When you contact support, you might notice references to both conversations and tickets. From your perspective, both happen in the same chat window, which can be confusing. This article explains what conversations and tickets are, why they're different, and what this means for you when you need help.
Understanding this distinction helps you know what to expect when you contact support and why some queries take longer to resolve than others.
What conversations and tickets are
Intercom uses two types of objects to manage customer queries: conversations and tickets.
Conversations are for simple queries that can be handled quickly and involve minimal collaboration. For example, asking how to delete tags or reset your password.
Tickets are for complex queries that take time to resolve, requiring investigation, multiple steps, or collaboration between teams. For example, reporting an incorrect bill that needs a refund, or a technical issue requiring engineering input.
When you contact support, you always start a conversation. The support team then decides whether to keep it as a conversation or convert it into a ticket based on what you need help with.
Your experience with conversations and tickets
From your perspective, conversations and tickets work identically:
You message support through the same chat window.
You receive replies in the same chat window.
You can view your message history in the Messenger.
You receive email updates about progress.
The main difference you'll notice is timing and visibility:
Conversations typically get resolved quickly in a few messages. You'll receive a reply and the issue is closed straightaway.
Tickets might show you status updates like In progress, Waiting on customer, or Resolved. These queries take longer because they need investigation, input from different teams, or multiple steps to complete.
Why tickets exist
Think of tickets as a way for support teams to manage complex issues more effectively. When your support team converts your conversation into a ticket, they're ensuring nothing falls through the cracks and you're kept updated along the way.
Here are some examples of when a conversation becomes a ticket:
Your billing is incorrect and needs investigation from the accounts team.
You've found a technical bug that needs the engineering team to investigate.
Your query requires approval from a manager before it can be resolved.
The issue affects multiple customers and needs coordinating across teams.
How tickets keep you informed
When your query becomes a ticket, you'll receive automatic updates as the status changes. These updates appear in the Messenger and are also sent to your email address.
You'll see updates when:
Your ticket is submitted.
The status changes, such as moving from In progress to Waiting on customer.
Your support team sends you a reply.
Your ticket is resolved.
You can reply to tickets from the Messenger or directly from email notifications. Your support team will see your reply regardless of which method you use.
Finding your conversations and tickets
You can view both conversations and tickets in the same place within the Messenger. The Tickets space is a dedicated section showing all your tickets, making them easier to find and track.
Recent tickets also appear on your Messenger Home, so you can quickly see the status of your open issues.
What you need to know
Don't worry about whether your query is a conversation or a ticket. That's for the support team to manage. From your side:
Contact support the same way every time through the chat window.
Your support team will handle it appropriately based on complexity.
You'll be kept updated regardless of which type it is.
Both appear in your message history in exactly the same way.
The terminology exists to help support teams work more efficiently behind the scenes, not to change how you interact with them. Whether your query is handled as a conversation or a ticket, you'll receive the help you need through the same familiar interface.