Human Handoff

Human handoff is the process of smoothly transitioning a conversation from AI to a human agent. It's the "human by design" part of AI Hybrid Chat.

When Handoff Happens

Handoff can occur in three ways:

1. AI-Initiated

The AI recognizes it needs help:

Confidence score below threshold
Complex question outside knowledge base
Customer expresses frustration
Topic requires human judgment

2. Customer-Requested

Customer explicitly asks for human help:

"I want to talk to a person"
"Can I speak with a human?"
Clicks "Talk to a person" button

3. Agent-Initiated

Your team proactively takes over:

Sees high-value customer
Notices sensitive topic
Wants to provide personalized help

The best handoffs are seamless — customers shouldn't feel like they're being "transferred" but rather that help is arriving.

How Handoff Works

Trigger occurs

One of the three handoff scenarios above happens.

Team is notified

Agents receive notification (Slack, email, push).

Conversation is queued

Appears in open/unassigned conversations.

Agent claims or is assigned

Team member takes ownership.

Human responds

Agent continues the conversation.

AI steps back

AI Copilot assists but doesn't auto-respond.

Taking Over a Conversation

From the Dashboard

Go to Conversations

See unassigned/open conversations.

Click 'Take Over'

Claim the conversation.

Review context

Read the conversation and AI summary.

Respond

Send your message to the customer.

From Notifications

If you receive a Slack or push notification:

Click the notification link
Opens directly to the conversation
Review and respond

What Customers See

During handoff:

Message: "Let me connect you with a team member..."
Brief wait (if agents are available)
Agent introduction: "Hi! I'm [Name], happy to help!"
Conversation continues naturally

Customize the handoff message in your widget theme settings.

AI Copilot

When you take over, AI Copilot helps:

Response Suggestions

AI drafts suggested responses
Based on conversation context
Uses your knowledge base
You can accept, edit, or ignore

Context Summary

AI provides conversation summary
Key points highlighted
Customer intent identified
Related knowledge base articles shown

Knowledge Search

Search your knowledge base
Insert answers into responses
Link to documentation

Availability and Routing

Agent Availability

Set your status:

Available — Ready for handoffs
Busy — Currently handling chats
Away — Temporarily unavailable
Offline — Not working

Routing Rules

Configure how handoffs are routed:

Method	Description
Round Robin	Distribute evenly
First Available	Fastest agent takes it
Skill-Based	Match by expertise
Load Balanced	Based on current workload

Offline Handling

When no agents are available:

AI continues to help
Collects customer email
Queues for follow-up
Sends email when agent responds

Escalation Rules

Use orchestrations to control handoff:

Always Escalate

For sensitive topics:

Condition: message_contains: refund, cancel, legal
Action: escalate_to_human

Route to Specific Team

For specialized questions:

Condition: url_contains: /enterprise
Action: notify_team: enterprise-sales

Time-Based Routing

Different handling by time:

Condition: business_hours: false
Action: ask_for_email, queue_for_later

Handoff Best Practices

Quick Response

Respond within 2-3 minutes of takeover
Acknowledge the customer immediately
If you need time, say so

Read the Context

Review the full conversation
Note what AI already tried
Understand the customer's frustration level

Don't Repeat

Build on what AI said
Don't ask questions AI already asked
Reference previous answers

Be Human

Introduce yourself
Show personality
Express empathy when appropriate

Follow Through

Solve the issue completely
Confirm resolution
Offer additional help

Measuring Handoff Performance

Track in Analytics:

Metric	Target
Handoff Rate	< 30% of conversations
Response Time	< 3 minutes
Resolution Rate	> 90% after handoff
CSAT after Handoff	> 4.5/5