Human Takeover

Human takeover is the process of transferring a conversation from an AI Chat Agent to a human team member. This happens when a visitor needs personal attention, the conversation requires judgment the AI cannot provide, or the AI agent is configured to hand off at certain points in the flow.

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How Takeover Works

When a human takeover is triggered, the following happens:

1. The conversation is flagged with human_handoff = true.
2. The conversation appears in the Unassigned tab if no specific team member has been designated.
3. The AI agent stops responding automatically — the conversation waits for a human.
4. Any team member can claim the conversation by clicking Assign to me.

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Taking Over a Conversation

There are two ways to take over a conversation:

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From the Unassigned Tab

1. Navigate to the Inbox and click the Unassigned tab.
2. Select a conversation from the list.
3. You will see a prompt: “Do you want to be assigned to this conversation?”
4. Click Assign to me to take ownership.
5. Once assigned, the message input becomes active and you can begin replying.

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Using the Assignment Dropdown

1. Open any conversation.
2. Click the assignee dropdown in the top-right corner of the chat thread.
3. Under Human Agents, select yourself (or another team member).

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Handing Back to the AI

When you are done handling a conversation and want the AI to resume:

1. Open the conversation.
2. Click the assignee dropdown in the top-right corner.
3. Under the AI Agents list, select the Chat Agent that should take over.
4. The conversation is reassigned to the AI, and it will resume responding to new messages from the visitor.

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What Happens During Handover

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Responder Tracking

The Inbox tracks who last responded to each conversation:

• In the conversation list: The assignee dropdown shows the current responder (AI agent or human team member) with their name and avatar.
• In filters: Use the “Responded By” filter in the Chat History page or the “Agent Type” filter in the Inbox to find conversations handled by specific agents or team members.
• In the Unassigned tab: Conversations show here when they have been flagged for human takeover but no team member has been assigned (the “last responded by” field is empty).

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When to Take Over

Common scenarios where human takeover is appropriate:

• Complex questions — the visitor asks something beyond the AI’s knowledge base
• Sensitive situations — complaints, billing disputes, or account issues that need a personal touch
• Sales opportunities — high-value leads that benefit from a human conversation
• Escalation requests — the visitor explicitly asks to speak with a person
• AI confusion — the AI is providing incorrect or irrelevant responses

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Best Practices

• Respond promptly after taking over. Visitors who triggered a human takeover are expecting faster, more personalized service.
• Review the conversation history before replying. The center panel shows the full thread, so you understand what the AI already discussed.
• Check the Analysis panel on the right side for an AI-generated summary of the conversation so far.
• Hand back to the AI when the issue is resolved and future messages can be handled automatically.
• Close the conversation if the issue is fully resolved and no further follow-up is needed.
• Use labels to tag conversations that required human intervention, so your team can analyze patterns and improve your AI agents.
• Leave a comment before handing back to AI, summarizing what you did and any follow-up needed — this helps other team members if the conversation comes back.