> ## 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. # Open Conversations, Intercom > Live count of every Intercom conversation still in the open state — your support backlog right now. How to read it, why it matters, and how to act on it. **Card class:** [Hero](/nerve-centre/overview#card-classes-explained) • **Category:** [Customer support](/nerve-centre/connectors#connectors-by-type) > The number of conversations currently in the open state across your Intercom inbox — your live support backlog. ## At a glance > **Open Conversations** is the size of Blitz's support backlog at this moment: every Intercom conversation whose `state` is `open` and not snoozed or closed, across all inboxes and teams. It is the most honest one-glance read of whether the desk is keeping pace. A steady number means replies are clearing at the rate they arrive; a climbing number means demand is outrunning capacity and customers are waiting longer than they should. The support lead watches it through the day; the founder watches the alert when it crosses the line. | | | | --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **What it counts** | The live count of conversations in the `open` state across the workspace (excludes `closed` and `snoozed`). Sourced from the Conversations API / search with `state = open`. | | **Sample type** | Real-time. Read directly from Intercom's open inbox folders rather than computed over a window. | | **Why it matters** | It is the clearest single signal of backlog pressure. A backlog that grows faster than the team clears it drives up first-response and resolution times and, a day or two later, drags CSAT down. Catching the climb early lets you add a shift before customers feel it. | | **Reading the value** | Lower is healthier, but "good" is relative to your volume and staffing. Watch the trend, not the absolute: a stable 30 is fine, a 30 climbing toward 55 is the warning. The alert fires above 50. | | **Currency** | number | | **Time window** | `RT` | | **Alert trigger** | `>50` | | **Sentiment key** | `conversation_backlog` | | **Roles** | owner, operations | ## Calculation Vortex IQ queries the Intercom Conversations search endpoint for conversations where `state = open`, counting each one once regardless of which inbox, team or admin it sits with. Snoozed conversations are excluded (they have a future `snoozed_until` and surface on the Snoozed Conversations card instead); closed conversations are excluded. The value is read in near real time so it reflects the inbox as a human would see it right now. ## Worked example *A representative reading of **Open Conversations** for Blitz on a busy Monday.* The card shows 57 and the alert has fired (threshold 50). Over the weekend the team ran a skeleton shift while a boxing-glove restock email went out, so new conversations piled up faster than anyone replied. The support lead opens the inbox, sees a cluster of identical "is the XL back in stock?" messages, and fires a saved reply to the lot — clearing 18 in ten minutes and dropping the count to 39. The deeper lesson lands on the New vs Closed card: closed trailed new for three straight days, which is what let the backlog build. The lead schedules a Monday-morning second shift so it does not recur. For the root cause of the spike, ask Ask Viq "what drove our open backlog above 50 this weekend?" or open Vortex Mind to break the spike down by tag and channel. ## Sibling cards merchants should reference together | Card | Why merchants reach for it | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | [`ic_backlog_trend`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/intercom/open-backlog-trend) | Plots this same count over 30 days so you can tell a blip from a building trend. | | [`ic_new_vs_closed`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/intercom/new-vs-closed) | Shows whether you are closing faster than conversations arrive — the mechanism that grows or shrinks the backlog. | | [`ic_unanswered_now`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/intercom/unanswered-awaiting-first-reply) | The urgent subset of the backlog: open conversations with no first reply yet. | | [`ic_health_score`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/intercom/support-health-score) | The composite this backlog feeds into as its "inverse backlog growth" input. | | [`ic_alert_oldest_open`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/intercom/oldest-open-conversation) | Surfaces the single conversation that has waited longest inside the backlog. | ## Reconciling against the vendor's own dashboard **Where to look in Intercom's own dashboard:** Open the **Inbox** and read the count on the **Open** folder (or **All open** across teams). That folder count is the closest native equivalent. The **Reports → Conversations** view can also show open volume, but it reports over a date range rather than the live "right now" the card shows. **Why the Vortex IQ value may legitimately differ:** | Reason | Direction | What to do | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ | | **Snoozed exclusion.** Vortex IQ counts only `open`; Intercom's inbox can fold snoozed conversations into some views. | Vortex IQ lower | Compare against the strict Open folder, not All. | | **Inbox scope.** A single agent's inbox shows only their conversations; the card counts the whole workspace. | Intercom view lower | Look at the all-teams open count. | | **Refresh lag.** The card reads in near real time but not instantaneously; a burst of new conversations may not appear for a minute. | Variable | Re-read after the next refresh. | | **Ticket vs conversation.** If the Tickets feature is in use, tickets are counted separately on Open Tickets, not here. | Variable | Cross-check the Open Tickets card. | **Cross-connector reconciliation:** a backlog spike often traces to a commerce or payment event — check Support Spike on Failed Payments and Complaints on Out-of-Stock SKUs when a sibling connector is live. For divergence investigations, use Vortex Mind. ## Known limitations / merchant FAQs **Q: How often does Open Conversations update?** It is a real-time card, read near-instantly from your open inbox folders. Expect at most a minute of lag during a volume burst. **Q: Why does my Intercom inbox show a different number?** Usually inbox scope (your personal inbox versus the whole workspace) or snoozed conversations being folded into a broader view. Compare against the strict all-teams Open folder. **Q: How does Open Conversations relate to other executive command centre metrics?** It is the raw backlog. Pair it with New vs Closed to see why it is moving, Backlog Trend to see the shape over time, and Unanswered to find the urgent slice. **Q: Can I customise the alert threshold?** Yes. The default fires above 50, but set it per profile in the Sensitivity tab to match the volume your team can comfortably hold. *** ### Tracked live in Vortex IQ Nerve Centre *Open Conversations* 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.