The Create Contact and Update Contact automation actions for Intercom in SmartSuite allow you to automatically add or update contacts in Intercom based on workflow triggers.
If you're new to automations, check out our guides on creating an automation and managing automations for more details.
Plan Availability | All plan types |
Permissions | Solution Managers, Solution Creators and Workspace Administrators |
Related Reading |
What is an Action?
An automation action is a task executed when predefined conditions are met:
When something happens (the Trigger) and these conditions are met, then this event (the Action) occurs.
For Intercom, this means automatically adding new contacts or updating existing ones based on your workflow needs.
Setting Up the Automation
Prerequisites
To use Intercom automation, ensure you have:
An active Intercom account.
Solution Manager or Administrator permissions in SmartSuite.
Note: To learn more about permissions, visit our roles and permissions guide.
Accessing Automations
To access automation settings:
Click on Automations in the Solution drop-down menu.
Open the Solution Automations dialog.
Click Add Automation to create a new automation.
Configuring the Intercom Action
Step 1: Choose a Trigger
A trigger determines when the automation runs. Examples include:
When a Record is Created: Creates a new contact in Intercom when a record is added in SmartSuite.
When a Record is Updated: Updates a contact in Intercom when a field is modified in SmartSuite.
Step 2: Select an Intercom Action
After selecting a trigger, navigate to the Integrations section.
Choose Intercom from the action list.
Select either:
Create Contact – Adds a new contact to Intercom.
Update Contact – Modifies an existing contact in Intercom.
Adding a Contact in Intercom
Step 1: Connect Your Intercom Account
Click Connect to authorize SmartSuite with Intercom.
If prompted, log in to your Intercom account.
Accept the permission request.
Once connected, close the dialog window.
Note: You can disconnect your Intercom account at any time by clicking Disconnect in the settings.
Step 2: Configure the Contact Details
Role (Required) – Choose either User or Lead.
Email (Required) – Enter the contact’s email.
Optional Fields:
Avatar – Upload an avatar image.
Name – Enter the contact’s full name.
Phone – Add a phone number.
Use static values or dynamically map fields from the triggering record.
Click Save Automation to apply changes.
Tip: You will be prompted to activate the automation. Select Yes, switch it on to enable it immediately.
Updating a Contact in Intercom
Step 1: Find the Contact to Update
To update an existing contact, specify a search condition based on:
Email
Name
Phone
Role
Step 2: Configure the Update Fields
Select Choose Field to specify which fields to update.
Define the new values using static data or mapped values from the triggering record.
Click Save Automation to finalize the setup.
Practical Use Cases and Scenarios
1. Automatically Adding New Customers
Scenario: A company wants to automatically add new customers to Intercom when they sign up through SmartSuite.
Solution: Set up a When a Record is Created trigger to add new users to Intercom as contacts.
2. Keeping Contact Information Up to Date
Scenario: A support team needs updated user details in Intercom whenever a SmartSuite record is modified.
Solution: Use the When a Record is Updated trigger to update Intercom contact details dynamically.
3. Lead Management and Follow-Up
Scenario: A sales team wants to ensure that new SmartSuite leads are immediately added to Intercom.
Solution: Configure an automation to create a Lead contact in Intercom whenever a new lead record is added.