How do we enable Intercom proactive messaging (Posts, Checklists, Product Tours, Series) and what does Proactive Support Plus ($99/mo) include?

Intercom’s proactive messaging toolkit—Posts, Checklists, Product Tours, and Series—is how you turn your Helpdesk and Messenger into a system that reaches out before customers get stuck, instead of waiting for them to raise a hand. Enabling these channels (and deciding whether you need the Proactive Support Plus add-on at $99/mo) comes down to two questions: which messages you want to send, and how advanced your targeting/automation needs to be.

Quick Answer: Intercom proactive messaging is powered by in-app and outbound messages (Posts, Checklists, Product Tours) orchestrated by Series. You enable it by choosing a plan with proactive messaging, installing the Messenger, and configuring your campaigns in the Outreach/Proactive section. Proactive Support Plus is a $99/mo add-on that unlocks more advanced proactive tools and higher usage limits for teams that want to run a scaled, always-on outbound strategy.

The Quick Overview

What It Is: A connected set of proactive support tools in Intercom—Posts, Checklists, Product Tours, and Series—that let you guide, educate, and re-engage users across your product and website.
Who It Is For: Support, success, and product teams that want to reduce inbound volume, improve activation, and resolve issues before they generate tickets.
Core Problem Solved: When you only respond reactively, support queues grow and customers quietly churn; proactive messaging closes gaps before they become conversations, and Proactive Support Plus gives you the scale and controls to do this systematically.

How It Works

Intercom proactive messaging runs on top of three core building blocks: your Messenger, your customer data, and your automation logic. Once you install the Messenger in your product and website, you can design targeted messages that trigger based on who a user is and what they’re doing, then orchestrate them in Series.

At a high level:

Connect and instrument your workspace
- Install the Intercom Messenger on your web app and/or website.
- Configure user identity and key events (sign-up, project created, payment failed, etc.).
- Confirm your plan or add-on includes proactive messaging and, if needed, Proactive Support Plus.
Create and target proactive messages
- Build Posts for one-off announcements, promotions, or education.
- Build Checklists to break complex workflows into guided steps.
- Build Product Tours to walk users through a new feature or onboarding flow.
- Define targeting rules (segments, events, and filters) so the right users see the right message.
Orchestrate, measure, and improve with Series
- Use Series to stitch multiple messages across channels into a single journey (e.g., in-app prompt → follow-up email → Fin-assisted reply in Messenger).
- Set entry rules, time delays, and exit conditions.
- Track completion, replies, and downstream support volume, then refine based on performance and AI Insights.

Features & Benefits Breakdown

Core Feature	What It Does	Primary Benefit
Posts	In-product or web messages that appear in the Messenger or as banners/cards to announce changes, educate, or nudge users in context.	Reach the right users inside your product at the right moment—so you prevent confusion and reduce inbound questions.
Checklists	Structured in-app lists that guide customers through multi-step tasks (e.g., onboarding, setup).	Turn complex workflows into clear, trackable steps—so more users activate successfully without needing 1:1 help.
Product Tours	Interactive, step-by-step guides that overlay your UI and show users exactly where to click and what to do.	Drive feature adoption and reduce “how do I do this?” questions—so your team handles fewer basic queries.
Series	Visual journey builder that sequences Posts, emails, Product Tours, and more across channels using rules and logic.	Run personalized, multi-step campaigns at scale—so support, success, and marketing stay coordinated.
Proactive Support Plus	Add-on that expands proactive messaging capacity and unlocks advanced orchestrations and usage.	Run always-on, high-volume proactive strategies—so you can materially reduce ticket volume, not just send a few campaigns.

How to Enable Intercom Proactive Messaging

The exact UI labels can vary slightly by plan and product bundle, but the operational steps are consistent. This is how I approach it when I roll Intercom into a new environment.

1. Confirm your plan and add-ons

In Intercom, go to Settings > Billing > Plans.
Check that your plan includes:
- Messenger/Inbox (for in-app/web conversations).
- Messages/Outbound or a Customer Service Suite tier with proactive messaging.
If you need higher limits or advanced proactive features, add Proactive Support Plus under the add-ons section.

Note: If you don’t see Posts, Checklists, Product Tours, or Series in your workspace navigation, you may be on a plan that doesn’t include them or requires the relevant add-on. You’ll need an admin with the “Can manage general and security settings” permission to change plans.

2. Install and configure the Intercom Messenger

Proactive messaging depends on the Messenger being live in your product or on your site.

Go to Settings > Channels > Messenger > Install.
Follow the installation instructions for your stack:
- Web app: Add the JavaScript snippet to your app shell/layout.
- Single-page app: Ensure you call Intercom('update') on route changes so targeting based on URL works consistently.
(Recommended) Implement identity verification / JWTs so that proactive messages are tied to the correct logged-in user, not just a browser.

If you rely on cookie consent, you can boot Messenger after consent:

window.intercomSettings = { app_id: 'YOUR_APP_ID', disabled: true };

// After user accepts cookies:
Intercom('boot', { app_id: 'YOUR_APP_ID', disabled: false });

Important: Without Messenger installed and “live”, in-app Posts, Checklists, and Product Tours won’t be visible to users—even if you’ve built them.

3. Set up your customer data for precise targeting

You’ll get the best proactive outcomes when you can target based on real product behavior.

Send standard user attributes:
- email, name, created_at
- Plan, lifecycle stage (trial, paid, churn risk), and any success-critical flags.
Track key events (via your API or client SDK), such as:
- project_created, team_member_invited, billing_setup_completed, integration_connected
Define segments in Intercom:
- Go to Contacts > Segments and create segments like:
  - “New trial users (0–7 days, project_count = 0)”
  - “Power users (login_count > 20 AND created_at > 90 days)”
  - “Customers with failed payments”

These segments become the backbone of your proactive messaging rules, especially in Series.

4. Create Posts

Navigate to Outbound / Proactive > Posts (naming can vary slightly).
Click New Post.
Choose your layout (banner, card, full message) and channel (in-app, website).
Configure:
- Audience: e.g., “Segment: New trial users” or filters like “Plan = Starter AND last_seen < 7 days ago”.
- Where: URLs or parts of the product where the Post should appear.
- When: Immediately on page load, after X seconds, or after an event.
Write the content:
- Keep it clear and action-based (e.g., “Create your first project in under 2 minutes”).
- Add buttons that open a Product Tour, a Help Center article, or start a Messenger conversation with Fin or your team.
Set scheduling (start/end dates) and frequency (e.g., show once per user).

Operator tip: Always check how Posts interact with Fin and Messenger. For onboarding flows, I set Posts to show first and let Fin handle any follow-up questions via the Messenger so humans only see escalations.

5. Create Checklists

Go to Outbound / Proactive > Checklists.
Click New Checklist.
Define the goal: e.g., “Get fully set up in 4 steps”.
Add steps:
- Each step should map to a real action (connect integration, import data, invite teammates).
- Use deep links into your product, Product Tours, or Help Center articles.
Set the audience to users who meet your onboarding criteria (e.g., “Account age < 14 days” AND “setup_complete = false”).
Choose the display location in your app where users will see the checklist (dashboard, settings, etc.).

Note: Checklists are particularly powerful when combined with Series—Series can enroll a user into an onboarding journey, while Checklists make the progress visible inside the product.

6. Build Product Tours

Go to Outbound / Proactive > Product Tours.
Click Create Product Tour and install the browser extension if prompted.
Walk through your product and add steps:
- Tooltips, hotspots, and click targets on the exact elements users must interact with.
- Clear instructional copy, one action per step.
Configure:
- Audience: Usually the same segment as your checklist or a subset (e.g., “Has not completed event project_created”).
- Trigger: From a Post button, a Checklist step, or automatically on first visit to a specific page.
Test with a staging user account before launching to production.

Important: Treat Product Tours like code—they’re tightly coupled to your UI. When you ship UI changes, review and update Tours to avoid broken steps.

7. Orchestrate with Series

Posts, Checklists, and Product Tours are powerful alone; Series is where you convert them into a systematic proactive support program.

Go to Outbound / Proactive > Series.
Click New Series and choose a template (e.g., onboarding, re-engagement) or start from scratch.
Define the entry criteria:
- Example: “Contact enters when created_at < 1 day AND plan = trial”.
Add steps on the canvas:
- In-app Post: Introduce the product and link to a Product Tour.
- Delay: Wait 1–2 days.
- Rule: “Has event project_created?”.
  - Yes → Branch to success path (less messaging).
  - No → Show another Post or Checklist, or send an email.
- Exit when the user completes key actions or after a time limit.
Enable the Series and monitor:
- Entry/exit counts, steps completion, click-throughs.
- Downstream metrics like Fin’s resolution rate and conversation volume from users in the Series.

Operator tip: I treat Series as production systems—define clear success metrics (e.g., “Reduce first-week ‘how do I get started’ questions by 30%”) and review performance weekly. Use AI Insights to see which topics still create tickets, then add or refine messages accordingly.

Ideal Use Cases

Best for product-led onboarding: Because Posts, Checklists, Product Tours, and Series together create a guided experience that gets new users to value fast—so support teams see fewer “I’m lost” conversations.
Best for reducing repetitive support volume: Because you can target proactive education at the exact moments where confusion usually appears (e.g., billing changes, permission issues) and let Fin handle follow-ups—so humans focus on genuinely complex issues.

Limitations & Considerations

Plan and usage limits: Access to Posts, Checklists, Product Tours, Series, and their usage thresholds depends on your Intercom plan and add-ons. If you run high-volume campaigns without Proactive Support Plus, you may hit caps or lack advanced orchestration options.
Maintenance overhead: Product Tours and Checklists can drift out of date when your UI or workflows change. Build a review cadence (e.g., monthly, or tied to release cycles) to keep guidance accurate and avoid confusing users.

Note: Proactive messaging is powerful, but overuse can feel spammy. Use behavior-based targeting and caps (e.g., max X messages per week per user) to keep experiences helpful.

Pricing & Plans

Intercom’s proactive messaging capabilities sit on top of your base plan and can be extended with add-ons.

Core plans: Include the Messenger, Inbox, and varying levels of outbound/proactive messaging depending on tier.
Proactive Support Plus add-on ($99/mo): Designed for teams that want to run a high-intent, scaled proactive strategy rather than a few isolated campaigns. It increases your proactive capacity and unlocks additional capabilities oriented around proactive support.

While public documentation doesn’t list every SKU detail, in practice I see teams approach it like this:

Use your core plan’s built-in Posts, Checklists, Product Tours, and Series to validate your initial strategy (onboarding, key lifecycle campaigns).
Add Proactive Support Plus when:
- You’re hitting or are close to usage limits for proactive messaging.
- You’re running multiple, always-on Series across lifecycle stages, SKUs, or regions.
- You want proactive support to be a first-class lever in reducing support load and boosting activation.

Which plan should you choose?

Base plan with standard proactive tools: Best for smaller teams or those just getting started with Intercom and wanting to build a few high-impact onboarding and announcement flows.
Base plan + Proactive Support Plus ($99/mo): Best for growing or enterprise teams that need to scale proactive strategies, run multiple Series in parallel, and materially reduce inbound queues through outbound education and guided product experiences.

Important: For exact inclusions and current pricing, check Settings > Billing > Plans in your workspace or Intercom’s pricing page, as packaging can evolve.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do we need Proactive Support Plus to use Posts, Checklists, Product Tours, and Series?

Short Answer: No, you can use these tools on eligible core plans without Proactive Support Plus, but the add-on unlocks higher limits and more advanced proactive capabilities.

Details: Most Customer Service Suite plans include a baseline of proactive messaging—enough to run core onboarding, feature announcements, and targeted nudges. Proactive Support Plus is layered on when you want to scale that up: more campaigns, more volume, and more sophisticated proactive coverage across your lifecycle. If you’re consistently hitting usage limits or holding back from launching valuable flows because of caps, it’s a strong signal you’ll benefit from the add-on.

How does proactive messaging work alongside Fin AI Agent and the Helpdesk?

Short Answer: Proactive messaging brings users into guided, in-product experiences, while Fin and the Helpdesk resolve any questions that still arise—everything runs in one connected system.

Details: When a user receives a Post or starts a Product Tour, they stay inside your product and Messenger. If they’re still confused, they can open the Messenger and:

Get instant answers from Fin AI Agent, which is trained on your Help Center and procedures.
Be seamlessly handed off to agents in the Inbox if Fin can’t safely resolve the issue.

Because everything runs through the same Intercom workspace, you can:

See which Series or messages a user has received before they contact support.
Use AI Insights to spot where proactive content is working and where you still see tickets.
Iterate quickly—adjust a Post, update a Tour, or refine Fin’s training—without swapping tools.

Summary

Enabling Intercom proactive messaging is about more than flipping on Posts, Checklists, Product Tours, and Series—it’s about building a self-improving system where users get help before they’re stuck, AI resolves the bulk of follow-up questions, and your team focuses on the work that truly needs humans.

Install and secure the Messenger.
Send the right customer data for precise targeting.
Use Posts, Checklists, Product Tours, and Series to guide users through the moments that usually generate tickets.
Add Proactive Support Plus when you’re ready to scale your proactive strategy and make it a core lever for reducing support volume and driving activation.

When you treat proactive messaging with the same rigor as your Helpdesk configuration—clear goals, controlled rollouts, and weekly review—you get a support operation that feels fast, intentional, and scalable, even as volume grows.

Next Step

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