🔧 Technical Documentation
Integrations
Intercom Integration
Support Team Workflow

Support Team Workflow: Tag-Based Member Re-Sync

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for support team members to manually trigger member enrichment in Intercom using the tag-based re-sync feature.

Overview

The tag-based manual re-sync feature allows support agents to enrich Intercom contacts with member data when:

  • A member's contact information is missing or outdated
  • Email-based auto-enrichment failed
  • A LEAD contact needs to be converted to a USER
  • Duplicate contacts need to be merged

How it works: Tag a conversation with "mynatca-sync" and the system automatically looks up the member by their member number, updates the contact with full member data, and removes the tag.

Prerequisites

Before using this feature, ensure the following are configured in Intercom:

1. Conversation Data Attribute Setup

Required Attribute: "Member Number Verification"

Setup Steps:

  1. Go to Settings → Data → Conversations
  2. Click Add attribute
  3. Configure:
    • Name: "Member Number Verification"
    • Type: Text
    • Description: "Member number provided by the member for verification"
  4. Click Save

2. Tag Setup

Required Tag: "mynatca-sync"

Setup Steps:

  1. Go to Settings → Tags
  2. Click Add tag
  3. Enter tag name: "mynatca-sync"
  4. Click Save

3. Webhook Configuration

Required Webhook Topic: conversation_part.tag.created

This should already be configured in your Intercom Developer Hub:

  • URL: https://platform.natca.org/api/intercom/webhook
  • Topics: Includes conversation_part.tag.created

If not configured, contact your technical team.

Step-by-Step Workflow

Step 1: Identify the Need for Re-Sync

Common scenarios where manual re-sync is needed:

  • Contact has no member data: No member_number, region, or facility shown
  • LEAD contact: Contact type shows as "Lead" instead of "User"
  • Outdated information: Member changed facilities or positions
  • Email mismatch: Member used different email than on file
  • Failed auto-enrichment: Member messaged but was not auto-enriched

Step 2: Ask for Member Number

In the conversation, ask the member for their NATCA member number:

Example Messages:

"To better assist you, could you please provide your NATCA member number?"

"I need to verify your member information. What is your NATCA member number?"

"Thank you for contacting us! Please share your member number so I can pull up your account."

Wait for the member to respond with their member number (e.g., "12345").

Step 3: Fill in Member Number Verification Attribute

  1. In the conversation view, find the Conversation data section (right sidebar)
  2. Locate the Member Number Verification attribute
  3. Click to edit the field
  4. Enter the member number exactly as provided (e.g., "12345")
  5. Press Enter or click outside the field to save

Important:

  • Enter only the member number (no spaces, dashes, or other characters)
  • Double-check the number to ensure accuracy
  • The number must match an Active or Retired member in the database

Step 4: Add "mynatca-sync" Tag

Method 1: Keyboard Shortcut (Fastest)

  1. Press the T key while viewing the conversation
  2. Type: "mynatca-sync"
  3. Press Enter

Method 2: Using Tag Button

  1. Click the tag icon or Tags button in the conversation
  2. In the search box, type: "mynatca-sync"
  3. Click the tag to add it
  4. Click outside the tag menu to close

Step 5: Wait for Automatic Processing

Once you add the tag, the system automatically:

  1. Reads the member number from the conversation attribute
  2. Looks up the member in the database (Active/Retired members only)
  3. Creates or updates the contact with:
    • Member number
    • Member type (Current Member, Retired Member, etc.)
    • Region and facility
    • Union positions
    • Phone number (if available)
  4. Handles duplicates if needed:
    • Merges LEAD contacts into USER
    • Archives duplicate contacts
  5. Removes the "mynatca-sync" tag when complete

Processing Time: Usually 2-5 seconds

Step 6: Verify Success

Check 1: Tag Removed

  • The "mynatca-sync" tag should disappear from the conversation
  • If the tag is still there after 30 seconds, there may be an issue

Check 2: Contact Data Updated

  1. Click on the contact name to view their profile
  2. Verify the following fields are populated:
    • member_number: Should show the member number
    • member_type: Should show "Current Member" or "Retired Member"
    • region: Should show region code (e.g., "GL", "EA", "RNAV")
    • facility: Should show facility code (e.g., "ZAU", "ZOB", "RNAV")
    • positions: Should show union positions (e.g., "Facility President, Area Representative")

Check 3: Contact Type

  • Contact should be listed as User (not Lead)
  • External ID should be the member number

What Happens in Different Scenarios

Scenario 1: Contact is a LEAD

Before: Contact type = LEAD, no member data After: Contact converted to USER, full member data added

Scenario 2: Contact is already a USER

Before: Contact type = USER, may have partial or outdated data After: Contact data updated with latest member information

Scenario 3: No Contact Exists

Before: No contact with the member's email After: New USER contact created with full member data

Scenario 4: Duplicate Contacts Exist

Before: Multiple contacts with same email (LEAD and/or USER) After:

  • LEAD merged into USER
  • Older duplicates archived
  • One USER contact with complete data

Scenario 5: Member Not Found

Before: Member number doesn't match Active/Retired member After:

  • Tag remains on conversation
  • No contact changes made
  • Support agent should verify member number

Troubleshooting

Tag Doesn't Get Removed

Possible Causes:

  1. Member number not filled in conversation attribute
  2. Member number doesn't match an Active/Retired member
  3. Database connection issue
  4. System processing delay

What to Do:

  1. Verify "Member Number Verification" attribute is filled
  2. Check member number is correct (ask member to verify)
  3. Wait 30 seconds and refresh the conversation
  4. If tag still present, manually remove it and contact technical team

Contact Not Updated

Possible Causes:

  1. Member number incorrect
  2. Member status is not Active or Retired (e.g., Suspended, Terminated)
  3. System error during processing

What to Do:

  1. Verify member number with the member
  2. Check member status (if you have access to member database)
  3. Try removing tag and re-adding it
  4. Contact technical team if issue persists

Error: "Member Number Verification" Attribute Not Found

Solution:

  • The conversation attribute needs to be created in Intercom
  • Contact your Intercom administrator or technical team
  • See "Prerequisites" section above for setup instructions

Multiple Duplicates Still Exist

Solution:

  • The system should automatically merge duplicates
  • If duplicates remain after re-sync:
    1. Note the contact IDs
    2. Contact technical team to investigate
    3. Manual cleanup may be needed

Best Practices

✅ Do's

  • Verify member number before adding tag
  • Ask politely for member number
  • Double-check the number is entered correctly
  • Wait for tag to be removed before considering it complete
  • Verify contact data after successful sync

❌ Don'ts

  • Don't add tag without filling in member number
  • Don't use tag for non-member inquiries
  • Don't re-add tag immediately if it's removed (processing may be complete)
  • Don't manually edit member_number custom attribute (use tag-based sync)

When to Use Manual Re-Sync vs. Other Methods

Use Tag-Based Re-Sync When:

  • ✅ Member number is known
  • ✅ Working from conversation view
  • ✅ Need quick contact enrichment
  • ✅ LEAD needs conversion to USER
  • ✅ Contact data is missing or outdated

Use Email Lookup API When:

  • 🔍 Need to find member number by email
  • 🔍 Verifying if email matches a member
  • 🔍 Bulk lookups needed

Use Daily Sync When:

  • 📅 Updating all members automatically
  • 📅 No immediate action needed
  • 📅 Scheduled bulk updates

FAQ

Q: How long does the re-sync take? A: Typically 2-5 seconds. The tag will be automatically removed when complete.

Q: What if I enter the wrong member number? A: If the member number doesn't exist, the tag will remain and no changes will be made. Remove the tag, correct the member number, and try again.

Q: Can I use this for non-members? A: No. The system only works for Active and Retired members. Non-members will not be found.

Q: What if the member has multiple emails? A: The system will use the email from the database. If the contact has a different email, the system will still update/create the contact with the database email.

Q: Can I re-sync the same contact multiple times? A: Yes. You can add the tag again to refresh the data. The system will update the contact with the latest information.

Q: What happens if the webhook is down? A: The tag will remain on the conversation and no processing will occur. Contact the technical team to check webhook status.

Q: Can I use this feature on mobile? A: Yes, if your Intercom mobile app supports conversation attributes and tags. The workflow is the same.

Getting Help

If you encounter issues with the tag-based re-sync feature:

  1. Check this guide for troubleshooting steps
  2. Contact technical team: platform@natca.org
  3. Provide details:
    • Conversation ID
    • Member number used
    • What happened vs. what you expected
    • Screenshots if helpful

Related Documentation

Last Updated: October 2025

Webhooks & APIDeployment