Getting Started with Backreply | Backreply Help Center

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

An active Intercom account with admin access
A Slack workspace with admin access
Login credentials for both platforms

Step 1: Create Your BackReply Account

Visit https://app.backreply.com
Click Sign Up
Enter your email and create a password
Verify your email address

Step 2: Connect Intercom

From your BackReply dashboard, click Create Connection
Click Connect Intercom
Log in to your Intercom account when prompted
Review the requested permissions and click Authorize
You'll be redirected back to BackReply

Permissions requested:

Read conversations and messages
Send messages on behalf of your team
Read customer and company data
Receive webhook notifications

Step 3: Connect Slack

On the same connection setup page, click Connect Slack
Log in to your Slack workspace when prompted
Review the requested permissions and click Allow
You'll be redirected back to BackReply
Give your connection a name (e.g., "Production Support")

Permissions requested:

Post messages to channels
Read messages in channels where the bot is added
Upload files to conversations

Step 4: Set Up a Notification Rule

Notification rules determine which Slack channel receives your Intercom conversations.

Navigate to Workspaces → [Your Workspaces] → Notification Rules
Click Add Rule
Configure your first rule:
- Name: Give it a descriptive name (e.g., "General Support")
- Slack Channel: Select your support channel (e.g., #support)
- Conditions: Leave empty for a catch-all rule, or add conditions:
  - Tags: Route specific tagged conversations (e.g., "vip", "billing")
  - Team: Route conversations assigned to specific Intercom teams
  - Assignee: Route conversations assigned to specific admins
Click Save Rule

Tip: Start with a single catch-all rule (no conditions) to get all conversations flowing. You can add more specific rules later.

Step 5: Map Your Team (Optional but Recommended)

Map your Slack users to Intercom admins for proper message attribution:

Go to Workspaces → [Your Workspaces] → Team Mapping
For each team member:
- Select their Slack user
- Select their corresponding Intercom admin
Click Save Mappings

Why this matters:

Mapped users: Customers see "Response from [Agent Name]"
Unmapped users: Customers see "Response from [Your Company]"

Both work—mapping just provides personal attribution.

Step 6: Invite the Bot to Your Channel

Before BackReply can post to a Slack channel:

Open the Slack channel you chose in Step 4
Type /invite @BackReply and press Enter
The BackReply bot will join the channel

Step 7: Test Your Integration

Let's verify everything is working:

Open Intercom and start a test conversation (or have a colleague message you)
Wait 5-10 seconds for processing
Open your designated Slack channel
You should see a new thread with the conversation

Try replying:

Click into the Slack thread
Type a reply and press Enter
Check Intercom—your reply should appear in the conversation

What Gets Synced?

From Intercom to Slack

Content	Slack Display
Customer messages	Thread replies with customer name
Agent responses	Thread replies with agent name
Bot/AI responses	Thread replies marked as bot
Internal notes	Thread replies (configurable)
Attachments	Files with native preview
Status changes	Status updates in thread

From Slack to Intercom

Content	Intercom Display
Thread replies	Admin/agent responses
Attached files	Conversation attachments
Formatting	Preserved (bold, italic, lists, code)

Available Actions from Slack

Every conversation thread includes action buttons:

Button	Action
Assign to Me	Claim ownership of the conversation
Reassign	Transfer to another teammate
Add Note	Add internal note (team only)
Close	Mark conversation resolved
View Details	See full customer context
View in Intercom	Open in Intercom

Next Steps

Now that your basic integration is working, explore these features:

Configure Smart Notifications

Prevent missed messages with intelligent channel notifications:

Go to Workspaces → [Your Workspaces] → Notification Rules
Click on your rule to edit notification settings:
- Follow-up Mode: Choose Quiet, Responsive, or Attentive
- Frequency: Set how often nudges appear
- Wait Threshold: When to alert for waiting customers

Enable Team Collaboration

Anyone in a Slack channel can help customers—even without an Intercom seat:

Invite team members to your support channels
They can reply in threads to respond to customers
Use internal notes for team coordination with @mentions

Common Issues

Conversation not appearing in Slack?

Check these:

Is the BackReply bot invited to the channel? (/invite @BackReply)
Do you have an active notification rule for that channel?
Is the Intercom connection active? (Check your dashboard)

Reply not syncing to Intercom?

Verify:

Are you replying in the thread, not the main channel?
Is the conversation still open in Intercom?
Check the BackReply dashboard for any sync errors

Wrong person attributed to reply?

Check:

Is your Slack user mapped to your Intercom admin?
Go to Team Mapping to verify or add your mapping

Formatting Tips

BackReply preserves rich formatting in both directions:

Slack to Intercom:

Bold (*text*), italic (_text_), strikethrough (~text~)
Code blocks and inline code
Bullet and numbered lists
Links and @mentions

Intercom to Slack:

All formatting is preserved
Images display inline
Attachments show as downloadable files

File Sharing

Limit	Value
Maximum file size	50 MB
Files per message	10
Supported formats	All common types

Files exceeding limits are still accessible via Intercom.

Need Help?

If you encounter issues or have questions:

Contact us at team@backreply.com
Check your BackReply dashboard for connection status
Review your notification rule configurations
Verify teammate mappings are current