The short answer: open Intercom in your browser on desktop, select a conversation, click the inbox composer (reply or note), press ⌃+⌥+R (Mac) or Ctrl+Alt+R (Windows/Linux), speak, press the hotkey again, and AICHE inserts text at your cursor. Review, then send with Intercom's normal shortcuts.
Intercom is built around the inbox composer: macros and snippets handle repetition, Fin AI handles first responses, and humans handle everything that needs judgment. The expensive minutes are the ones where you read conversation attributes in the side panel, switch between note and reply, and write original copy under an SLA clock. AICHE targets that composer, not a generic "support is busy" essay.
Inbox composer workflow
- Open Intercom in Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari on macOS, Windows, or Linux.
- Pick a conversation from the inbox (or a view filtered by team, priority, or SLA).
- Read the thread and check the right-hand side panel: user name, company, plan, custom conversation attributes, recent product events, linked tickets.
- Click into the reply composer at the bottom (not the search bar).
- Press
⌃+⌥+RorCtrl+Alt+R, speak your response referencing what you saw in the panel. - Press the hotkey again. Audio goes to cloud transcription; audio is discarded within 1 second after processing.
- Edit if needed. Send with Cmd+Enter (Mac) or Ctrl+Enter (Windows/Linux), or click Send.
Read the thread before you click into the composer if you want to avoid a long "agent is typing" indicator with no text yet.
Macros, snippets, and voice together
Macros expand multi-step replies: greeting, policy paragraph, closing question. Snippets insert smaller reusable blocks. Use them for what should never vary (legal wording, refund policy skeleton, link to status page).
Insert the macro or snippet first, click after the personalized section, then dictate: "I checked your workspace acme-prod and the sync failed because the API key expired yesterday at 14:00 UTC. I have issued a fresh key on our side; please rotate yours under Settings > Integrations and run a manual sync." You keep compliance language intact and still sound human in the middle.
For teams with dozens of snippets, pin the five you use hourly and voice everything else.
Fin AI, escalations, and human takeover
Fin AI may answer tier-one questions before a human sees the thread. When Fin escalates, or when you take over from a bot draft, the composer often already contains suggested text. Select the parts to keep, place the cursor where you need original explanation, dictate the fix.
Fin does not replace the need to reference conversation attributes (MRR tier, region, feature flags). Glance at the side panel, then speak one coherent reply that ties account facts to next steps. You are not retyping attribute names; you are narrating the resolution while looking at the data.
Conversation attributes and the side panel
The side panel is your cheat sheet: company, owner, plan, trial end date, custom fields your ops team added. Good Intercom agents weave those into replies so customers feel heard.
Dictation makes that easier because you can say "I see you are on the Business plan with SSO enabled" while your eyes are still on the attribute list. Custom Vocabulary in AICHE helps product codenames and integration names land spelled correctly. AICHE does not write into custom fields; it only fills the active text field.
Note vs reply
Intercom separates customer replies from internal notes (often Cmd+Shift+N or the note tab above the composer).
| Mode | Who sees it | When to dictate |
|---|---|---|
| Reply | Customer | Empathetic resolution, instructions, follow-up questions |
| Note | Teammates only | Handoffs, billing checks, repro steps, manager context |
Dictate notes at full speed with Message Ready off if you want raw clarity. Dictate replies with Message Ready on for warmer tone and paragraph breaks. A note that says "Customer on annual plan, wants partial refund for unused seats after downgrade; approved 15% credit per policy v3" saves the next agent from re-reading twelve messages.
SLA views and time-sensitive queues
Many teams use SLA rules (first-response time, next-response time, resolution time) surfaced as badges or inbox sorts. When a conversation is SLA at risk, speed matters more than polish on the first pass.
Workflow: open the SLA queue, sort by soonest breach, read once, dictate a reply that acknowledges delay if needed, states the fix path, and sets expectation ("I will confirm with billing and update you within 2 hours"). Send, snooze, or assign as your playbook requires. Voice shortens the gap between "I understand the issue" and a sent message, which is what SLA metrics actually measure.
Pair with snooze when you need internal verification: dictate a note with exactly what to check when the conversation returns, so you do not reread the whole thread at snooze wake.
Help Center and long-form (secondary)
After a novel resolution, open Help Center article editor, click the body field, dictate the same explanation you gave the customer. Content Organization can structure spoken steps into headings and lists. This is optional; the inbox composer is the daily surface.
What you get
- Text insertion in Intercom's inbox composer (reply and note fields) on desktop browser
- Cloud transcription; audio discarded immediately after processing, within 1 second
- Message Ready for customer-facing tone; turn off for internal notes
- Custom Vocabulary for product and customer names
- Auto-translation for multilingual support teams
- No Fin API integration required: humans dictate; Fin keeps doing its job
Plans start at $3.99/mo (annual) with a 7-day free trial. See pricing.
Common questions
Q: Does AICHE connect to Intercom's API or Fin?
A: No. AICHE inserts text at your cursor in whatever field is focused. Fin, macros, and routing stay inside Intercom.
Q: Can AICHE fill conversation attributes or click Send?
A: No. You send messages and update fields through Intercom's UI.
Q: Does dictation work in the Intercom mobile app?
A: AICHE is desktop-first. On mobile, record in AICHE and paste into Intercom if needed.
Q: Will customers see me typing while I dictate?
A: The typing indicator appears when the composer is focused. Read first, then click and dictate so the indicator matches a short compose window.
Related features
Result: macros cover the boilerplate; you speak the part that references this customer's attributes and SLA. Notes become worth reading; replies ship while the clock still has margin.
Try it now: open an escalated conversation, check the side panel, click Reply, press your hotkey, and dictate a complete answer that names their plan and next step.