Human handoff lets your team continue a conversation that the AI assistant should not resolve alone. Good handoff has three parts: the trigger that decides when a person steps in, the message the customer hears, and the alert that tells the right teammate what to do next. Plan all three, then test the entire flow on every channel you use.
This guide covers InsertChat’s default handoff rules, how to write the handoff message, what happens on phone calls, how alerts and the needs-you queue work, and a test plan to run before going live.
When should a person step in?
A person should step in when the customer asks for one, the answer is missing or uncertain, two attempts have failed, the customer is upset, or the request falls outside the assistant’s permissions. InsertChat turns all five rules on by default; you can adjust each one and add your own topics.
| Default rule | What triggers it |
|---|---|
| The customer asks for a person | The customer clearly requests someone |
| The answer is uncertain | Approved information is missing or conflicts, so the assistant doesn’t guess |
| Two attempts fail | The customer says twice that an answer didn’t help |
| The customer is upset | Threats, severe frustration, or repeated complaints |
| The action is sensitive or restricted | The request is outside approved permissions or business rules |
Then add the situations your team already escalates as handoff topics: emergencies, complaints, custom quotes, billing disputes, refunds, and anything that needs medical, legal, or financial advice. You can also list promises the assistant must never make, such as same-day service or a price for work it hasn’t seen.
What should the customer hear?
The handoff message should tell the customer that a person will help and what happens next, in one or two plain sentences. InsertChat’s default is: “I want to make sure you get the right help. I’m asking a person to join this conversation.” Edit it to match your hours and your follow-up time.
A few examples to adapt:
- During opening hours, on chat: “I’m bringing in someone from our team to help with this. They’ll reply here shortly.”
- After hours, on a call: “I’ve passed your details to our team. Someone will call you back by 10 a.m. tomorrow.”
- For an emergency: read your written safety steps first, then say who has been alerted and how they’ll reach the customer.
Avoid promising a response time your team cannot meet, especially outside your opening hours. Put the follow-up promise in the assistant’s knowledge so every channel gives the same one.
How does handoff work on phone calls?
InsertChat does not transfer live calls. On the phone, handoff means the assistant collects the caller’s details and request, marks the conversation needs-you, emails the teammates you chose, and tells the caller your team will follow up. A caller who asks for a callback gets a confirmation by text or email after the call.
If your callers expect a person first, put people first in your call routing. With “AI when unanswered,” calls ring your team’s number for 5 to 60 seconds before the AI receptionist answers, and calls that reach a staff voicemail box return to the assistant. With “AI after hours,” your team takes calls during opening hours and the assistant takes the rest. The after-hours answering page explains both.
For emergencies, write the safety steps the assistant should read, including any emergency number, and make the topic a handoff trigger. An urgent call raises an alert so the on-call person sees it first.
How does handoff work on email and messages?
On website chat, SMS, and WhatsApp, a teammate can pick up the conversation in the shared inbox and reply in the same thread. On email, automatic replies are off by default; when you turn them on, replies that are uncertain, involve an upset customer or a complaint, or touch payment or legal matters wait for a person.
You can also add a sending delay to automatic email replies and limit them to business hours, so your team has a chance to step in before a reply goes out.
Keep the conversation and context available
In the shared inbox, a teammate should be able to see what the customer asked, what the assistant answered, and the details already collected. Calls include a transcript and an AI summary.
Use internal notes for information intended for teammates. Keep those notes separate from customer-facing replies. Categories and tags help organize requests, while saved replies can support consistent responses without losing the customer’s specific question.
Review the contact record for relevant history and appointments before continuing the conversation.
Who gets alerted, and where?
Choose which teammates are emailed when a conversation needs a person. Each handoff also lands in the needs-you queue on the Today view, next to missed calls and actions waiting for approval, so whoever opens the workspace sees what to handle first.
Teammates can also be notified when a new contact is captured or an appointment is booked, either immediately or in a daily summary, and urgent conversations raise an alert. Decide who owns the needs-you queue each morning and who covers evenings and weekends.
Separate human handoff from action approval
A conversation may need a person to reply. A tool action may need a person to authorize it. Check both parts of the workflow.
For example, a customer can receive an answer about your booking process while a calendar action still waits for approval. Review Today and the relevant action details to find work that needs a decision. See actions and approvals for how connected tools fit into the workspace. Texts and emails the assistant proposes to send always need review and the customer’s consent.
Choose which supported actions can run automatically and which should wait for review. Test the permissions for each connected tool before relying on the workflow.
Run a handoff test
Use the channel your customers will use and work through these checks:
- Ask for a person directly and confirm the conversation is marked needs-you.
- Ask a question your knowledge doesn’t answer and check that the assistant hands off instead of guessing.
- Say twice that an answer didn’t help and confirm the handoff.
- Read the assistant’s message and check that it explains the next step accurately.
- Find the request in the inbox and confirm the teammate you chose was emailed.
- Check that the teammate can see the history and collected details, then continue the reply.
- Describe an emergency on a test call and confirm the safety steps and the urgent alert.
- If a tool action is pending, review it separately and confirm its outcome.
Repeat with a request outside business hours. Update the instructions or business knowledge when the result is unclear.
Explore the InsertChat demo for sample conversations and actions, or return to the channel setup guide before going live.