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Are the hooks available, to develop an app that can respond to chat messages?

  • 29 August 2022
  • 5 replies
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A

We have a system that provides interactive demos and walkthroughs, and would like to be able to enhance our rep's ability to suggest them as admins from within Intercom. Is the table set in such a way that we can make this happen?

 

Example Use Case:

  • An agent is on chat with a customer that wants help with single sign on
  • The agent clicks a button, searches SSO, and our hit appears
  • The agent clicks on this hit, and it is injected into the conversation (ideally, we have the ability to inject meta info and images as well!)
  • The customer sees a nice image and link as a result of the agent's injection of content

 

Thank you!

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Best answer by Milan 30 August 2022, 17:23

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Milan
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Userlevel 4
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This sounds like a Saved Replies (Macros), the very basic Intercom feature.

 

Check this article:

https://intercom.help/blackbell/en/articles/2064837-shorten-your-response-times-with-saved-replies

 

No need for any custom development or webhooks to be used.

Intercom certified partner | Sovaolo.com
A

Hi Milan!

 

This is oversimplifying the use case a little bit. Rather than ask our clients to create macros each time they update their knowledgebase, we'd like to leverage something like a text search (kind of how Articles works), or give them the chance to search dynamically.

 

More importantly, in the size of org that uses our app, the author teams are completely segregated from the business and support teams - we'd want for the simple act of authoring to allow for a kind of 'search' that doesn't require the creation of templates.

 

In short, what we're hopeful to do - is that the act of connecting the app as an integration allows the Intercom administrator to get live suggestions (preferable, like Articles) if the app can act as a suggestion provider interface, or, simplest case a "search" if for example adding an app can add a searchable control to the conversation flow.

 

Thanks!

Alex

Milan
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@alex l16​, now I'm not sure that I fully understand the use case. When you say "ask our clients to create macros each time they update their knowledgebase" - who are the clients?

 

Are you referring to Agents working inside the Intercom? If so, do you want to have an app within Intercom Inbox, that will sit on the side and based on the selected conversation make some suggestions (+ allow search) and then on click on offered choices to input that content into the conversation?

 

Or did I misunderstand it completely?

 

 

Intercom certified partner | Sovaolo.com
A

@user382​ Thanks for continuing the conversation!

 

We are a SaaS with a system that can provide dynamic recommendations. Our SaaS targets the FI space, and provides a system that lets admins create demos, walkthroughs, simulators, and problem-specific guides that are interactive. Consider for example, that as one of our licensed users, you could create a demo on how to log into your personal banking portal with your bank's mobile application.

 

These banks in turn, also have websites, and possibly Intercom.

 

For that intersection of our users that use Intercom and LemonadeLXP, we'd like to put their LemonadeLXP content at their fingertips within the scope of an Intercom conversation. The happy path would be:

 

* Admin authors a demo in LemonadeLXP

* Admin installs an Intercom LemonadeLXP app into their Intercom admin area

* The admin is then able to tap into their LemonadeLXP content within the flow of an Intercom conversation

 

Ideally, I'd like to understand if there exists the hooks/structure to allow an integration/app to act as a content/search provider within a conversation (as Articles does, with auto suggestions) or if there's another "intended" means to bring external content into Intercom conversations via Integration.

 

Thanks!

 

 

Milan
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Userlevel 4
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OK, I have a better understanding now.

 

Intercom does provide webhooks that you can "listen" and then react (instead of constantly asking through Intercom API).

 

Also Intercom provides a framework (Canvas Kit) for creating Intercom apps that can be embedded into the chat:

  • in the conversation like you mention - this is called Messenger app - similar to how Intercom Articles can be embedded into a conversation, event the search function works;

-or-

  • as an Inbox app, that can be "installed" on the right panel in inbox.

 

For Webhooks start from here

https://www.intercom.com/help/en/articles/305-webhooks

https://developers.intercom.com/building-apps/docs/setting-up-webhooks/p>

https://developers.intercom.com/intercom-api-reference/reference/webhooks/p>

 

And for creating an Intercom app and using Intercom API read this:

https://www.intercom.com/help/en/articles/308-get-started-building-on-intercom/p>

https://developers.intercom.com/building-apps/docs

 

So, from what I understand you would be using the Webhooks to "listen" the Intercom messages and based on the content you could trigger the message back (using Intercom API) with an LemonadeLXP Intercom app (that you would build using Intercom Canvas Kit and that is installed in your client's Intercom workspace) that will appear with suggested content and/or with a search function.

 

I'm just not sure you can send apps in the conversation using Intercom API. That's something that seems not supported. To do so perhaps you might want to set up something else - a Custom bot that chats with an end user and at certain point (where needed) it triggers the app you built and installed on that Intercom workspace and that is embedded in that bot conversation.

 

I hope this helped. Sorry if I misunderstood something - perhaps we can have a live chat about this and maybe I have some examples to show you that can spark your further thoughts about this 🙂

Intercom certified partner | Sovaolo.com

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