> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vortexiq.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # New vs Closed, Intercom > Conversations created versus conversations closed per day over 30 days — whether your team is keeping pace with demand. How to read it, why it matters, and how to act on it. **Card class:** [Non-Hero](/nerve-centre/overview#card-classes-explained) • **Category:** [Conversation Intelligence](/nerve-centre/connectors#connectors-by-type) > Two lines on one chart: conversations opened versus conversations closed each day. When closed falls behind new, your backlog is growing. ## At a glance > **New vs Closed** is a Conversation Intelligence metric tracked from Intercom data. It overlays daily created volume and daily closed volume on a dual-axis chart so the support lead at Blitz can see, at a glance, whether the team is clearing work as fast as it arrives. When the closed line sits at or above the new line, you are holding steady or catching up; when closed runs below new for several days, backlog is quietly accumulating. This is the single best early-warning read for a support queue that is starting to drown. | | | | --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | **What it counts** | Two daily series over the trailing 30 days: **New** = conversations with `created_at` on that day; **Closed** = conversations whose state moved to `closed` (`statistics.last_close_at`) on that day. The same conversation can appear in New on one day and Closed on another. | | **Sample type** | Backend API data from Intercom (`conversations` search by `created_at` and by close time), refreshed on the standard data refresh. | | **Why it matters** | This is the flow balance of your support operation. Sustained "new > closed" guarantees a rising backlog, longer waits, and eventually worse CSAT — well before those lagging metrics move. Catching it here gives the founder time to add capacity or deflect demand. | | **Reading the value** | Compare the two lines, not absolute heights. Closed tracking just under new is normal (today's work closes tomorrow). The warning sign is a persistent gap with closed below new — that gap is your backlog growth rate. A closed line spiking far above new signals a queue clean-up or a batch auto-close. | | **Currency** | number | | **Time window** | `30D` | | **Alert trigger** | `closed < new for 7d (backlog growing)` | | **Sentiment key** | `null` | | **Roles** | owner, operations | ## Calculation Calculated automatically from your Intercom data. Vortex IQ builds two daily series over the trailing 30 days. The **New** series counts conversations by `created_at`. The **Closed** series counts conversations by the day their state last transitioned to `closed`, derived from `conversation.statistics.last_close_at`. Because a conversation can be created one day and closed another, the two series are independent — the card does not net them per conversation. The threshold logic compares the rolling daily sums: if total closed stays below total new across a 7-day stretch, the backlog-growing alert fires. See the worked example below for a typical reading. ## Worked example *A representative reading of **New vs Closed** for Blitz on Intercom.* For most of the month the two lines move together — around 45 new and 44 closed on a typical weekday — so backlog holds flat. After a big product drop, new climbs to \~70/day while the two-agent team can only close \~50/day. The lines separate and stay apart. The alert fires after seven days of closed trailing new, and the support lead reads off the gap: roughly 20 conversations a day are piling up, which **Open Backlog Trend** confirms is climbing. The founder approves a temporary third agent. Over the next week the closed line lifts above new as the team works down the queue, the lines re-converge, and backlog flattens. For deeper investigation, use Vortex Mind to attribute the gap to a channel or topic; for natural-language exploration, ask Ask Viq "how many days has closed trailed new this month?". ## Sibling cards merchants should reference together | Card | Why merchants reach for it | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | [`ic_volume_trend`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/intercom/conversation-volume-trend) | The "new" line in isolation, with full daily shape and spike detail. | | [`ic_backlog_trend`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/intercom/open-backlog-trend) | The cumulative consequence: where the new-minus-closed gap actually lands. | | [`ic_open_conversations`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/intercom/open-conversations) | The real-time count of what is still unworked right now. | | [`ic_median_resolution`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/intercom/median-resolution-time) | Explains a sagging closed line — slower resolutions mean fewer closes per day. | | [`ic_workload_by_team`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/intercom/workload-by-team) | Shows whether you have the capacity to lift the closed line back up. | ## Reconciling against the vendor's own dashboard **Where to look in Intercom's own dashboard:** In **Reports → Conversations**, Intercom exposes "New conversations" and "Closed conversations" as separate metrics that you can chart over the same 30-day range. Plot both to reproduce this card. Note that Intercom's "Closed" counts close events on the day they happen, which matches the Vortex IQ Closed series; the Inbox "Closed" view shows lifetime closed and will not match a daily series. **Why the Vortex IQ value may legitimately differ:** | Reason | Direction | What to do | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Reopen handling.** A conversation closed, reopened, and closed again can register two close events. Vortex IQ counts each close on its day, as does Intercom Reports. | Neutral | Cross-check with **Reopen Rate** if closed looks inflated. | | **Time zone.** Close and create timestamps are bucketed in your reporting time zone, not necessarily the workspace zone. | Marginal | Align the two time zones, or compare weekly sums. | | **Auto-close rules.** Workflows that auto-close idle conversations create batch closes that lift the closed line without agent effort. | Closed higher | Confirm your auto-close workflow settings before reading a healthy gap. | **Cross-connector reconciliation:** a widening gap that starts the day after an Adyen refusal spike or a stockout points to demand from a commerce incident — line this card up against **Support Spike on Failed Payments**. For divergence investigations, use Vortex Mind. ## Known limitations / merchant FAQs **Q: How often does New vs Closed update?** The card refreshes on the standard data refresh (typically every 30-60 minutes for live integrations). The current day's two points keep moving until the day closes. **Q: Why does my Intercom dashboard show a different number?** The most common reasons are reopen/auto-close handling, time-zone alignment, and whether bot conversations are included. Match these in Reports → Conversations before assuming a divergence. **Q: Why don't new and closed net to my backlog change exactly?** Because conversations carried over from before the window, snoozed conversations, and merges all affect open count without appearing as a same-day create or close. Use **Open Backlog Trend** for the authoritative cumulative figure. **Q: Can I customise the alert threshold?** Yes. The "closed \< new for 7 days" rule is configurable per profile in the Sensitivity tab — tighten the day count for a faster warning or loosen it to reduce noise. *** ### Tracked live in Vortex IQ Nerve Centre *New vs Closed* is one of hundreds of KPI pulses Vortex IQ tracks across Intercom and 70+ other ecommerce connectors. Nerve Centre runs the detection layer; Vortex Mind investigates the cause when something moves; Ask Viq lets you interrogate any number in plain English. [Start for free](https://app.vortexiq.ai/login) or [book a demo](https://www.vortexiq.ai/contact-us) to see this metric running on your own data.