update. Action: Checked the order and requested a carrier update. 

Next action: Review the carrier response and update the customer. Owner: Assigned agent. Due: [date, time, timezone].

Before you send

Use Reply for customer-facing messages and Note for internal updates. Check the mode before submitting. An @mention notifies a teammate but does not assign the conversation.

Go to: Inbox > Assigned or team queue > Open; use the sort menu or Inbox search.

1. Use the list’s sort options to bring older activity forward. Use Inbox search (magnifying glass) for a customer, assignee, or date range when investigating an item.

2. Read the latest customer message, previous response, and notes. Identify what is still outstanding and check the team SLA or promised follow-up time.

3. Complete the next action you are authorized to take. To contact the customer, switch the composer to Reply, verify the recipient and content, then send.

4. Record the outcome in a note. If action is due now, keep the item Open. If waiting with a valid follow-up, use A5. If resolved, use A6.

5. For overdue, blocked, or urgent work, add a note identifying the impact and help needed, @mention the lead, and flag it through the established escalation channel.

Check before moving on: No overdue or aged item is left without a next action. Age or customer silence alone is not a closure reason.

Go to: Inbox > relevant queue > state dropdown > Snoozed; also review any team Pending view.

1. Open each item due for review. Confirm what you are waiting for, who owns it, and the promised follow-up. Check for new replies before snoozing again.

2. If the wait is valid, add a note with the reason and next action. Update the customer when required by team process.

3. Click the moon icon at the upper right of the conversation. Select an appropriate duration or Custom date/time aligned with the team SLA and promise. Verify the timezone shown.

4. To review waiting work, return to Snoozed and sort by Snooze time where available. Follow up when due; do not repeatedly extend the timer without reviewing the case.

5. For a configured Pending ticket status, follow the team ticket workflow and retain an owner and due time. A Pending label alone is not evidence that a reminder has been scheduled.

Check before moving on: The waiting reason, owner and follow-up are recorded. Recheck the final status after notes or reassignment, because activity can reopen snoozed work.

Go to: Open conversation > Close button at the upper right.

1. Review the whole outstanding request. Confirm the issue is resolved or meets the team’s documented no-action/closure rule; verify no callback, promise or escalation remains open.

2. Send the appropriate customer update if required. Add a short internal resolution or closure reason and complete any required conversation fields.

3. Click Close. If a required-field message appears, complete the missing field and retry. Confirm the item’s state is Closed; find it through the Closed state filter if needed.

Check before moving on: The record supports the closure. If you closed it by mistake, locate it in Closed, use the available Reopen action and document the correction.

Go to: Team Inbox > call-related conversation (where phone support is used); open its Aircall record or authorized Aircall call history If needed.

1. Read the logged call details: caller, time, team number, call outcome, and any notes. Listen to available voicemail and check related conversations for an existing callback owner.

2. Determine whether a callback or other action is required under team rules. Assign it using A2 and record the callback deadline. Do not assume call logging or routing is identical across teams.

3. Make the required callback through the approved calling tool. Confirm the correct customer and team number before calling.

4. Return to Intercom and add a note with the attempt time, outcome, customer request, next action and owner. If unanswered, follow the team’s retry schedule and record the next attempt time.

5. Use A5 when legitimately waiting or A6 when fully complete. If a voicemail, recording or expected log is missing, flag the link/call details to the lead and retain follow-up ownership.

Check before moving on: A missed call has either a documented no-callback reason under team rules or an assigned follow-up.

Go to: Open the suspected item > read the history; use Inbox search for related conversations.

1. Verify that the item has no genuine outstanding request. For a duplicate, locate the active conversation and confirm it contains the issue and any new information.

2. Add an internal note explaining the no-action reason. For a duplicate, include the active conversation link and ensure its owner has the necessary context.

3. Apply the team’s approved spam/tagging action where configured, or close under the documented no-action rule. If the classification is unclear, ask the lead before closing.

4. Do not delete records as routine cleanup or bulk-close items based only on age, subject or call type. 

Check before moving on: The closure reason is visible, and any genuine request remains tracked in an active, owned conversation.

Go to: Inbox > your assigned conversations > Open and Snoozed; check the team Pending work where used.

1. Review unfinished replies, callbacks, follow-ups, and escalations. Complete work that can be resolved before logout.

2. For each remaining item, add a handoff note: current issue, completed actions, outstanding task, receiving owner, due date/time, and conversation link.

3. Use A2 to assign time-sensitive work to the agreed available owner and confirm receipt. If no one is available, contact the lead to arrange coverage before logging out.

4. Recheck the final team, owner, and status. Follow your team’s availability and logout procedure; an availability status change does not replace a documented handoff.

Check before moving on: Every unfinished item has coverage and a next step; no due action is left solely with an unavailable agent.

Handoff note template

Team | Conversation link | Issue/current status | Action and outcome | Next action | Receiving owner | Due date/time and timezone | Help needed