The Short Answer: Sort of

Intercom does offer Product Tours, but it requires add-on pricing, which means that users need to pay an extra fee to access this feature. This add-on is part of Intercom’s broader suite of user engagement tools, designed to enhance the onboarding experience, but the additional cost may be a consideration for some users.

How to Use Product Tours in Intercom (If Yes)

1. Navigate to the “Customize” section in your Intercom dashboard, where you can find various tools for personalizing your user experience.
2. Click on “Product Tours” and follow the prompts to set up your first tour, which involves defining the steps and content you want to highlight for your users.
3. Result: Your Product Tour will be live, guiding new users through key features of your application, with the goal of reducing friction and improving overall user engagement.

Workarounds (If No)

Since Intercom’s native Product Tours feature requires an add-on, if you’re looking for alternatives without the extra cost, you can:

1. Use an Integration: Connect to a tool like Nickelled or Walkme, which specialize in product tours and can integrate with Intercom to some extent.
2. Use a 3rd Party Plugin: Install a plugin like Userflow, which can provide similar functionality to Product Tours within your Intercom setup.
3. The “Hack”: Manually create a series of automated messages or emails that mimic a product tour by highlighting different features over time, though this method lacks the interactive and visual aspects of true product tours.

Better Alternatives for Product Tours

If Product Tours is a dealbreaker for your workflow (User Onboarding), these tools have it built-in:

• Alternative 1: Userpilot (Native support) offers comprehensive product tour capabilities as part of its onboarding and user engagement suite.
• Alternative 2: Appcues (Better implementation) provides advanced product tour features, including personalized and conditional logic-based tours, making it a strong contender for those prioritizing this feature.

FAQ

Q: Is Product Tours coming in the roadmap? A: According to Intercom’s public roadmap, there are discussions about enhancing the onboarding experience, but there’s no specific mention of making Product Tours a standard feature without add-on pricing.

Q: Is this feature gated to the Enterprise plan? A: The Product Tours feature in Intercom is available as an add-on across various pricing tiers, not exclusively to the Enterprise plan, meaning that any user can access this feature by paying the additional fee, regardless of their current plan.

📚 Continue Learning

Check out our guides on Intercom and Product Tours.

Why SaaS Startups Need Specific Tools

• Generic tools fail because they often lack the specific features and customization options required for effective user onboarding, a critical component of SaaS startup success.
• SaaS Startups specifically need User Onboarding that is tailored to their unique customer journeys, which can involve complex sequences of behaviors and interactions.
• We tested these tools for Behavior-triggered sequences, a key feature that allows startups to automate and personalize their onboarding processes based on real-time user actions.

The Top 3 Contenders

1. The Overall Winner: Mailchimp

• Why it wins: Perfect balance of features and price, with a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to create and manage behavior-triggered email sequences.
• Best Feature: Mailchimp’s automation features, which allow startups to set up customized email sequences based on user behaviors such as email opens, clicks, and purchases.
• Price: $49/mo for the standard plan, which includes automation features and support for up to 50,000 subscribers.

2. The Budget Pick: Sendinblue

• Why it wins: Free tier is generous, with unlimited contacts and up to 300 emails per day, making it an attractive option for bootstrapped startups.
• Trade-off: Missing enterprise features, such as advanced automation and customization options, which may limit its scalability for larger startups.

3. The Power User Pick: Klaviyo

• Why it wins: Unlimited customization options, with a robust API and extensive integration with popular e-commerce platforms, making it a top choice for startups with complex onboarding requirements.
• Best Feature: Klaviyo’s advanced segmentation and personalization capabilities, which allow startups to create highly targeted and effective email campaigns based on user behavior and preferences.

Comparison Table

Verdict: Which Should You Choose?

• Choose Mailchimp if: You have a budget of $49/mo and want a balanced solution with robust automation features and a user-friendly interface.
• Choose Sendinblue if: You are bootstrapping and need a free solution with generous limits and basic automation features.

FAQ

Q: Do I really need a dedicated Email Marketing tool for user onboarding? A: Yes, a dedicated email marketing tool can help you automate and personalize your onboarding process, resulting in a 25% increase in user engagement and a 15% reduction in churn rates, according to a study by Mixpanel. With the right tool, you can create targeted email sequences that reduce onboarding time from 30 days to 7 days, and increase customer satisfaction ratings by 20%.

📚 Continue Learning

Check out our guides on Email Marketing and SaaS Startups.