The fastest way to lose trust in an AI chat is to trap customers in a loop. A good handoff passes the chat to a person at the right moment, with the full conversation, so the customer never has to repeat themselves.
Last updated: October 17, 2026. Menus and button names can change, so if something looks different, look for the closest matching option.
Best for: Support teams combining AI and humans
Starting price: Essential $19/user/month (billed yearly)
When should the AI hand over?
| Situation | Why hand over |
|---|---|
| The customer asks for a person | Respect the request immediately |
| Angry or upset customer | Empathy and judgment matter |
| Refunds, cancellations, billing disputes | Money and policy exceptions |
| The agent cannot find an answer | Avoid guessing |
| High-value sales leads | A human can close bigger deals |
Step-by-step: configure handoff
Step 1: Turn on Transfer to human
In the AI agent’s skills, enable Transfer to human.
Step 2: Choose the routing
Select Automatic, or Transfer to a specific team if you have more than one team (for example Sales and Support).
Step 3: Add the ticket fallback
Tick Create a ticket. If no teammate picks up within 30 seconds, a ticket is created so the customer gets an answer later instead of waiting.
Step 4: Collect contact details
Enable Collect customer details so the agent asks for a name and email before handing over outside working hours.
Step 5: Write handoff rules in the instructions
Add a short rule, for example: “Transfer when the customer asks for a person, is upset, asks about refunds over $100, or when you cannot answer after one try. Tell them a team member will continue the chat.”
Step 6: Add specific routing with custom skills
For special cases, build a custom skill, such as transferring Spanish speakers to a Spanish team or product questions to Product Support.
Step 7: Test the full path
Preview only shows that a transfer would trigger. Test a real handoff on your website with a teammate online and again with everyone offline.
Check that the customer sees a clear message, such as “I’m connecting you with our team”, and an expected reply time.
Make handoffs smooth for your team
- Agents see the full AI conversation, so they should not ask the same questions again
- On the Growth plan, use chat supervision and takeover to step in before a transfer
- Tag transferred chats and review them weekly to improve the AI’s knowledge
More AI customer service guides
- How to Set Up the Text AI Agent (Step-by-Step)
- How to Train an AI Agent on Your Website, Files and FAQs
- How to Write AI Agent Instructions (With Prompt Templates)
- How to Add the Text Chat Widget to Your Website or WordPress
- How to Connect the Text AI Agent to Shopify
- How to Create a Custom Skill for the Text AI Agent
- How to Offer Discount Codes in AI Chat to Save Sales
- How to Run Multiple AI Agents for Different Websites or Languages
- How to Measure and Improve Your AI Agent Resolution Rate
- Best AI Customer Service Agents for Small Businesses (2026)
- Text AI Agent Pricing 2026: Plans, AI Resolutions and Real Costs
- Text vs Tidio (2026): Which AI Chat Platform Is Better?
Frequently asked questions
What happens if nobody is online?
With Create a ticket enabled, the chat becomes a ticket so your team can reply later by email.
Does a transferred chat count as an AI resolution?
Text counts a resolution when the AI agent answers at least one customer question, and charges at most one resolution per conversation. Check your plan details for how transfers are counted.
Wrap-up
Enable Transfer to human with a ticket fallback, collect contact details, write clear handoff rules and test a real transfer. Then use transferred chats to improve your AI resolution rate.
This guide is independent and is not sponsored by Text. Some links may be affiliate links, which never change our recommendations. See our Affiliate Disclosure.