Chatbot handoff: passing a chat from AI to a person
Handoff is the moment an AI assistant realises it is not sure enough to answer, says so honestly instead of guessing, and passes the conversation to a real person. From then on the assistant stays out of the chat until it is handed back.
When does a handoff happen?
You pick one of three settings under "When to hand off":
- Whenever the assistant is not sure of the answer.
- Only when the customer asks for a person.
- Never: the assistant answers everything itself, and if it does not know it tells the customer to contact the store directly.
A chat is also handed to your team when the assistant hits an error, when the month's message limit or AI credits run out, or when a buyer sends something the assistant cannot read, such as a product card or video on a marketplace, and the Inbox shows the reason for each.
What does the customer see, and what does your team get?
Say a customer asks, "I bought this two months ago, can I still exchange it?", and your documents do not cover that case. The assistant replies: "I do not have that information yet. I can pass this to the team." The chat then appears as Handed off in your Inbox, and a team member presses Take over and replies. If the customer waits longer than the time you set, you get an alert by email or in the app. When the assistant hits an error or the AI credits run out, the customer instead gets a short note that the request has gone to the team.
How does a chat go back to the AI?
The assistant picks the chat up again 15, 30, 60 or 240 minutes after your team's last reply, and every new reply restarts the clock. You can also press Hand back now, choose Keep paused, or mark the chat done.
Why does an honest handoff build trust?
A wrong answer about a price or a policy costs more trust than "let me check with the team". Each handoff also shows what your knowledge is missing, because the Improve answers page lists the questions that went to your team.
To set it up, follow the guide to setting up handoff. To see how it works alongside human agents, read AI Chatbot vs live chat widgets or browse the features.
Frequently asked questions
Can I turn handoff off?
Yes, by choosing Never in the setting for when to hand off. The assistant then answers everything itself and tells customers to contact the store directly when it does not know, so only turn it off if nobody is available to take chats.
Does the assistant keep replying after a handoff?
No, it stays quiet until the chat is handed back. That happens when you press Hand back now, when 15, 30, 60 or 240 minutes pass after your team's last reply, or when you mark the chat done.
How do I know when a customer needs a person?
The chat shows as Handed off in your Inbox with the reason. If the customer waits longer than the time you set, you get an alert by email (on by default) or in the app.
How is a handoff different from a chatbot giving a wrong answer?
A wrong answer is a guess the customer may trust. A handoff is the assistant saying it lacks reliable information and passing the customer to a person, so nobody is misled.