Create Product Tours in Intercom

Prerequisites

• Intercom account with Product Tours add-on
• Clear onboarding flow defined (key steps new users must complete)

Steps

1. Map your onboarding steps. Define the 3-5 critical actions a new user must complete to reach their "aha moment." Example for a project management tool: 1) Create a project, 2) Add a task, 3) Invite a teammate, 4) Set a deadline. Each step becomes a tour stop.

2. Create a new product tour via API. Use the Intercom API to define the tour. Name it descriptively (e.g., "New User Onboarding - Core Setup"). Configure the starting URL where the tour begins (usually the dashboard or home screen after first login).

3. Build tour steps. Define steps that highlight specific UI elements. For each step: specify the CSS selector of the element to spotlight, write a short instruction (under 25 words), and add a CTA ("Next" to continue, or "Try it" for interactive steps). Interactive steps have 3x higher completion rates.

4. Add interactive steps. Make at least 2 tour steps interactive -- the user must actually perform the action (use a button, fill a field) to proceed. Users learn by doing, which drives higher activation rates.

5. Set trigger conditions via API. Configure the tour to start automatically for new users on first login. Add conditions: show only to users where onboarding_complete is false. Set a dismissal option so users can skip if they prefer to explore independently.

6. Track completion via API. Monitor tour metrics: GET /product_tours/<id>/stats. Track start rate, step-by-step completion, and overall completion rate. Target 60%+ completion. If users drop off at a specific step, simplify it. Correlate tour completion with activation rates to prove ROI.