Fin tasks allow you to automate more complex processes with Fin. Often times, these processes may involve actions in your external systems that need to reliably follow your specific business rules (e.g. cancel an order, refund a subscription). Fin will trigger the task and be actively involved each step to resolve customer queries.

Setting up Fin Tasks and using Data connectors takes a blend of technical awareness, process thinking, and collaboration. While the experience is becoming easier over time, here are the key areas to focus on:

Getting these fundamentals right will help you launch faster and build more effective Fin-powered Tasks.
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Ask yourself: Which processes would you like to automate with Fin? Are there any existing complex workflows that could be streamlined using Fin tasks?

Focus on processes that will have the biggest impact on reducing support volume. A good approach is to identify 1 or 2 key processes to start with.

If you already have existing workflows that handle some of your support processes, you don’t need to create brand-new workflows to test this. Simply add the Fin Task block to your existing workflows to enhance their efficiency. As an example, your current troubleshooting workflow might look something like this:

While a Fin task block would simplify this and improve your customer experience dramatically:

Look for existing workflows where customers currently have a poor experience—especially those requiring multiple button clicks before getting an answer. These are ideal candidates for Fin tasks, making the experience more seamless and conversational.

Visit Train > Tasks and click on New task.

Every Fin task should be given a title telling Fin when to trigger the task. This is very important, so that Fin triggers it at the right time.

Similarly to the title, the description also tells Fin when it should trigger the task, in greater detail. This describes the situation Fin should use the task, provide example customer queries, and could also call out situations where Fin should not use this task.

The task trigger is also where you define the channels and audience rules which need to match before Fin performs the task.

Use the instructions block to give Fin custom instructions to perform the task. You can template the instructions with data, get Fin to use Data connectors, store response data and reply to users.

Provide as much information as possible in the instructions, any information not provided may be incorrectly inferred by Fin.

Start each instruction with a verb. Be clear, concise, and as complete as possible. Long instructions are less reliable so use multiple steps for each instruction if needed.

With AI-generated task instructions, you can simply describe what you want Fin to do and it will automatically generate a structured task prompt.

This allows for:

Improve conversation categorization by instructing Fin to tag conversations with one or more predefined tags in the task instructions. This aids in filtering, reporting, and triggering follow-up actions.

Example Instruction:

"Tag conversation 'Billing Inquiry' and 'High Priority'."

Seamlessly hand off conversations requiring human intervention by directing Fin to escalate to your team on your current support platform (Zendesk/Salesforce/etc.)

Example Instruction:

"Escalate to: Technical Support"

Data connectors can be used in the instruction block to retrieve or update data in an external system. Add a Data connector by typing "@" in line with your text instructions and click Connect to external, then select one of your pre-configured Data connectors.

The response data from the Data connector will become available as "temporary attributes" within the instructions block (see below).

Add attributes to the instructions block by typing "@" in line with your text instructions. This allows Fin to read and update attributes based on your specific business rules, at clear moments, with precise values. You can use any people, company, conversation, or temporary attribute.

Temporary attributes are useful when you need data only for the current task and don't want to save it permanently in Intercom for reporting or other purposes. You can create these attributes to hold information that's relevant to the specific task being executed.

For example you can create a temporary attribute to:

Guide how Fin interacts, responds, and behaves during a task by providing clear guidance. Simply describe any specific behaviors you’d like Fin to follow while performing the steps.

Use Wait for webhook to pause the task until it receives a webhook request. This is ideal for processes that require external input before moving forward.

Imagine your task needs to integrate with an external system—such as a third-party application for identity verification. With Wait for webhook, the task stops at this step until the external system sends a webhook response. Once received, the task resumes and takes action based on the provided data.

Examples

This feature ensures your tasks are seamless and synchronized with external systems, reducing manual intervention and keeping things efficient! To add Wait for webhook to your task, simply click Add step and search for “Wait for webhook”.

Best practices when using "Wait for webhook"

Inside the task, click on Preview and ask a question. Use the Customer view tab to test the interactions with Fin.

Once you're happy with how Fin performs the task, go ahead and select Set live to let Fin get to work! 💪