# Human handoff

> When the agent shouldn't answer alone — how handoff works, how to trigger it, and what each plan tier supports.

import Screenshot from "../../../components/docs/Screenshot.astro";

No agent should answer everything. Some questions are out of scope (legal, billing exceptions, complaints), some need a human's judgment, and some users just prefer talking to a person. Owlish's handoff flow is built so the transition is clean — the visitor doesn't repeat themselves, and your operator picks up with full context.

## How handoff works

When handoff fires, three things happen:

1. The session is flagged in **Helpdesk → Inbox** under the **Awaiting handoff** filter (and surfaces in the **Live conversations** view too, since it's active).
2. The visitor sees a "we're connecting you with a human — usually within a few minutes" message.
3. Available operators are notified (in-app and, if configured, via email or Slack).

The agent stops generating new replies until an operator either takes over or releases the session back. To pick up a handoff, switch into Helpdesk mode in the console.

<Screenshot src="/screenshots/helpdesk-01-live-conversations.webp" alt="Live conversation view with an active visitor session and take-over action." label="Console · Awaiting handoff" description="The handoff queue view with each session showing visitor info, last message, and a 'Take over' button." />

## Triggering handoff

Handoff can fire three ways:

- **Visitor asks for it.** "Can I talk to a person?" — the agent recognizes this and triggers handoff.
- **Agent decides.** When the agent is uncertain or the topic is in your no-answer list, it triggers handoff itself.
- **Operator pulls.** From the inbox, an operator can take over any active session.

You configure which of these are enabled per agent under **Agent → Handoff settings**.

## Plan-tier behavior

Handoff is opt-out on Growth and Scale (enabled by default; you can disable). On Starter, handoff is hard-gated off — the agent will answer or refuse, but won't pull in a human. Agency tier inherits Scale behavior.

## Picking up a conversation

In the Inbox, click **Claim** to take ownership of the session. The agent stays paused; you're now the participant the visitor is talking to. Use **Send operator reply** to message them. When you're done, click **Resolve** to close the session, or **Return to AI** to hand control back to the agent.

If you need to interrupt the agent mid-stream, **Barge in** stops the current generation and gives you control immediately.

## Next steps

- **[Conversations inbox](/docs/helpdesk/conversations)** — the master list where handoff requests appear.
- **[Members](/docs/settings/members)** — who in your workspace can take over a session (Operators and above).

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Source: https://owlish.bot/docs/helpdesk/human-handoff