There should be an Intercom alternative that kept a single chat per customer, and that chat could continue through email etc.
The current Intercom is so bizarre that for some sites I'm just visiting it pops up a new chat every time I go to the landing page. Then, even if I never answer that automatic message, the next time I go there there it is again, but a new chat is created nonetheless.
I'm curious how many people use Intercom just for the chat function. When I've used it, it has primarily been for the customer lifecycle management portion of the product. That is, the ability to send user level data into Intercom and then trigger action driven emails out to users based on a variety of rules.
Neat maybe can modify this to avoid blocking certain UI elements. The biggest issue IMO of intercom.io is how it can block critical parts of the UI when expanded.
The current Intercom is so bizarre that for some sites I'm just visiting it pops up a new chat every time I go to the landing page. Then, even if I never answer that automatic message, the next time I go there there it is again, but a new chat is created nonetheless.
I hope I'll use this soon.
disclaimer: I am the maker.