Human Handoff Overview
Let your team step into a conversation when a customer needs a person, through live chat or Helpdesk tickets.
Your agent can answer most questions on its own. Human handoff brings in your team when a customer needs a person: to solve a tricky problem, handle a complaint, or close a sale.
How it works
A conversation needs your team
The customer selects the Talk to a person button, or the agent decides the conversation matches your escalation condition.
A ticket is opened
The conversation appears in the Helpdesk, and your team is notified.
A teammate replies
A teammate takes over and replies to the customer in the same chat window, or follows up on the ticket. Customers who left the chat get the reply by email.
The ticket is resolved
The teammate resolves the ticket and chooses whether the AI takes over again.
Two ways to hand off
| Method | What happens | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Live chat | The AI stops replying and a teammate takes over in real time. If nobody claims the request within a few minutes, it becomes a ticket. | Teams that can reply within minutes. |
| Create ticket | A Helpdesk ticket is created and the AI keeps responding. The team follows up later, and the customer gets the reply by email. | Teams that reply asynchronously. Anonymous visitors verify their email first. |
Conversation states
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
| AI is replying | The agent is handling the conversation. |
| Waiting for a teammate | The customer asked for a person and is waiting. |
| You’re replying or [Name] is replying | A teammate has taken over. The AI is paused. |
| Conversation ended | The conversation was resolved. |
Get started
- Configure human handoff on your agent.
- Learn how to reply in live chat.
- Learn how to work with tickets.
Something not working? See Troubleshooting human handoff and tickets.