Migrate from Intercom to Hunch

This guide walks through every step of moving from Intercom to Hunch: replacing the widget, preserving what matters, reconnecting your tools, and validating the new setup before going live.

Before you start

Hunch and Intercom are not identical products. Intercom is a support-suite inbox with AI features. Hunch is a website AI operator — it answers, acts, books, fills forms, routes to humans, and runs across channels.

What you keep:

Your website visitors and their behavior (Hunch starts fresh with live traffic)
Your knowledge base content (export from Intercom, import to Hunch)
Your CRM connections (HubSpot, etc. — reconnected in Hunch)
Your human handoff workflows (rebuilt in Hunch's operator model)

What changes:

The chat widget on your site (one script tag replacement)
Your knowledge management approach (from article-based to retrieval-eval based)
Your reporting model (from inbox metrics to site analytics + influenced revenue)

Timeline estimate: Most teams complete the switch in an afternoon. The actual script replacement takes minutes. Knowledge base migration and workflow tuning take the bulk of the time.

Step 1: Replace the Intercom script with Hunch

This is the only step with a direct cutover. Plan for 5 minutes of downtime on the widget.

1a. Remove the Intercom snippet

In your site's <head> or before </body>, find the Intercom installation script. It looks like this:

<script>
  window.intercomSettings = {
    api_base: 'https://api-iam.intercom.io',
    app_id: 'YOUR_APP_ID',
  }
</script>
<script>
  ;(function () {
    var w = window
    var ic = w.Intercom
    if (typeof ic === 'function') {
      ic('reattach_activator')
      ic('update', w.intercomSettings)
    } else {
      var d = document
      var i = function () {
        i.c(arguments)
        var q = []
        i.c = function (args) {
          q.push(args)
        }
        i.q = q
      }
      w.Intercom = i
      var l = function () {
        var s = d.createElement('script')
        s.type = 'text/javascript'
        s.async = true
        s.src = 'https://widget.intercom.io/widget/YOUR_APP_ID'
        var x = d.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]
        x.parentNode.insertBefore(s, x)
      }
      if (document.readyState === 'complete') {
        l()
      } else {
        w.attachEvent ? w.attachEvent('onload', l) : w.addEventListener('load', l, false)
      }
    }
  })()
</script>

Delete the entire block.

1b. Install the Hunch embed script

Add this single script tag in the same location:

<script src="https://cdn.hunchbank.com/embed.js" data-website-id="YOUR_HUNCH_WEBSITE_ID"></script>

You can find your website ID in the Hunch dashboard under Settings > Installation.

Open your site in a browser and confirm the Hunch widget appears. Open browser DevTools and check the console for any errors. The widget should show a chat button in the bottom-right corner.

Step 2: Migrate your knowledge base

Intercom stores knowledge in Articles (help center articles). Hunch uses a retrieval-based knowledge model — it indexes your actual website content rather than requiring a separate article database.

What to export from Intercom

Go to Intercom > Help Center > Articles
Export articles as CSV or HTML (Intercom's bulk export tool under Settings > Data Export)
Save each article's content — especially:
- Pricing and plan information
- Shipping/return policies
- FAQ content
- Product documentation
- Onboarding guides

What to do with it in Hunch

Hunch can ingest this content in two ways:

Option A: Add to your website pages (recommended) If the knowledge already lives on your site (pricing page, FAQ page, docs), Hunch will discover it automatically during its scan. No import needed.

Option B: Upload as reference documents For content that is not on your public website (internal processes, training guides), use the Knowledge section in the Hunch dashboard:

Go to Configuration > Knowledge
Create a new retrieval source
Paste or upload your article content
Run a validation check to confirm the AI can find the right answers

Migration tip

Do not import everything at once. Start with the 5-10 most-used Intercom articles, validate that Hunch retrieves accurate answers, then expand.

Step 3: Handle chat history

Hunch does not import historical chat transcripts from Intercom. This is intentional — Hunch is built around live visitor interactions and commercial outcomes, not an inbox archive.

What to do with old transcripts

Export from Intercom: Go to Intercom > Settings > Data Export and request a full conversation export (CSV format). Intercom will email you a download link.
Store the export: Save it to your internal data warehouse, Google Drive, or a secure bucket. Your support team can reference it if needed.
Mark the cutover date: Note when you switched so your team knows which system to check for historical vs. new conversations.

What about ongoing conversations?

Any active Intercom conversations at the time of cutover should be:

Resolved or assigned in Intercom before removing the script
Started fresh in Hunch — the visitor will see the Hunch widget on their next page load

For high-value active conversations, consider a handoff note: ask the customer to reach out again via the new widget and reference their previous ticket.

Step 4: Reconnect CRM and integrations

Hunch connects to the same CRM and tools you used with Intercom, but through Hunch's native integration layer.

HubSpot

In the Hunch dashboard:

Go to Extensions > HubSpot CRM
Click Connect
Enter your HubSpot private app token (create one in HubSpot under Settings > Integrations > Private Apps)
Map the data you want to sync: contacts, deals, company enrichment

Hunch will now log conversations, leads, and influenced revenue back to HubSpot automatically.

Zendesk (if used alongside Intercom)

Go to Extensions > Zendesk Support
Enter your Zendesk subdomain and API token
Configure which conversation types trigger ticket creation

Other tools

Check the Extensions page in the Hunch dashboard for available integrations. Hunch also supports:

Webhooks for custom integrations
Slack notifications for handoffs and alerts
Email, Telegram, and WhatsApp channels

Step 5: Configure workflows and handoffs

Intercom's workflow model is inbox-centric (assign conversations to teammates). Hunch's model is action-centric (detect intent, resolve or route).

Rebuild your most common flows

For each flow you had in Intercom:

Intercom flow	Hunch equivalent
"Talk to a human" button	Handoff trigger — configure in Configuration > Triggers
Article suggestions	Knowledge retrieval + rich response cards
Booking meetings	Tool-based booking action (connects to your calendar)
Lead qualification forms	Form-filling tool + CRM sync
Bot → Human escalation	Confidence-threshold handoff in Configuration > Handoffs

Set up notifications

Go to Configuration > Notifications
Configure Slack alerts for handoffs, high-intent visitors, and anomaly detection
Set up email digests for daily/ weekly summaries

Validate with a test run

Before removing the Intercom script completely:

Run Hunch side-by-side with Intercom on a staging environment
Test each workflow path: pricing question, booking request, support escalation
Verify handoffs reach the right team members
Check that CRM sync populates the expected fields

Rollback plan

If something goes wrong, revert by:

Removing the Hunch embed script
Re-adding the Intercom snippet (you kept it, right?)
Restoring any settings changed during the migration

Hunch does not modify your website's content, database, or server configuration. The entire integration is a single script tag.

FAQ

Will I lose my chat history? No — you export it from Intercom before switching. Hunch does not delete anything from Intercom. Your Intercom data remains in your Intercom account until you close it.

Can I run Intercom and Hunch at the same time? Yes, during a transition period. Run both widgets (Hunch recommends hiding Intercom from returning visitors once Hunch is active). We recommend a 1-2 week parallel run to validate coverage.

Do I need to change my DNS or server config? No. Hunch requires no DNS changes, no CNAME records, and no server-side modifications. The entire setup is a client-side script tag.

What happens to Intercom's mobile SDK? Hunch currently supports web, email, Telegram, and WhatsApp. Mobile SDK support is on the roadmap. For mobile apps, keep Intercom's mobile SDK active during transition or use Hunch's mobile web integration.

How long does the full migration take? Script replacement: 5 minutes. Knowledge migration: 1-2 hours. Workflow reconfiguration: 2-4 hours. Most teams complete everything in a single afternoon.

Can I import Intercom's bot flows into Hunch? Not automatically. Bot flows need to be rebuilt in Hunch's trigger + action model. This is a good opportunity to simplify — most Intercom bot flows are more complex than they need to be.

Before you start​

Step 1: Replace the Intercom script with Hunch​

1a. Remove the Intercom snippet​

1b. Install the Hunch embed script​

1c. Verify the widget loads​

Step 2: Migrate your knowledge base​

What to export from Intercom​

What to do with it in Hunch​

Migration tip​

Step 3: Handle chat history​

What to do with old transcripts​

What about ongoing conversations?​

Step 4: Reconnect CRM and integrations​

HubSpot​

Zendesk (if used alongside Intercom)​

Other tools​

Step 5: Configure workflows and handoffs​

Rebuild your most common flows​

Set up notifications​

Validate with a test run​

Rollback plan​

FAQ​