Set Up User Properties in Intercom

Prerequisites

Intercom account with Messenger installed
Access to your application's user data model

Steps

Identify key properties. Define the user properties that drive your messaging segmentation. Essential properties: plan_type, signup_date, last_active_date, company_name, company_size, role, onboarding_complete, feature_usage_count, trial_end_date, source.
Send properties via SDK. When initializing Intercom in your app, pass user properties in the boot call:
```
Intercom('boot', {
  app_id: 'xxx',
  user_id: userId,
  email: email,
  plan: 'pro',
  company: { id: companyId, name: companyName, plan: 'enterprise' }
})
```
Update properties on change with Intercom('update', { plan: 'enterprise' }).
Create custom attributes via API. Use the Intercom API to define attributes not automatically captured:
```
POST /data_attributes
{ "name": "activation_score", "model": "contact", "data_type": "integer", "description": "User activation score 0-100" }
```
Key custom attributes: activation_score, nps_response, primary_use_case, referral_count.
Send events for behavior tracking. Use the SDK or API to track user actions:
```
Intercom('trackEvent', 'feature_first_used', { feature_name: 'csv_export' })
```
Track: feature first use, upgrade initiated, support ticket created, invite sent. Events trigger automated messages and bot flows.
Segment users with properties. Build segments combining properties and events. Examples: "Trial users ending in 3 days" (plan=trial AND trial_end_date within 3 days), "Power users not on paid plan" (feature_usage > 50 AND plan=free), "At-risk enterprise" (company.plan=enterprise AND last_active > 14 days ago).
Keep properties in sync. Use server-side API calls to update Intercom whenever user data changes:
```
PUT /contacts/<id>
{ "custom_attributes": { "plan_type": "enterprise" } }
```
A user who upgrades must have their plan property updated before they see plan-targeted messages.

Set Up User Properties in Intercom

Instructions

Set Up User Properties in Intercom

Prerequisites

Steps