Intercom’s onboarding produced 2x activation for some users

By Nathan Brooks

Intercom reported twice the activation rate for some new customers who had initially struggled with the product, after redesigning the path from signup to first value. Intercom did not define activation, so teams should test the doubling rather than treat it as a universal benchmark.

As Intercom grew from one simple product into a broad range, navigation became harder. It rebuilt onboarding around two questions: what new customers want, and how the product can prove it delivers.

What does onboarding actually include?

Intercom defines onboarding as moving a brand-new user to a highly engaged power user. It extends beyond click-through tutorials and FAQs into a deeper, longer process toward value. The first-use experience comes first: the first few clicks inside the product, or even on the signup page.

Teams should treat those opening moments as a test of the product’s promise, not as a generic tour of controls.

Why does AIDA not fit software?

In 1898, American sales pioneer E. St. Elmo Lewis created AIDA: Attention, Interest, Decision, Action. It described how buyers accept a new idea or purchase and became a foundation for sales frameworks and marketing funnels.

Software changes the order. Intercom proposes AIAD: Attention, Interest, Action, then Decision. Free trials and easy consumer signups get people into the product before they make the purchase decision.

Intercom’s explanation was direct: “All they’ve done is expressed an interest.” A signup establishes neither a buying decision nor meaningful use; product experience should drive the decision.

AIDA still fits conventional purchases; it fails when meaningful use must precede the buying decision.

How does a job change what you teach?

Principle 1 says focus on jobs, not features. Under Jobs to be Done, customers hire a product to perform a job; they do not want a drill bit, they want a hole in a wall. That job also sharpens product and onboarding decisions.

Intercom’s Value-Based Onboarding follows three steps:

• Start with the customer’s job to be done.
• Identify the features that help complete it.
• Explain how the product delivers the outcome.

Intercom’s user map shows customers where their users are. Zooming and panning describe the interface, not the job: a billboard proving to investors, prospects and Twitter users how many users they have.

So Intercom emphasizes live animations, easy Twitter sharing and hiding sensitive information, not pan and zoom.

Connect features to the job, and onboarding becomes easier to apply.

When should onboarding differ by buyer?

Principle 2 is “onboard everybody,” which requires sequences for different buyer profiles. Intercom customers use its conversational marketing feature, also called website lead generation. Onboarding might seem to need one message: more leads and their revenue.

The people buying that capability do not share one goal:

• Marketing leaders want more leads in an on-brand way.
• Sales leaders want a larger pipeline and higher productivity.
• Sales representatives want their commission.

The sequence should therefore change with the buyer’s role and need, even when the underlying product stays the same.

How can a product prove value before full setup?

Principle 3 says: show, if you cannot do. The proof hierarchy runs from doing the task for the user, to showing the result, to telling them. SaaS products are usually too complex for onboarding to perform the proof, making demonstration the practical option.

Intercom calls the target the Minimum Viable Aha: a result that feels close enough to real for a new customer to see what the