How do I Connect Intercom to a Chatbot?

You can connect Intercom to a chatbot either by using Intercom’s own AI agents or by wiring an external bot like CustomGPT.ai through Zapier and/or APIs. With CustomGPT.ai, you create an agent, link it via Zapier’s Intercom templates, then test and refine the flow. 

Scope:
Last updated: December 2025. Applies globally; ensure chatbot use complies with GDPR, CCPA/CPRA and any newer local privacy laws governing customer data collection, processing and cross-border transfers.

What are my options for connecting Intercom to a chatbot?

Intercom is a customer service platform that combines messaging, a help desk, and AI agents to support customers across channels. When you say “connect Intercom to a chatbot,” you usually mean one of three patterns:

1. Use Intercom’s own AI chatbot (Fin) and workflows
   • Let Intercom’s AI and workflows answer questions based on your Intercom “Knowledge” content and escalate to humans.
2. Connect Intercom to an external GPT-style chatbot via API/webhooks
   • Intercom webhooks and APIs can send conversation events to your own backend or chatbot, then push replies back into Intercom.
3. Use CustomGPT.ai as your chatbot and integrate it with Intercom
   • CustomGPT.ai lets you create a private AI agent on your data.
   • You can then deploy it into Intercom using a documented Zapier-based Intercom deployment flow.

What you need before connecting Intercom to any chatbot

Before you touch integrations, make sure a few basics are in place.

1. An Intercom workspace with the right permissions
   You’ll need an Intercom workspace where you can manage apps, webhooks, and workflows (usually admin or similar access). Intercom’s help center and “Apps & Integrations” articles assume you’re working from that kind of workspace.
2. A knowledge base or support content for the bot
   Intercom’s “Knowledge” system powers agents, AI agents, and self-serve support. For a good chatbot experience (inside or outside Intercom), you should have up-to-date help articles, FAQs, and docs—whether they live in Intercom, on your site, or elsewhere.
3. A chatbot platform that supports APIs or integrations
   The chatbot platform (e.g., CustomGPT.ai) needs to accept messages via an API or integration hub, and send structured responses back. CustomGPT.ai provides web deployment, a Zapier app, and APIs suitable for integrations like Intercom.
4. Decisions about privacy and escalation
   Decide what the chatbot can see (e.g., public help content vs internal docs), what it’s allowed to answer, and when it must hand off to a human. Intercom’s CSAT and chatbot reporting make it easy to compare bot vs human performance, so it’s worth deciding this up front.

How to do it with CustomGPT.ai

This section walks through a concrete, documented way to connect Intercom to a CustomGPT.ai chatbot using Zapier and, optionally, the API.

Step 1 — Create and configure your CustomGPT.ai agent

1. Create your CustomGPT.ai account and agent
   Go to the CustomGPT.ai docs “Welcome” / “Create New Account” flow and sign up if you haven’t already. The onboarding guide walks you through creating your first agent in the dashboard.
2. Load your support content
   Add the content you want the chatbot to use: help articles, docs, FAQs, PDFs, and (if appropriate) public Intercom help content. The overview docs explain how CustomGPT.ai indexes your data to power accurate, source-cited answers.
3. Tune behavior and guardrails
   In your agent settings, configure tone, languages, and any constraints (e.g., always cite sources, avoid certain topics). The general docs outline the options available for customizing an agent.

Step 2 — Connect CustomGPT.ai to Intercom with Zapier

CustomGPT.ai has a documented Zapier integration that exposes actions like Create Conversation and Send Message. The Intercom deployment guide uses a two-Zap pattern:

1. Zap 1 — Map new Intercom conversations to CustomGPT.ai conversations
   • Trigger: New conversation in Intercom.
   • Actions:
     • Capture Intercom conversation details.
     • Create a new CustomGPT conversation.
     • Store the mapping between the Intercom Conversation ID and the CustomGPT conversation ID so Zap 2 can find it later.
2. Zap 2 — Send messages between Intercom and CustomGPT.ai
   • Trigger: New message or update in the mapped Intercom conversation.
   • Actions (as documented):
     • Look up the CustomGPT conversation using the stored mapping.
     • Use the “Send Message” action to send the user’s message to CustomGPT.ai.
     • Take the AI’s response and send it back into the Intercom conversation as a message, so the customer sees the answer inside the Intercom Messenger.
3. Authorize Intercom and CustomGPT.ai in Zapier
   While setting up these Zaps, Zapier will prompt you to connect your Intercom workspace and CustomGPT.ai account using their respective apps. The CustomGPT Zapier docs show how to connect the app and select supported actions like Create Conversation and Send Message.

Step 3 — Test, refine, and add API-based customizations

1. Test the end-to-end flow
   Start a new conversation in Intercom and check that:
   • Zap 1 creates a CustomGPT conversation and stores the mapping.
   • Zap 2 picks up new messages, sends them to CustomGPT.ai, and posts replies back into Intercom.
2. Refine content and routing
   If responses are off, refine your CustomGPT.ai sources or change escalation rules in Intercom so that complex tickets go to humans. Intercom’s CSAT reporting helps you compare satisfaction across AI agents and other channels.
3. Use the CustomGPT.ai API for advanced flows (optional)
   For more customized behavior (e.g., using your own middleware instead of Zapier), you can call the CustomGPT.ai REST API. The API use cases and quickstart docs describe how to send messages to an agent and integrate with tools like n8n or Make.Keep claims conservative: these docs show examples of using the API to add CustomGPT into tools like Intercom, but you’ll still need to design your own logic.

Example — SaaS support team using Intercom + CustomGPT.ai

Imagine a B2B SaaS startup that already uses Intercom for all support and wants to reduce basic question volume without losing quality.

1. They train a CustomGPT.ai agent on their docs
   The team loads their product docs, onboarding guides, and public help content into a CustomGPT.ai agent, following the standard “create agent” and content ingestion flow.
2. They deploy the agent into Intercom with the two-Zap pattern
   Using the Intercom deployment guide, they set up Zap 1 to create a CustomGPT conversation whenever a new Intercom conversation starts, and Zap 2 to relay messages between Intercom and CustomGPT.
3. They let the bot handle common questions first
   When a new conversation comes in, the bot answers straightforward questions (pricing, basic setup, password reset instructions) based on the indexed content. If the question is ambiguous or sensitive, agents can still jump in from the Intercom inbox.
4. They measure performance using Intercom CSAT and reporting
   They enable Intercom’s chatbot CSAT and overall CSAT reporting to track satisfaction for conversations the bot touches versus those handled by humans. Over time, they tune knowledge and escalation rules to improve scores.
5. They iterate on content and flows
   When they see recurring “I didn’t get what I needed” comments, they update docs in Intercom Knowledge and other sources. Because both Intercom and CustomGPT.ai rely on consistent, high-quality content, small improvements often help both human and AI support.

Conclusion

Connecting Intercom to automation isn’t just a technical choice—it’s a strategic balance between fast, AI-led answers and human-led trust. customgpt.ai resolves that tradeoff by letting you deploy a deeply trained, source-aware AI agent directly into Intercom while keeping humans in the loop for complex or sensitive cases. If you’re ready to turn Intercom into a smarter, AI-augmented support hub, get started connecting Intercom to a CustomGPT.ai chatbot today.

FAQ’s

How do I connect Intercom to a CustomGPT.ai chatbot using Zapier?

To connect Intercom to a CustomGPT.ai chatbot with Zapier, first create and configure your CustomGPT.ai agent on your support content. Then follow the documented two-Zap pattern: one Zap maps new Intercom conversations to CustomGPT.ai conversations, and a second Zap relays messages between Intercom and CustomGPT.ai. Once both Zaps are tested end-to-end, your customers can chat with the AI directly inside Intercom while agents stay in the loop.

Can I connect my Intercom chatbot to CustomGPT.ai using APIs instead of Zapier?

Yes, you can connect an Intercom chatbot to CustomGPT.ai using the CustomGPT.ai REST API instead of Zapier. In this setup, Intercom webhooks send conversation events to your middleware, which then calls the CustomGPT.ai API and posts responses back into Intercom. This approach is more technical but gives you greater control over routing, logging, and custom logic than a pure no-code Zapier integration.