> ## 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. # Volume by Channel, Intercom > Conversations split by source channel — email, chat, messenger and more — over 30 days. 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) > By `source.type` (email, chat, messenger, etc.). Where your customers actually reach you. ## At a glance > **Volume by Channel** is a Conversation Intelligence metric tracked from Intercom data. It splits the last 30 days of conversations by the channel they arrived on — email, in-app Messenger, live chat, social, and so on — and renders the mix as a donut. For the support lead and founder at Blitz it answers "where is demand coming from?", which drives staffing, automation, and where to invest in self-serve. A shifting mix often precedes a shift in cost-to-serve: chat is fast and cheap to deflect, email is slower and heavier. | | | | --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **What it counts** | Conversations created in the trailing 30 days, grouped by `conversation.source.type` (for example `email`, `conversation` / Messenger, `chat`, `push`, `facebook`, `twitter`). Each conversation counts once, in the channel it originated on. | | **Sample type** | Backend API data from Intercom (`conversations` grouped by `source.type`), refreshed on the standard data refresh. | | **Why it matters** | Channel mix determines your cost and speed of service. A growing email share usually means slower resolutions and higher handling cost; a growing Messenger/chat share means faster, more deflectable contacts. Knowing the split lets you put bots and macros where the volume is and staff the channels customers actually use. | | **Reading the value** | Read proportions and movement. The donut shows today's mix; compare the dominant slice to last period. A channel suddenly swelling — say email jumping from 30% to 55% — is a signal: an incident is pushing customers to a heavier channel, or a chat widget broke. Cross-reference **Conversation Volume Trend** to see whether the channel grew or just took a larger share of a flat total. | | **Currency** | number | | **Time window** | `30D` | | **Alert trigger** | `—` | | **Sentiment key** | `null` | | **Roles** | owner, operations | ## Calculation Calculated automatically from your Intercom data. Vortex IQ pulls every conversation with `created_at` in the trailing 30 days and groups the count by `conversation.source.type`, the field Intercom sets to record where the conversation originated. Each conversation is attributed to a single channel — its origin — even if later replies come through a different surface. The donut renders each channel's share of the 30-day total. See the worked example below for a typical reading. ## Worked example *A representative reading of **Volume by Channel** for Blitz on Intercom.* In a normal month the donut shows roughly 55% Messenger (shoppers messaging from the storefront), 30% email, 10% live chat, and 5% social. The support lead is comfortable: Messenger is the heaviest slice, so that is where the saved replies and the order-status bot live. Mid-month the mix shifts — email climbs to 50% and Messenger drops. Reading it alongside **Conversation Volume Trend** (which is flat) tells the founder the total did not grow; customers simply moved to email. Investigating, they find the storefront Messenger widget failed to load on mobile after a theme update. They fix the widget, and over the next week the donut returns to its Messenger-led shape. For deeper investigation, use Vortex Mind to correlate a channel shift with a site change; for natural-language exploration, ask Ask Viq "why did email volume jump this week?". ## Sibling cards merchants should reference together | Card | Why merchants reach for it | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | [`ic_volume_trend`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/intercom/conversation-volume-trend) | Confirms whether a channel grew in absolute terms or just took a bigger share of a flat total. | | [`ic_top_tags`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/intercom/top-topics-tags) | Pairs the "where" with the "what" — which topics dominate each channel. | | [`ic_median_first_response`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/intercom/median-first-response-time) | Heavier channels (email) usually carry slower first responses — read them together. | | [`ic_volume_by_hour`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/intercom/conversation-volume-by-hour) | Adds the "when" so you can staff each channel for its peak. | | [`ic_avg_parts`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/intercom/avg-replies-per-conversation) | Shows which channels generate longer back-and-forths and higher handling cost. | ## Reconciling against the vendor's own dashboard **Where to look in Intercom's own dashboard:** In **Reports → Conversations**, apply a breakdown or filter by "Channel" (Intercom groups on the same `source.type` family) over a matching 30-day range. Intercom's channel labels (Email, Messenger, Phone, Social) map onto the raw `source.type` values Vortex IQ groups by, so the proportions should align. The Inbox channel filters show live state, not 30-day created volume, and will not match. **Why the Vortex IQ value may legitimately differ:** | Reason | Direction | What to do | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Channel label grouping.** Intercom rolls several raw `source.type` values into friendly buckets; Vortex IQ may keep them split (e.g. `push` separate from Messenger). | Variable | Map the raw types to Intercom's buckets before comparing slice sizes. | | **Period boundary.** Rolling 30 days vs a fixed Reports range changes which conversations are in scope. | Variable | Set Intercom to the identical custom range. | | **Bot-originated conversations.** Conversations opened by a bot or proactive Series may be attributed differently or filtered out per your profile. | Variable | Match Intercom's bot-inclusion setting to your profile. | **Cross-connector reconciliation:** a sudden email surge can be the support footprint of a commerce incident — line the heavier channel up against **Support Spike on Failed Payments** to see if the contacts trace to refused payments. For divergence investigations, use Vortex Mind. ## Known limitations / merchant FAQs **Q: How often does Volume by Channel update?** The card refreshes on the standard data refresh (typically every 30-60 minutes for live integrations). **Q: Why does my Intercom dashboard show a different number?** The usual causes are channel-label grouping (raw `source.type` vs Intercom's friendly buckets), the rolling-vs-fixed period boundary, and whether bot-originated conversations are counted. Reconcile those in Reports → Conversations. **Q: Which channel does a conversation belong to if the customer switches mid-thread?** The channel of origin — `source.type` at creation. Later replies through other surfaces do not re-attribute it. **Q: Can I customise the alert threshold?** This card is a read-only mix with no threshold. For anomaly detection on total volume use **Volume Spike**; thresholds there are configurable per profile in the Sensitivity tab. *** ### Tracked live in Vortex IQ Nerve Centre *Volume by Channel* 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.