Human Handoff Support Workflow
This guide explains when a conversation should move from bot assistance to human handling and how teams should treat that workflow.
Overview
Human handoff is the safety valve for conversations the assistant should not handle alone.
Use this workflow when:
- the customer asks for a person
- the issue is sensitive or commercially important
- the assistant lacks confidence or enough context
- a specialist needs to step in
When Handoff Happens
Typical triggers include:
- explicit customer requests for human help
- low-confidence assistant behavior
- complex or exception-heavy requests
- internal rules that require manual review
Handoff Workflow
A simple handoff flow usually looks like this:
- the conversation is marked for review
- the team is notified or can see the status in the inbox
- a person reviews the context
- the person takes over the thread
- the issue is resolved or continued manually
Manage the Queue
Teams should be clear about:
- who reviews flagged conversations
- how urgency is prioritized
- when to take over immediately versus review first
Best Practices
- keep thresholds practical so only the right conversations are escalated
- make sure the human reviewer has enough context
- review repeated handoffs to improve bot behavior later
- keep support handling consistent across the team