Glossary
Human handoff
What a human handoff is, and what should happen when a caller or a chat visitor asks an AI for a person.
Updated
Human handoff: A human handoff is the moment an AI on a call or in a chat passes the conversation to a person. During business hours that usually means a live transfer to someone on the team; after hours it is more often a booked callback or a message with the details. A good handoff carries over what the AI already learned, so the customer does not have to start again. Which questions always go to a person, and who takes them, is settled before the AI goes live.
Where it shows up
AI receptionist and chat products list it under names such as escalation or warm transfer, where the person picking up hears a short summary before the caller is put through. It is the first thing worth testing in any of them: ask for a person and see what happens.
Our written plans set the handoff before launch, from the number calls go through to in your hours to the rule after you close, and they list the questions the AI is set to pass on rather than answer, such as medical or legal ones.
Related terms
- Call transcriptWhat a call transcript is, and how it differs from a recording of the same call.
- AI hallucinationWhat an AI hallucination is, and how an AI job is set up to catch one.
- CRMWhat a CRM is, and when a small business needs a custom one instead of an off-the-shelf product.
- Every term in the glossary
Start with a written plan
Tell us about the business and what you need. We reply with questions, then a written plan that lists the work and its price, and nothing starts until you have read it.