Escalation
Escalation rules control when and how your AI agent hands off a conversation to a human team member.
Trigger conditions
Keyword-based
Add keywords that trigger immediate escalation. When a customer uses any of these words, the agent stops responding and notifies your team.
Common escalation keywords: human, agent, speak to someone, manager, complaint
AI-initiated
The agent automatically escalates when it:
- Cannot find relevant information in the knowledge base
- Detects customer frustration
- Encounters a complex issue it can't resolve
Auto-escalation timeout
Set a time limit (default: 30 minutes). If a conversation has been handled by AI for longer than this, it's automatically escalated.
Max conversation turns
Set a maximum number of AI replies (default: 20). After this many turns, the conversation is escalated.
Routing
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Round Robin | Assign to team members in rotation |
| Specific Users | Always assign to selected team members |
| Unassigned | Leave unassigned for any team member to pick up |
What happens on escalation
- The conversation is marked as escalated in the inbox
- The AI agent stops replying
- A team member is notified (based on routing mode)
- The human agent sees the full conversation history plus the escalation reason
Taking over from AI
Any team member can take over an AI-handled conversation at any time by clicking Take Over in the reply area. This immediately stops the AI and gives control to the human.