Product-market fit (PMF) means your product solves a real problem for a specific market.
The term was popularized by Marc Andreessen, who defined PMF as being in a good market with a product that satisfies it. At Intercom, Paul Adams put it more plainly: your product does what your customers need.
The key insight: PMF isn’t permanent. Markets shift. Technology evolves. Customer expectations change. Even mature companies must keep re-earning it.
The Problem: Tickets Didn’t Have PMF
Intercom’s ticketing product lagged behind customer needs.
Customers used Intercom for live chat—but relied on tools like Zendesk or ServiceNow for tickets. That fragmentation blocked Intercom from becoming their all-in-one support platform.
A 2022 attempt to fix this fell short. The team learned the hard truth: ticketing was an iceberg problem. They’d only scratched the surface. The product lacked the depth required for serious support teams. PMF wasn’t there.
Step One: Choose the Hard Customer
Instead of chasing easy wins, Intercom focused on the toughest audience:
- Process-oriented teams already using mature ticketing systems
- These teams would only switch if Intercom truly fit their workflows
If Intercom could win them, PMF would be real.
Why Adoption Metrics Failed
Adoption looked tempting—but it misled.
- It lagged behind reality
- It could be inflated by less demanding customers
- It distracted teams from fixing core product gaps
Adoption wasn’t ignored. It was deliberately deprioritized until the product truly fit the market.
The Breakthrough: The PMF Panel
Intercom created a PMF Panel—a small, high-quality group of target customers who:
- Used Intercom for chat
- Used other tools for tickets
- Had real intent to switch
The panel tracked:
- Customer and decision-maker
- Current tool
- Contract timelines
- Real-time status and blockers
This turned PMF from a guess into a daily signal.
What Changed Because of the Panel
1. A Smarter Roadmap
Some loud feature requests weren’t deal-breakers. Others were non-negotiable.
The panel clarified what had to ship versus what could wait.
2. Stronger Team Ownership
Engineers, designers, and PMs acted like customer success managers.
They jumped on calls. Fixed small issues fast. Felt the pain directly.
Morale rose because impact was obvious.
3. Faster Feedback
Teams got answers in days—not quarters.
The PMF Panel became a high-speed research loop that kept development focused.
The Result: PMF That Scaled
As panel customers began switching, something else happened.
Customers outside the panel started switching too.
By solving for a demanding few, Intercom built something valuable for many.
Why This Approach Works Anywhere
The PMF Panel isn’t just for startups—or ticketing.
Intercom now uses it across:
- Existing products
- New features
- Entirely new bets like AI tools
The lesson is simple:
Don’t ask the market if your product is good.
Ask the right customers if it’s good enough to switch.
That’s how you find PMF—and keep it.
