Power Intercom Fin to act proactively based on frustration signals (beta)

The Pendo integration with Intercom's Fin AI Agent sends real-time frustration events from Pendo to Intercom through webhooks. Joint Pendo and Intercom customers can use this to trigger proactive Fin conversations when visitors show signs of friction in their app.

This article explains how the connection works, what you need before you begin, and how to set it up in Pendo and Intercom.

Use cases

This integration sends frustration signals (rage click, error click, U-turn) to Intercom in real time. Pendo and Intercom customers can use these signals to:

• Re-engage users before they drop off and churn.
• Identify and solve frustrations as soon as they occur.

How it works

The integration connects Pendo frustration event data to Intercom's automation and messenger products through webhooks. The end-to-end flow works like this:

1. A visitor shows friction in your app. Pendo detects a frustration event, such as a rage click, error click, or U-turn on a tagged Page or Feature.
2. Pendo sends an event to Intercom. The webhook connection you set up in Agent Toolkit delivers the event to Intercom in real time, including Page or Feature context.
3. Intercom triggers a Fin conversation. An Outbound message rule in Intercom listens for the incoming event and opens a proactive Fin Messenger conversation with the visitor, such as "I noticed you're having trouble with X. Want me to help?"

The webhook connection is set up in Agent Toolkit. The Outbound message and Fin conversation flow are configured in Intercom.

Frustration signals

The integration sends events for the following frustration types that Pendo detects on tagged Pages and Features:

• Rage click. A visitor repeatedly clicks in a focused area of your UI.
• Error click. A visitor clicks an element that triggers a client-side JavaScript error.
• U-turn. A visitor navigates to a Page and returns to the previous Page within seven seconds.

Tip: Frustration events are tracked on tagged Pages and Features. For best results, give your Pages and Features descriptive names and descriptions so Fin has clear context about where the visitor is stuck.

Before you begin

To complete this setup, you need:

• An Intercom workspace with Fin enabled.
• An agent set up in Agent Toolkit. You'll connect your Intercom workspace to it in Step 1. See Set up an agent in Agent Toolkit.
• Subscription admin permissions in Pendo.

Step 1. Connect your Intercom workspace in Agent Toolkit

The webhook connection is how Pendo sends frustration events to Intercom in real time. Without it, Intercom has no way to know when a visitor rage-clicks, error-clicks, or U-turns in your app. You set up this connection in the Agent Toolkit setup wizard rather than in subscription settings.

1. In the Agent Toolkit setup wizard, go to the Proactive help step.
2. For authentication method, select Connect with Intercom.
3. On the Intercom consent screen, authorize Pendo to access your Intercom workspace.
4. Back in the wizard, select Test connection. A success message confirms Pendo reached your Intercom workspace.

For full setup steps, including creating the agent and finishing the wizard, see Set up an agent in Agent Toolkit.

Step 2. Choose which frustration signals to send

After you create the AI agent, open the Frustration signals tab to choose which frustration signals Pendo sends to Fin. The tab shows your current setup: each signal is marked On or Off, and the status badge shows Sending or Not sending. To make changes, open the editor.

1. On the AI agent, select the Frustration signals tab.
2. Select Edit frustration signals.
3. In the Set up frustration signals step, turn on the signals you want to send: Rage click, Error click, U-turn, or any combination.
4. If you turn on U-turn, select Select Pages and choose at least one Page. U-turns only count on the Pages you select.
5. Select Next.
6. In the Go live (optional) step, turn on sending to start delivering the signals you chose to Fin. To save your selection without sending yet, leave it off. You can turn it on later from this tab.
7. Select Save and exit.

Note: Workflow nudges and frustration signals use the same webhook connection, so turning sending on or off here also affects workflow nudges. If workflow nudges are set up, Pendo asks you to confirm the change.

Tip: Rage clicks and error clicks are safe to send for all visitors. U-turns occur more often, so limit them to the Pages where a quick exit signals a problem.

Step 3. Set the outbound message live in Intercom

Pendo creates a draft outbound message in your Intercom workspace that listens for the Pendo frustration signal and opens a proactive Fin conversation.

Note: While this feature is in beta, Pendo sets up the draft outbound message for you and shares a link to it.

1. Open the draft outbound message using the link Pendo shares with you. Alternatively, in Intercom go to Outbound and find the draft message created for the Pendo frustration signal integration.
2. Review the message settings:
   • Confirm the message is set to send when the Pendo frustration signal is received.
   • Confirm Let Fin respond is added as a follow-up action.
   • Choose how proactive support appears to the visitor: badge, snippet, or full message.
   • Optionally set frequency limits to control how often proactive support can trigger for a single user.
3. Select Set live.

Note: Pendo doesn't deliver events to Intercom until the webhook connection is on. Make sure the connection you set up in Step 1 is turned on for your agent.

When a visitor triggers a frustration event on a tagged Page or Feature, Fin offers to help in real time.