An AI chatbot with a real way to reach a person
The worst chatbot experience is being trapped with one. CenterChat lets visitors ask for a person at any time, offers one when the agent cannot confirm an answer, and puts the conversation in a live inbox where your team can take over with the full history in front of them.
- Ask for a person any time
- Offered when no source is found
- Live inbox takeover
- handoff.requested webhook
What is human handoff in an AI chatbot?
Human handoff is the point where an AI chatbot passes a conversation to a person, with its history, instead of trying to answer on its own. It should happen when the customer asks, when the bot has no reliable answer, or when the topic needs human judgement. A good handoff tells the customer what happens next and gives the agent everything said so far.
How handoff works in CenterChat
- On request, always
- Visitors can ask for a person at any time, and the conversation is marked for your team straight away.
- When the agent can't confirm
- If nothing in your knowledge supports an answer, the agent says so and offers a person or your contact details.
- Live inbox
- Your team sees every conversation as it happens and can take over and reply from the inbox.
- Alerts where you work
- Each handoff sends a signed handoff.requested webhook you can route to Slack, email or your help desk through Zapier, Make or your own endpoint.
- Contact details captured
- When no one is available, the agent collects contact details so your team can follow up.
- Handoffs as a signal
- Handoff reasons and unanswered questions feed the improvement suggestions, so recurring gaps get fixed.
How to set it up
Most owners finish setup in one sitting. Agencies repeat the same three steps for each client.
- Step 1
Decide your boundaries
List the topics that always go to a person, such as refunds, complaints and account changes, and add them to the agent's instructions.
- Step 2
Route the alert
Point the handoff webhook at the channel your team watches.
- Step 3
Review handoffs weekly
Fix recurring reasons with new knowledge, or leave them deliberately with your team.
When an AI chatbot should hand off
Set explicit triggers rather than relying on the model's judgement alone:
- The customer asks for a person
- The answer is not supported by your knowledge
- The topic is sensitive: refunds, complaints, account security, legal or medical questions
- An action failed, such as an order lookup that cannot be completed
- The conversation is going in circles
Make the handoff feel like progress
Tell the customer what happens next and roughly when. If nobody is online, collect the best contact method and confirm it back. On your side, the person picking up should see what the customer wanted, what was already confirmed, and what was tried, which is why the full conversation sits in the inbox.
What it does not do
So you can decide quickly whether CenterChat fits, here is what this part of the product does not cover today.
- The live inbox is for website conversations; it is not an email or phone help desk.
- There is no built-in staff rota or SLA timer. Route handoffs to your existing tools with the webhook.
Questions, answered
More in the full FAQ.
Can customers talk to a real person?
Yes. Visitors can ask for a person at any time, and the agent offers one when it cannot confirm an answer. Your team takes over in the live inbox.
How does my team get notified?
Each handoff sends a signed handoff.requested webhook. Route it to Slack, email or your help desk with Zapier, Make or your own endpoint.
What if no one is available?
The agent collects the visitor's contact details so your team can follow up, and tells the visitor what to expect.
Can my team see the whole conversation?
Yes. The full conversation, including any forms and lookups, is in the inbox when your team takes over.
Is human handoff on every plan?
Yes. Every plan includes every feature, including the live inbox and handoff.
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