Handover Settings
The Handover page lets you configure when and how your AI agent transfers conversations to humans or other AI agents.
Accessing Handover Settings
- Go to Agents in the sidebar
- Click on the agent you want to configure
- Click the Handover tab
What is a Handover?
A handover occurs when your AI agent determines it should stop responding and transfer the conversation to a human or another agent. When a handover is triggered:
- You receive an email notification
- The chat status changes to Needs Attention
- The AI stops responding to the customer
- You (or your team) must enter Orki and take over the chat to continue
Default Handover Triggers
These three triggers are enabled by default and cover the most common scenarios where human intervention is needed:
| Trigger | Description |
|---|---|
| Frustrated Customer | If the customer seems dissatisfied with the current interaction, showing anger or resentment |
| Requested Human | If the customer explicitly requested talking to a human, a superior, or manager |
| Insufficient Information | If the AI doesn't have enough information to answer customer questions accurately |
You can toggle any of these triggers on or off using the switch next to each one.
Custom Handover Triggers
Beyond the default triggers, you can create custom handover triggers for situations specific to your business.
Examples of custom triggers:
- Customer is planning a wedding (route to wedding specialists)
- Customer mentions a complaint about a previous order
- Customer asks about bulk/corporate pricing
- Customer mentions they're a returning customer with issues
Creating a Custom Trigger
- Type your trigger reason in the text box (e.g., "someone is planning a wedding")
- Click Add
- Orki will auto-generate a title for your trigger (e.g., "Wedding Planning")
Once created, you can:
- Toggle it on or off
- Delete it if no longer needed
- Assign it to a specific team or agent
Custom Trigger Limits
You can have up to 3 custom handover triggers by default. To check your current usage and limits:
- Go to Settings
- Click Billing
- View your handover trigger allocation
Team Assignment
Each handover trigger has a dropdown to assign it to a specific team. This is useful when different people in your company should handle different types of inquiries.
| Assignment | What Happens |
|---|---|
| No team selected | Everyone on your team gets notified |
| Specific team selected | Only that team gets notified |
| Specific agent selected | Another AI agent takes over (see below) |
Example setup:
- "Frustrated Customer" → Customer Support Team
- "Wedding Planning" → Wedding Planners Team
- "Corporate Inquiry" → Sales Team
Setting Up Teams
Teams are created and managed in Settings > Team. See Team Management for details on creating teams and assigning members.
Agent-to-Agent Handover
Instead of handing over to a human team, you can hand over to another AI agent. This is useful when you have specialized agents for different purposes.
Example: You have two agents:
- General Support Agent - Handles all inquiries
- Wedding Specialist Agent - Has specific knowledge and instructions for weddings
When a customer mentions they're planning a wedding, the General Support Agent can automatically hand over to the Wedding Specialist Agent, who continues the conversation with specialized knowledge.
Setting Up Agent Handover
- Create a custom handover trigger (e.g., "Customer planning a wedding")
- In the team assignment dropdown, select the target AI agent instead of a team
- The selected agent will automatically take over and continue the conversation
Handover Notifications
When a handover occurs, you'll receive:
-
Email notification with:
- The reason for handover (e.g., "Frustrated Customer" or "Wedding Planning")
- A summary of the conversation to help you quickly take over
-
Chat marked as "Needs Attention" in your Chats inbox
This helps you prioritize and understand the context before jumping into the conversation.
Handover Message
When handing over to a human, your agent can send a message to the customer letting them know they're being transferred.
Default Message
The default message is:
"I transferred you to the specialized representative in our team. Please wait for them to get back to you."
Customizing the Message
You can:
- Toggle the message on or off (turn off if you don't want any message sent)
- Edit the message text to match your brand voice
Multi-Language Support
The handover message is sent in the customer's preferred language (based on their profile).
When editing your message:
- Click Save & Translate to automatically translate to all supported languages
- You can manually edit translations for any language if the auto-translation needs adjustment
Best Practices
Don't Disable All Triggers
Keep at least "Frustrated Customer" and "Requested Human" enabled. Customers expect to reach a human when they explicitly ask.
Use Specific Custom Triggers
Instead of broad triggers, create specific ones that route to the right team. This reduces response time and improves customer satisfaction.
Set Up Teams First
Before creating custom triggers with team assignments, set up your teams in Team Management.
Test Your Handovers
Use the Playground to test scenarios that should trigger handovers. Make sure the right triggers fire and notifications work.
Keep Handover Messages Brief
Customers in a handover situation may already be frustrated. Keep messages short and reassuring.
Next Steps
- Follow Up - Configure automated follow-up messages
- Knowledge Base - Manage agent knowledge access
- Tools - Add API integrations
- Team Management - Set up teams for handover routing