Human Handoff
A good agent knows its limits. When a customer is frustrated, the case is sensitive, or the agent keeps failing to resolve a question, the right move is to bring in a person. Achilles makes this a built-in, rule-driven behaviour. The decision is made by the platform following your rules, not by asking the AI whether it should escalate, so it happens consistently.
When a handoff happens
You choose the triggers. There are three kinds.
| Trigger | Example | When it is checked |
|---|---|---|
| Words the customer uses | "speak to someone", "complaint", "escalate" | Before the agent replies |
| The same question keeps coming back | The customer has asked the same thing three times without a resolution | Before the agent replies |
| A record that needs review | A policy with a premium above a limit you set, or a claim marked disputed | Right after the agent looks up the record |
The third trigger is powerful for compliance. The rule reads the real value from your system, even if the value is hidden from the customer, so your policy applies regardless of how the question was phrased.
Rules are read by a simple, predictable matcher. If a field is missing or a rule cannot be understood, the rule does not fire, and it never crashes the conversation. If several rules match, the first one wins.
What the customer sees
The agent stops working on the request and shows a clear message that you write, including a reference number. For example: "I have passed our conversation to your branch manager. Your reference number is shown below. They will be in touch within 2 business hours."
In the website widget, the message appears as a handoff card and the chat box is switched off. This is deliberate: the conversation is now in a person's hands, and the customer should not carry on talking to the bot.
Promise only what your team can deliver. If you state a response time, make sure the people receiving handoffs can meet it.
What the human receives
A handoff package is prepared for the colleague, so the customer does not have to repeat themselves.
| Included | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Reference number | Lets both sides refer to the same case |
| Who the customer is | Identity as it was known to the agent |
| Why it was escalated | Which trigger fired |
| A short summary | A quick read of the situation |
| Full transcript | The complete conversation |
| Data the agent retrieved | What was looked up on the customer's behalf, as the customer saw it |
If the summary cannot be generated, the colleague still gets the full transcript. The handoff is recorded even if the notification fails to send. A delayed notification is better than a lost escalation, and a warning is raised so you can follow up.
Notifications
You choose which role is notified, and how. Email is the typical choice, and a webhook can push the case into a ticketing or case-management tool. Your IT team sets up the delivery details once, and it is covered in the IT overview. Until delivery is set up, handoffs are still recorded and appear in the console, but nobody is alerted, so confirm this before launch.
Setting it up
- In the console, open Agents under Build, and choose your agent.
- Turn on handoff and list the phrases, the number of repeated turns and any record-based rules.
- Choose which role is notified and write the message the customer will see.
- Ask IT to confirm the notification route.
- Test in the Playground: type one of your trigger phrases and confirm that the card appears and the notification arrives.
Working the queue
Handed-off conversations appear on the Transfer Sessions page under Operate, and in Sessions with a handed-off status. Open one to read the full conversation and the reason for escalation. See Monitor your agent.
Best practice
- Start with a small set of clear phrases such as complaint, escalate and speak to someone, then extend them from real conversations.
- Always include your regulatory triggers, for example complaints, disputes, or vulnerable customer signals.
- Set high-value or high-risk thresholds on records so people review the cases that matter most.
- Assign a named owner for the notification role, with cover for absence, and measure how quickly handoffs are picked up.
- Review handed-off conversations weekly. They show what the agent cannot yet do, and what to add next.
- For approvals that need a second person, use handoff rather than expecting the agent to collect a co-signature. See Approvals.
Next, read how every step is recorded in Audit trail.