Integration Guide

How to Add Referral Steps to Intercom User Onboarding with GrowSurf

Name: GrowSurf
Rating: 4.74 (47 reviews)
Author: GrowSurf

Integrate your GrowSurf referral program into Intercom's onboarding flows to capture referrers early.

The onboarding period is when users are most excited about your product — and excitement is the fuel that drives referrals. By weaving your GrowSurf referral program into Intercom's onboarding flows, you can introduce the referral opportunity at the perfect moment and convert new users into active referrers before the initial enthusiasm fades.

This guide shows you how to integrate referral program touchpoints into Intercom's onboarding tools: Product Tours, Series, Custom Bots, and targeted messages. You'll learn when to introduce the referral program during onboarding, how to balance education with promotion, and how to track which onboarding touchpoints drive the most referral sign-ups.

Integration Steps

Step 1: Map Your Onboarding Flow and Find Referral Insertion Points

Review your existing Intercom onboarding flow and identify the optimal moments to introduce referrals.

Map your current onboarding steps in Intercom (Product Tours, Series, messages)
Identify "aha moments" where users realize product value — these are ideal referral trigger points
Best insertion points:
- After completing the first key action (creating a project, sending first message, etc.)
- After the onboarding checklist is complete
- During the transition from trial to paid
Avoid: first login (too early), during complex setup steps (too distracting)

Step 2: Add a Referral Step to Your Product Tour

Extend your Intercom Product Tour to include a referral program introduction.

Go to Product Tours in Intercom
Edit your main onboarding tour
Add a final step: "One more thing — share and earn!"
Content:
- Brief explanation of the referral reward
- Visual showing the give/get value (e.g., "Give $10, Get $10")
- CTA button linking to your referral landing page
Track tour completion rate to measure how many users reach the referral step

Step 3: Create an Onboarding Series with Referral Touchpoints

Build an Intercom Series (multi-step automation) that includes referral prompts at strategic moments.

Go to Series > New Series
Step 1 (Day 1): Welcome message — product intro only, no referral mention
Step 2 (Day 3): Feature highlight — after first key action, subtle mention of referral program
Step 3 (Day 7): "You've been here a week!" — primary referral program introduction with full details
Step 4 (Day 14): "Ready to share?" — direct referral CTA with link to their referral page
Add exit conditions: remove from Series if they join the referral program

Step 4: Deploy a Custom Bot for Referral Program Sign-Up

Create an interactive Intercom Custom Bot that guides users through joining the referral program.

Go to Operator > Custom Bots > New Bot
Trigger: User has completed onboarding AND growsurf_participant is false
Bot flow:
- "Hey {{first_name}}, did you know you can earn rewards by referring friends?"
- Quick reply buttons: "Tell me more" / "Not interested"
- If interested: explain the reward, show their unique link, CTA to referral page
- If not interested: "No problem! The offer is always available in your settings."

Step 5: Create Onboarding Checklists with Referral Steps

Add a referral task to Intercom's onboarding checklist so users see sharing as part of getting started.

Go to Outbound > Checklists
Add to your existing onboarding checklist or create a new one
Add item: "Share [Product] with a friend and earn [reward]"
Link the checklist item to your referral landing page
Place it as the last item — after users have completed core setup steps
This normalizes referral sharing as part of the product experience

Step 6: Measure Onboarding-to-Referral Conversion

Track how effective your onboarding referral touchpoints are at driving program participation.

Track which onboarding step has the highest click-through to the referral page
Measure the onboarding-to-referral conversion rate: users who complete onboarding → users who join referral program
Compare: users who saw referral prompts during onboarding vs. those who didn't (A/B test)
Optimize timing and messaging based on which touchpoints drive the most sign-ups

Code Snippets

// Intercom Custom Bot Configuration (JSON representation)
const referralOnboardingBot = {
  name: 'Referral Program Onboarding',
  trigger: {
    rules: [
      { attribute: 'onboarding_completed', operator: 'eq', value: true },
      { attribute: 'growsurf_participant', operator: 'eq', value: false },
      { attribute: 'session_count', operator: 'gte', value: 3 }
    ]
  },
  flow: [
    {
      type: 'message',
      text: 'Hey {{first_name}}! Now that you are set up, did you know you can earn rewards by telling friends about us?',
      replies: [
        { text: 'Tell me more!', action: 'next' },
        { text: 'Maybe later', action: 'close' }
      ]
    },
    {
      type: 'message',
      text: 'For every friend who signs up and becomes a customer, you both get $10 off. It is that simple!',
      replies: [
        { text: 'Sign me up!', action: 'url', url: 'https://yourapp.com/referrals' },
        { text: 'How does it work?', action: 'next' }
      ]
    },
    {
      type: 'message',
      text: 'You will get a unique link to share. When friends sign up through your link, we track it automatically. No codes to remember, no hassle.',
      replies: [
        { text: 'Start referring', action: 'url', url: 'https://yourapp.com/referrals' }
      ]
    }
  ]
};

Tips

Don't Introduce Referrals Too Early

Wait until the user has experienced product value before asking them to refer. Asking for a referral before the user understands your product feels premature and can actually decrease their likelihood of referring later. The sweet spot is typically 3-7 days after sign-up.

Frame Referrals as Helping Friends, Not Selling

During onboarding, position the referral program as "share something valuable with friends" rather than "help us get more customers." Users who see referrals as helping their friends have much higher sharing rates than those who feel like they're doing you a favor.

Make the Referral Step Optional

Never gate onboarding progress behind referral actions. The referral step should be clearly optional — an invitation, not a requirement. Users who feel forced to participate will either skip it or submit low-quality referrals.

FAQ

When is the best time during onboarding to introduce the referral program?

After the user has completed their core setup and experienced the product's primary value proposition — typically day 3-7. At this point, they understand what the product does, have had a positive experience, and are naturally inclined to tell others about it. Introducing referrals before this point reduces sign-up rates.

Should I offer a bonus for referring during the onboarding period?

A time-limited onboarding bonus (e.g., "Refer a friend in your first 2 weeks and get double rewards") can significantly boost early referral program participation. Use Intercom's Series to create urgency around this limited-time offer.

How do I handle referred users going through onboarding — should they see referral prompts too?

Yes, but with different messaging. If a user was referred (check the referred_by attribute), acknowledge the referral in onboarding: "Welcome! [Referrer] thought you'd love this." Then introduce the referral program with messaging like "Now it's your turn to share." This creates a referral chain.

GrowSurf for Startups Program

Startups get a 50% discount

GrowSurf Deals

Get $234k+ In Software Savings

LoyaltySurf

Reward Your Customers For Their Loyalty

Startup Growth Tactics Quiz

How to Add Referral Steps to Intercom User Onboarding with GrowSurf

Integration Steps

Step 1: Map Your Onboarding Flow and Find Referral Insertion Points

Step 2: Add a Referral Step to Your Product Tour

Step 3: Create an Onboarding Series with Referral Touchpoints

Step 4: Deploy a Custom Bot for Referral Program Sign-Up

Step 5: Create Onboarding Checklists with Referral Steps

Step 6: Measure Onboarding-to-Referral Conversion

Code Snippets

Tips

Don't Introduce Referrals Too Early

Frame Referrals as Helping Friends, Not Selling

Make the Referral Step Optional

FAQ

When is the best time during onboarding to introduce the referral program?

Should I offer a bonus for referring during the onboarding period?

How do I handle referred users going through onboarding — should they see referral prompts too?

Unlock the power of word-of-mouth marketing anddeepen your bond with customers

Set up your refer a friend program with customer referral and affiliate program software that lowers your acquisition costs, increases customer loyalty, and saves you gobs of time.

Built for startups,scaled for unicorns

View GrowSurfCustomer Examples

Unlock the power of word-of-mouth marketing and
deepen your bond with customers

Built for startups,
scaled for unicorns

View GrowSurf
Customer Examples