Managing an Intercom database is no small feat, especially when data clutter and inconsistencies start accumulating–affecting productivity, team morale, and your bottom line. Incorrect or useless data is more than just an inconvenience–it's a business obstacle that can balloon Intercom costs, diminish email open rates, and tarnish your brand’s reputation.
With Insycle’s Bulk Operations module, you can surface problem data and make updates in bulk based on your defined criteria. You can add or remove values in multi-select fields, find and delete potential junk records, make straightforward, "If value=x, set it to=y," changes, and more. The built-in templates, powerful filtering, and flexible actions create a smoother data management experience for your team.
Key Use Cases
- Add and Remove Tags in Bulk
- Declutter and Purge Low-Quality Data
- Bulk Update Values of Any Field
- Bulk Delete Records
How It Works
The Bulk Operations module makes it easy to clear values, update fields, or perform deletions in bulk.
Powerful filtering options let you segment records to clean up problem areas including low-value emails, invalid phone numbers, or any other troublesome attributes. Records that meet these criteria can automatically be tidied up based on rules you create.
You can preview changes to ensure the operation runs as intended, then apply the changes to your live database. All these configurations can also be saved and automated, set to run automatically at regular intervals, putting your cleanup and update processes on autopilot.
Insycle supports the following Intercom record types:
- Users
- Leads
- Companies
- Tags
You can select the record type you would like to work with in the top menu of each module or app.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Navigate to Data Management > Bulk Operations.
Select the database and record type in the top menu. Then explore the templates for an existing solution that may be close to what you need.
Each row in Step 1 is for a field you want to look at to determine whether to include or exclude a record from this task. With this filter, you're telling Insycle what records you would like to update.
In the below example, records with an email that contains "graso" and also don't have a phone number will be included in this bulk operation.
When you click Search, Insycle will list matching records in the Record Viewer at the bottom of the page. Add columns to the view from the Layout tab under Step 1.
Now you'll tell Insycle what changes to make.
Under Step 2, make sure you are working in the Update tab. When this action is applied, previously existing data will be removed from the field.
- Select the relevant field you want to update from the Field Name dropdown.
- Under New Value, type the value you would like to update your selected field with.
- The Field Meta value provides information about the field type and is automatically populated by Insycle. This information will vary depending on the field type.
Preview Changes in the CSV Report
Now with the filters and update actions in place, you can preview the changes you are making to your data. It's important to verify that your fields are being updated as expected before those changes are pushed to your live database.
Under Step 3, click the Review button, then select Preview in the popup.
On the Notify tab, add any additional recipients who should receive the CSV (and make sure to hit Enter after each address). You can also provide additional context in the message subject or body.
On the When tab, click Run Now and select which records to apply the change to (in most cases this will be All, but if you have a large number of records, you may just want to do a chunk for a test), then click the Run Now button.
Open the CSV file from your email in a spreadsheet application and review the columns. For each field you’ve set up to change, a column will appear for both (Before) and (After). This will let you know what you started with and what change will be made to your data in Intercom.
If the results don't look the way you expected, go back to your filters and actions and try making some adjustments, then preview again.
Apply Changes to Intercom
If everything in your CSV preview looks correct, return to Insycle and move forward with applying the changes to the live Intercom data.
Under Step 3, click the Review button, this time select Update mode.
On the When tab, click Run Now and select which records to apply the change to, then click the Run Now button.
After you've seen the results in Intercom and you are satisfied with how the operation runs, you can save your configuration as a template, and set up automation so this formatting operation runs on a set schedule.
Return to the Template menu at the top of the page and click the + to give the new template an informative name, then click the Save button.
Under Step 3, click the Review button, and select Update mode again.
On the When tab, select Automate, and configure the frequency you'd like the template to run. When finished, click Schedule.
If you have several templates you'd like to automatically run together, you can create a Recipe.
With the Activity Tracker, you have a complete audit trail and history of changes made through Insycle, including processes run in Preview mode or data syncs. At any time you can download a CSV report that lets you see all of the changes that were made in a given run of the operation.
Navigate to the Activity Tracker, search by module, app, or template name, then click the Run ID for the operation.
Advanced How-Tos
Bulk updating Intercom tags is critical for maintaining order in Intercom and organizing your conversations with prospects and customers.
Insycle makes it easy to examine your existing tags, identify areas for improvement, and add or remove tags in bulk.
To learn more, see the Add and Remove Tags in Bulk article.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can update any field in your CRM that is writable using the Bulk Operations module. To see a full list of writable fields for each record type, use the Cleanse Data module.
Yes, the pre-existing data in the record will be overwritten by the bulk update. If you need this data for reference or restoration, it will be available in the CSV in the Activity Tracker.
Yes, you can use Insycle to delete data from any field in Intercom that is writable using the Bulk Operations module. Learn more about bulk deleting records.
Additional Resources
Related Help Articles
- Bulk Append and Subtract Values in Multi-Select Fields
- Bulk Clear Values From Field
- Conditional Bulk Update if Value=x Then Set It To=y
- Module Overview: Bulk Operations
Related Blog Posts