Some conversations need a human the moment they escalate. The user is frustrated, the issue is sensitive, or the question requires judgment that no AI should be making alone. When that moment comes, your agent should be able to hand off instantly - with the full conversation already in your team's hands, not a blank inbox and a user who has to start explaining everything again.

Connecting Intercom gives you that. Live handoffs that transfer in real time, with full context, directly into your Intercom inbox. And optionally, Copilot - an AI assistant that works alongside your human agents inside Intercom, drafting replies for them to review and send in one click. Your team handles the conversations. Copilot handles the first draft.

In this article, you'll learn:

• How to connect Intercom
• How to configure the handoff
• How to set up Copilot (optional)
• What the difference between Handoff and Copilot is

Handoff vs. Copilot: A Quick Recap

Before setting up, it's worth being clear on what each feature does:

• Handoff: When your agent triggers an escalation, the conversation is transferred to a human agent in your Intercom inbox - in real time, with full conversation history.
• Copilot: Your AI agent works inside Intercom alongside your human agents, drafting replies for them to review and send with one click. Copilot is always on for Intercom conversations - it's not triggered by an escalation.

You can use Handoff only, Copilot only, or both together.

Step 1: Connect to Intercom

1. Go to the Handoffs tab.
2. Click + Add Handoff.
3. Select Intercom and click Connect.
4. An authorization screen will appear showing everything Outlearn wants to access in your Intercom account - People, Companies, Conversations, Messages, Teams and teammates, and more.
5. Review the permissions and click Authorize access.
6. A brief explanation pop-up will appear - close it to proceed to the configuration screen.

Step 2: Configure the Handoff

On the Intercom configuration screen, fill in the Handoff section:

• Handoff Name: The label for this handoff in your dashboard (e.g., "Transfer to support team"). This is internal - users don't see it.
• When to trigger: Write plain-language instructions for when your agent should hand off. Be specific.

Example trigger:

"Hand off when the user asks to speak with a human, when the issue involves billing or account cancellation, or when the agent has failed to resolve the issue after two attempts."

For detailed guidance on writing effective triggers, see  Writing Good Handoff Trigger Instructions.

Step 3: Configure Copilot (Optional)

Below the Handoff section, you'll find the Copilot section with an AI ASSIST toggle. Turn this on to enable Copilot for your Intercom conversations.

When Copilot is enabled, configure the following:

Leave Note Instead of Replying

When toggled on, your agent's drafted replies are posted as internal notes in Intercom rather than as customer-facing replies. Your agents see the draft but the user doesn't - they review it and choose whether to send it.

Use this if you want your agents to always review and approve AI drafts before anything goes to the customer.

Reply As

Select which Intercom admin Outlearn should appear as when drafting replies. This controls whose name appears on AI-drafted messages in your Intercom inbox.

Assignment Criteria

Write instructions for when to assign a conversation to a specific admin or team. This is optional but useful if you want to route different types of conversations to different people automatically.

"Assign billing conversations to the billing team. Assign technical issues to the technical support team."

Auto Assignment

Map specific customer email addresses or domains to specific teams or agents in Intercom. Click + Add Mapping to create a rule.

Step 4: Save

Click Save Changes to activate the handoff and Copilot settings.

Best Practices

• Enable Leave Note Instead of Replying when you first set up Copilot - this gives your team time to get comfortable with AI-drafted replies before they go live automatically.
• Test your handoff trigger by deliberately sending a message that should trigger it in the Preview panel, and verify the conversation appears in your Intercom inbox.
• Use Assignment Criteria to route conversations intelligently from the start - it saves your team from manually sorting incoming handoffs.
• Review the Handoff Reasons section in Analytics after your first week to see what's actually triggering handoffs and refine your trigger instructions accordingly.