How to Integrate Google Dialogflow with Intercom

Prerequisites

• Ensure you have a Google Cloud Platform account with Dialogflow enabled.

 

• Create a Dialogflow agent and set up intents and entities according to your needs.

 

• Ensure you have an Intercom account and access to the Intercom developer hub.

Configuring Dialogflow

• Go to the Dialogflow console and navigate to the Integrations tab.

 

• Enable the Webhook integration within your Dialogflow agent settings. This allows Dialogflow to send information to external URLs.

 

• Create a custom Webhook URL using a cloud function or a server endpoint to handle Dialogflow’s requests.

Creating a Webhook

• Set up a server using Node.js, Python, or any preferred language to handle incoming Dialogflow webhook requests.

 

• Ensure your server can parse JSON requests and respond with JSON formatted responses.

 

• Example Node.js server setup:

 

const express = require('express');
const bodyParser = require('body-parser');

const app = express();
app.use(bodyParser.json());

app.post('/webhook', (req, res) => {
    const intent = req.body.queryResult.intent.displayName;
    let response = { fulfillmentText: "Default response" };
    
    if (intent === 'YourIntentName') {
        response.fulfillmentText = "Custom response for intent";
    }

    res.json(response);
});

app.listen(process.env.PORT || 3000, () => {
    console.log('Server is running');
});

Connect Webhook to Dialogflow

• In the Dialogflow console, navigate to Fulfillment, enable Webhook, and input your server’s webhook URL.

 

• Ensure that your server is publicly accessible and using HTTPS for secure communication.

Setting Up Intercom

• Log in to your Intercom account and navigate to the Developer Hub.

 

• Create a new app and note down the app ID and app secret, which will be used to authenticate your integration.

 

• Enable the "Incoming" and "Outgoing" Webhooks in Intercom if needed, for further customization and interaction.

Integrating with Intercom

• In your server handling the Dialogflow webhook, implement a function to send messages to Intercom using their API.

 

• Use the Intercom Node.js library or directly make HTTP requests to Intercom's API.

 

• Example Intercom API call:

 

const axios = require('axios');

function sendMessageToIntercom(userId, message) {
    return axios.post(`https://api.intercom.io/messages`, {
        message_type: "inapp",
        body: message,
        from: { type: "user", user_id: userId }
    }, {
        headers: {
            'Authorization': `Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN`,
            'Accept': 'application/json',
            'Content-Type': 'application/json'
        }
    });
}

Testing the Integration

• Interact with your Dialogflow agent through Intercom chat, ensuring intents trigger correctly and responses are sent back effectively.

 

• Monitor both systems for logs and errors to ensure the webhook is functioning correctly and sending necessary data between systems.

Finalizing and Deploying

• Confirm that your server is stable and can handle scaling based on expected traffic.

 

• Deploy your server solution to a robust cloud service to ensure maximum uptime for your Dialogflow-Intercom integration.