Overview

Human handoff ensures customers can reach a real person when the AI agent can't fully resolve their issue. Agent Rush makes these transitions smooth and maintains full conversation context.

Handoff Triggers

Configure when the agent should escalate to a human:

Customer Request

Customer explicitly asks to speak with a human

Negative Sentiment

Customer shows frustration or anger

Conversation Length

Issue not resolved after N exchanges

Topic-Based

Sensitive topics like billing disputes, complaints

Configuration

Handoff Settings

{
  "handoff": {
    "enabled": true,
    "triggers": {
      "customer_request": true,
      "sentiment_threshold": -0.5,
      "max_exchanges": 10,
      "low_confidence_threshold": 0.3,
      "topics": ["billing_dispute", "legal", "complaint"]
    },
    "routing": {
      "method": "round_robin",
      "fallback": "queue",
      "priority_boost_on_sentiment": true
    },
    "messages": {
      "handoff_initiated": "I'm connecting you with a team member who can help further.",
      "waiting_for_agent": "Please hold while I find an available agent. You're {{position}} in queue.",
      "agent_connected": "You're now connected with {{agent_name}}."
    }
  }
}

Routing Methods

Round Robin

Distribute conversations evenly across available agents.

"routing": {
  "method": "round_robin",
  "agent_pool": ["agent_1", "agent_2", "agent_3"]
}

Skill-Based

Route to agents based on expertise matching the conversation topic.

"routing": {
  "method": "skill_based",
  "skills": {
    "billing": ["agent_1", "agent_2"],
    "technical": ["agent_3", "agent_4"],
    "sales": ["agent_5"]
  }
}

Load-Based

Route to the agent with the fewest active conversations.

"routing": {
  "method": "load_based",
  "max_concurrent_per_agent": 5
}

Context Transfer

When a conversation is handed off, human agents receive full context:

•Complete conversation history
•Customer information and profile
•Detected intent and sentiment
•Actions attempted by the AI agent
•AI-generated summary of the issue
•Suggested resolution steps

Webhook Integration

Receive notifications when handoffs occur:

Handoff Webhook Payload

{
  "event": "conversation.handoff_requested",
  "timestamp": "2026-01-12T10:30:00Z",
  "data": {
    "conversation_id": "conv_xyz789",
    "customer": {
      "id": "cust_456",
      "name": "Priya Sharma",
      "email": "priya@example.com"
    },
    "trigger": "sentiment_threshold",
    "sentiment_score": -0.65,
    "summary": "Customer frustrated about delayed order ORD-12345. AI unable to provide updated delivery date.",
    "suggested_actions": [
      "Check logistics system for actual ETA",
      "Consider offering compensation"
    ],
    "priority": "high"
  }
}

Business Hours

Configure behavior when human agents are unavailable:

{
  "handoff": {
    "business_hours": {
      "timezone": "Asia/Kolkata",
      "schedule": {
        "monday": { "start": "09:00", "end": "18:00" },
        "tuesday": { "start": "09:00", "end": "18:00" },
        "wednesday": { "start": "09:00", "end": "18:00" },
        "thursday": { "start": "09:00", "end": "18:00" },
        "friday": { "start": "09:00", "end": "18:00" },
        "saturday": { "start": "10:00", "end": "14:00" }
      }
    },
    "outside_hours": {
      "action": "collect_callback",
      "message": "Our team is currently offline. Can I collect your details for a callback?"
    }
  }
}

Agent Dashboard Integration

Human agents can manage handoffs from the Agent Rush dashboard or integrate with existing tools:

Zendesk - Create tickets on handoff
Freshdesk - Route to Freshdesk agents
Intercom - Seamless Intercom handoff
Custom - Webhook to your own system

Zendesk Integration

Webhooks

Human Handoff