Human Agent Handoff Settings
Configure AI assistants to hand conversations over to human support when needed, including transfer conditions, messages and the queue experience, service hours, assignment modes, agent availability,
When a user's question exceeds what the AI assistant can handle (such as an explicit request for human support or a question involving sensitive information), the platform can transfer the conversation to a human support agent, who takes over replies in the admin interface. This page explains how to enable and configure handoff. For agents' daily operations, see Taking Over and Replying as a Human Support Agent.
Where to Configure
Go to “Conversation Platforms”, select the platform to enable, and switch to the “Human Support Handoff Settings” tab. Turn on “Enable Human Support Handoff” first to display the five configuration subtabs: Transfer Conditions, Transfer Messages, Service Hours, Assignment Settings, and Notifications.
Transfer Conditions
After you turn on “Enable Human Support Handoff”, AI evaluates whether a transfer is needed whenever a user message arrives.
The evaluation is based on “Role Instructions”: describe when to transfer to a human. The “Evaluation Model” decides based on recent conversation messages (the number is controlled by “Reference Message Count”).
The page provides four common conditions you can insert into the role instructions with one click:
User requests a transfer: The user explicitly asks to speak to a human support agent
Outside the knowledge base: The question is outside the knowledge base and AI cannot answer effectively
Repeated questions and dissatisfaction: The user repeatedly asks the same question and expresses dissatisfaction
Sensitive information: The conversation involves sensitive matters such as personal information changes, billing, or legal issues
Transfer Messages
Customize the messages sent to users at each transfer stage (leave a field blank to send no message):
Transfer notification
When human support handoff is triggered
—
Queue waiting message
When the user enters the queue
{position} queue position, {wait_time} estimated wait in minutes
Successful transfer message
After an agent is successfully assigned
{agent_name} agent name
Queue full notification
When the queue reaches capacity
—
Timeout notification
When a queue timeout returns the conversation to AI
—
While in the Queue
By default, users who send another message while waiting for human support receive no reply, which can make them feel their message has been read and ignored. The “While in the Queue” section at the bottom of the “Transfer Messages” subtab provides two switches (both off by default) that you can enable separately:
“Repeat Reminder While Queued”: When a queued user sends another message, the system replies with a waiting reminder to let them know they are still queued
“Allow Users to Cancel Human Handoff”: Queued users can click “Let AI Answer” or enter a cancellation keyword to return to AI service themselves instead of continuing to wait
This scenario illustrates the combined effect:
A support supervisor notices that during the evening peak, users often wait too long and repeatedly ask, “Is anyone there?” She enables both switches under “While in the Queue” for the web platform and saves the default text. When a queued user sends another message, they receive “You have been transferred to human support. Please wait” and a “Let AI Answer” button. A user who only wants to check business hours clicks the button and immediately receives “AI will now assist you.” AI then answers the question they asked while queued, without requiring them to wait for an agent.
Repeat Reminder While Queued
After enabling this setting, you can configure:
Waiting reminder text
The reply sent when a queued user sends another message. Enabling the switch fills in the default text, “You have been transferred to human support. Please wait”
Reminder cooldown
The minimum interval between two waiting reminders in the same conversation (10–3600 seconds; default 60 seconds). The “Queue waiting message” sent on entering the queue also starts the cooldown, preventing repeated reminders from flooding the chat when users send messages in quick succession
The waiting reminder is fixed text sent directly by the system, without AI generation.
Allow Users to Cancel Human Handoff
The cancel button and text guidance are appended only to waiting reminders sent by “Repeat Reminder While Queued.” Enable both switches so users can see how to cancel.
After enabling this setting, you can configure:
Cancel button text
Text of the quick-reply button below the waiting reminder. Defaults to “Let AI Answer,” with a maximum of 20 characters. Clicking the button sends this text as a message
Cancellation keywords
Cancellation occurs only when the user's message (with leading and trailing whitespace removed) exactly matches a keyword; fuzzy matching is not used. Defaults are “Let AI Answer,” “I won't wait,” and “AI is fine.” Set 1–10 keywords, each up to 20 characters
Return message
System reply after the user cancels. Defaults to “AI will now assist you”
After a user cancels:
The conversation leaves the queue and returns to AI replies, and the return message is sent
AI answers the last message the user sent while queued, so they need not ask again. The message that triggered human handoff is excluded; if the user sent no messages while queued, AI waits for their next message before replying
Cancellation is available only while the conversation is still queued and has not been assigned to an agent. Once automatic assignment assigns it, it counts as assigned even if the agent has not replied yet. After assignment, cancellation keywords are treated as ordinary messages and passed to the agent. No separate notification is sent to agents when a user cancels.
Saved settings take effect immediately and apply to the next message sent while queued. Turning off “Enable Human Support Handoff” also hides this section.
Service Hours
After you turn on “Enable Service Hours”, human support handoff operates only during the configured hours. Set the time zone and start and end times for each day of the week, or quickly apply “Monday–Friday 09:00-18:00”.
When human handoff is triggered outside service hours, “Offline Behavior” determines how it is handled:
Show offline message: Do not transfer; send the offline message and end the current reply. AI continues to answer subsequent general questions
Accept messages: Show the offline message and place the conversation in the “Unassigned” queue for an agent to take over during service hours
Assignment Settings
Assignment Mode
Under “Assignment Mode”, choose how transferred conversations reach agents:
Automatic assignment (default): The system automatically assigns transferred conversations to available agents based on the routing model
Claim mode: The system does not assign conversations automatically. They remain in the “Unassigned” list until an online agent clicks “I'll Take Over” to claim them
In claim mode, “Routing Model”, “Tag Routing”, and “Reassign on Timeout” are hidden and unused. You can still manually assign or transfer conversations on the conversation page: use “Assign Agent” for unassigned conversations and “Transfer” for conversations with an owner. In claim mode, select “No Timeout” to keep conversations waiting until an agent takes over, without returning to AI due to a queue timeout (see Capacity and Timeout Settings).
Selecting Support Agents
Under “Assignable Support Agents”, select the support roster for this platform. Automatic assignment assigns conversations only to agents who meet all of these conditions:
They are on the assignable roster
Their account is enabled and has support permissions for this conversation platform
Their availability status is “Available,” and they are not in a scheduled time-off period (see Agent Availability)
Their active conversation count is below the “Maximum Concurrent Conversations per Agent” limit
Each agent's current status (paused or on scheduled time off) appears beside their name and can be adjusted directly. See Agent Availability.
Routing Model
Displayed only in “Automatic assignment” mode.
Round Robin: Distribute conversations evenly among agents in a rotating sequence
Least Active: Prioritize the agent currently handling the fewest conversations
Capacity and Timeout Settings
Maximum concurrent conversations per agent
Maximum conversations an agent can handle simultaneously; no more are assigned once this limit is reached
Waiting timeout
If no agent takes over within this time (1–3600 seconds), the conversation returns to AI replies and a timeout notification is sent. In claim mode, select “No Timeout” to wait until an agent takes over
Reassign on timeout
Automatic assignment mode only. A timeout reassigns the conversation to the next available agent instead of returning directly to AI; see below
Queue capacity
Maximum queued conversations; new transfer requests are skipped when the queue is full
Reassign on Timeout
After you enable “Reassign on Timeout” (off by default, automatic assignment mode only), both of these cases reassign the conversation to the next available agent, skipping agents already assigned:
Queue timeout: No one takes over before the waiting timeout expires
Assigned but no reply: An automatically assigned agent does not reply to the user before the waiting timeout expires
If no other available agents remain who have not already been assigned, the conversation returns to AI and a timeout notification is sent. Conversations assigned or transferred manually, or claimed by agents themselves, are not automatically reassigned.
Tag Routing
After you turn on “Enable Tag Routing”, the system assigns conversations to members associated with the conversation's tags (for example, “Billing” conversations go to billing team members). First create conversation tags and assign tags to members. Enabling “Conversation Analysis” is recommended to automatically tag conversations during handoff. If a tag has no associated members, the system falls back to standard assignment logic.
Agent Availability
Agents can indicate whether they can accept new conversations now, so automatic assignment routes only to those who can handle them. Availability has two layers; either of the following prevents automatic assignment:
Availability status: “Available” or “Paused.” Automatic assignment skips paused agents; switching back to available immediately restores eligibility
Scheduled time off: Set leave or off-duty periods in advance (to the minute; multiple non-overlapping periods are supported). No conversations are automatically assigned during these periods; eligibility resumes when they end
Agents can change their own status and configure “My Time Off” on the conversation page. See Setting Your Availability Status. Conversation platform administrators can also adjust an agent's “Status” directly in “Assignable Support Agents”, or click “Time Off” to schedule periods for them. To change another agent's status or time off, you must be the organization owner or have edit permissions for at least one conversation platform whose assignment roster includes that agent.
This scenario illustrates scheduled time off:
A support supervisor learns that an agent will be on leave all day next Wednesday. She finds the colleague in the roster under “Assignment Settings,” clicks “Time Off,” adds all of Wednesday, and saves. On Wednesday, new human handoff conversations are no longer assigned to that agent. When the period ends, the agent automatically becomes eligible again, without anyone needing to remember to switch them back.
Agent Workload
The “Agent Workload” panel at the bottom shows each agent's active and resolved conversation counts and status, plus the current queue size, in real time, helping administrators track workload. Statuses appear in this priority order: On time off > Paused > At capacity > Available for assignment.
Notifications
When a conversation is assigned to an agent, the system uses “Notification Center Announcements” and “Email Notifications” to notify the assignee and copied recipients (such as supervisors). Templates are customizable. For complete setup instructions, template variables, and common questions, see Human Support Handoff Notifications.
Notifications are sent when a conversation is assigned to an agent. In message-taking mode or claim mode (where conversations remain in “Unassigned”), no Email notification is sent at this stage. Arrange for agents to check “Unassigned” regularly.
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