Workflow exceptions before API-led migration
Before importing conversations by API, disable or exempt the automations that would treat imported records like fresh customer activity.
Why this can grow a startup
A migration can look broken even when the data import succeeds, because the surrounding automations fire at the wrong time. Surveys send, notifications leak, states change, and users get pulled into a fake live conversation. Guarding the workflows first prevents avoidable trust damage and makes the cutover feel controlled instead of messy.
Company example
Intercom's migration guide warns teams to add trigger-rule exceptions for records created via API or temporarily turn workflows off during migration, and to suppress email notifications when imported conversations would otherwise message customers.
Source and metric
Source: Intercom Help · Browse Intercom Help tactics
Source discovered: May 25, 2026
When to use it
Use this when Lifecycle, Support, Product is relevant to migration, lifecycle, risk control and you can run a bounded test with a free budget.
When not to use it
Do not use it as a substitute for customer evidence, a clear owner, or a measurable stop condition. Local platform rules and market behavior still need checking.
Founder checklist
- Read Intercom Help and identify what is directly supported.
- Choose one channel context: Lifecycle, Support, Product.
- Define the test around one observable customer behavior.
- Set an owner, evidence window, and stop condition before launch.
Explore the context
Apply this with an operator
Connect activation, customer value, retention, and referral into one measurable loop.