Docs › Automation › Human Handoff
Human Handoff
Transfer conversations from AI agents to human team members when needed.
Overview
Human Handoff ensures that AI agents know when to step aside and let a human team member take over. Not every conversation can be resolved by automation — complex issues, sensitive requests, and frustrated customers all benefit from a personal touch. The handoff system detects these situations and routes the conversation to your team seamlessly.
How Handoff Works
1
Trigger detected
The AI agent monitors the conversation for handoff triggers — specific keywords, sentiment changes, or repeated failures to answer a question.
2
AI notifies the customer
The agent sends a message letting the customer know they are being connected to a human team member.
3
Conversation enters handoff queue
The conversation appears in the handoff queue with a badge indicating it needs human attention. Team members are notified.
4
Human takes over
A team member claims the conversation from the queue and continues the chat. The full AI conversation history is preserved so the agent does not need to ask the customer to repeat themselves.
Info
The AI agent stops responding once a handoff is triggered. It will not resume until the human agent closes the conversation or explicitly reassigns it back to the AI.
Configuring Triggers
You can configure multiple trigger types that cause an automatic handoff:
1
Keyword detection
Define specific phrases that trigger a handoff, such as "speak to a human," "talk to someone," or "cancel my account." The AI scans each customer message for these keywords.
2
Sentiment threshold
Set a negative sentiment threshold. When the customer's messages consistently indicate frustration or anger beyond the threshold, the AI triggers a handoff automatically.
3
Failed responses
Configure the number of consecutive times the AI fails to provide a satisfactory answer. After the threshold is reached, the conversation is handed off.
4
Explicit request
When a customer explicitly asks to speak with a human, the AI always honors the request regardless of other settings.
Tip
Start with conservative trigger settings and adjust based on your conversation logs. Too many handoffs defeats the purpose of automation; too few can frustrate customers.
Managing Handoff Queue
The handoff queue is where conversations wait for a human to take over.
1
View the queue
Team members see a handoff badge in their inbox when conversations are waiting. Click the badge to view all pending handoffs.
2
Claim a conversation
Click "Claim" on any conversation to assign it to yourself. The conversation moves to your personal inbox and the customer is notified that a team member has joined.
3
Resolve and close
After resolving the issue, close the conversation. If appropriate, reassign the contact back to the AI agent for future interactions.