Human handoff best practices

When should you hand off?

Scenario	Why
Customer is angry or frustrated	Emotional situations need human empathy. Bob can de-escalate but should not handle complaints end to end.
Refund or compensation request	These need human judgement and authority. Bob collects details and escalates.
Complex customisation request	Anything requiring negotiation or a custom quote is not Bob's job.
Sensitive personal information shared	Medical, financial or legal detail requires a human.
Customer explicitly asks for a human	Always respect this. Never have Bob pretend to be a person.
Bob says it does not know three times running	A pattern of unknowns means the conversation is out of scope. Escalate rather than frustrate.

1. Configure handoff settings

Go to Agent Settings → the Handoff & Fallback section.

Max Messages Before Handoff. Set a limit — say 10. A conversation that reaches it without resolution triggers a handoff automatically.

Fallback Message. What Bob says before handing over: "Let me connect you with our team. They'll be with you shortly."

Handoff Email. Bob emails your team when a handoff fires, with the conversation details attached.

Handoff Phone / URL. Redirects the customer to a WhatsApp number or a booking form for human follow-up.

2. Take over manually with Copilot Mode

When you need to step in yourself:

1. Open the conversation in your Inbox
2. Click Take Over. Bob pauses immediately
3. Handle the conversation yourself
4. Click Resume AI when you are done

3. Write the handoff message well

Your fallback message sets the tone of the whole handover. Templates that work:

General handoff. "I want to make sure you get the best help possible. Let me connect you with our team — they'll be in touch shortly."

Complaint handoff. "I'm sorry to hear that. I'm passing you to our team now so they can resolve this properly. You'll hear from us within [timeframe]."

Complex enquiry. "This is a great question that deserves a detailed answer from our team. I'll connect you with the right person."

After hours. "Our team is currently offline. We'll get back to you on the next working day (Mon–Fri, 10AM–6PM MYT)."

4. Brief your team

Make sure everyone knows:

• How to check the admin panel for handoff notifications
• How to use Copilot Mode — Take Over and Resume AI
• What response time to promise customers, and to say it out loud
• What to do once they have resolved it and want Bob to continue
• Which conversation types always escalate — never let Bob handle a complaint end to end

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the customer know they have been handed to a person?

Only if you say so, which the templates above do. Bob never claims to be human, and never claims to be a person handing over — the transition is stated plainly.

What happens to a conversation left in Copilot Mode overnight?

Nothing. Bob stays paused on that chat until someone clicks Resume AI, so the customer's next message waits for a human. Make ending Copilot Mode part of your team's end-of-shift routine.

Can I escalate to different people for different topics?

Set the handoff email or number that covers the majority, and use excluded tags to route the exceptions. See Tags and reply modes.